The Western Wayne Drama Club rounded out their 2022-23 season with a field trip to The Scranton Cultural Center to see Disney’s The Little Mermaid. It was a great experience for the students because they recently put on their own production of the same show this past April. The students look forward to their next season, and the club wishes it’s seniors the best in all of their future endeavors!
Western Wayne High School hosted the Junior Leadership Northern Poconos Graduation on May 24, 2023. Karina Booths, Weston Nugent, Alexandra Rodriguez, Emily Romanowski and Hunter Smith were the Western Wayne representatives.
The Chamber of the Northern Poconos’ goal is to develop mutual understanding, respect, civic engagement, leadership and the interpersonal skills of high school juniors by proving real-world experiences. In addition to the skills learned and topics explored, the opportunities and challenges of the region are discussed as participants network with community leaders and other high school students from Forest City Regional, Wallenpaupack Area and Wayne Highlands. The students from all four districts collected items for the Wayne County Food Pantry.
Western Wayne hosted their annual spring Art Show on Saturday, May 13, for the community with a special section of pieces from Western Wayne alumni this year in honor of Western Wayne’s 50th Anniversary celebration. The show featured art from students in grades 8 through 12 and art from graduating seniors. The following list of nine seniors exhibited their portfolios at the art show: Eleanor Black, Emily Brophy, Alice Davis, Anjali de Leon-Bello, Eriana Figueroa, Kourtney Franklin, Lillian Morcom, Angelina Salvatore, and Alex Wallace. Their displays represented an accumulation of up to four years of artwork.
Senior Eleanor Black’s senior exhibit was titled “Our Past.”
“My portfolio theme centers around the concept of childhood,” Eleanor explained. “I wanted to convey senses of uneasiness and sadness within youthful and vibrant images.”
Eleanor plans to attend Vassar College and major in English.
Fellow senior Emily Brophy also had her display in the art show titled “Garden Party”.
She particularly likes drawing insects.
“I believe my specialty has become creating Greek and Roman statues as well as insects,” Emily said. “I enjoy more than just drawing insects, but also pinning and displaying them.”
Emily plans to attend Delaware Valley University to major in botany. She would like to have a future career working in environmental conservation at a local national park or for an agricultural business.
Another featured senior is Alice Davis who titled her display “Ghost Town.”
“In truth, I’ve always thought how fun it would be to be a ghost, to be so free and to not worry about the consequences of my actions, to just be able to have fun and to enjoy life to the fullest,” Alice explained. “I think I’ve shown my desire to be free and to be able to have that fun within my pieces.”
Alice plans to attend Lackawanna College this fall to study culinary arts.
Senior Anjali de Leon-Bello also had a featured display centered around the concept of “Change.”
Anjali doesn’t particularly like change and wanted to represent that concept in her senior collection.
“Change has always made me uneasy,” she said. “I don’t like surprises and I don’t like not knowing things. I’m at the part of my life where everything is a gigantic unanswered question and it drives me crazy. I wanted to represent that hardness of letting go, but keeping the constants in my life.”
Anjali will pursue a degree in art education at Kutztown University after graduation.
Fellow senior Eriana Figueroa’s senior collection was centered around animals.
“I like to explore various subject matter forms, but my favorite art is that which enhances the beauty of animals,” she explained. “I love all the details animals possess; therefore, I enjoy the challenge of trying to paint them, and it is why I chose this theme for my exhibit.”
Eriana believes her art is like a “form of medicine” which is fitting since she plans to attend Penn State in the fall to study nursing.
Senior Kourtney Franklin’s collection was titled “Enchanted Garden.”
“I enjoy doing mostly colored pencil, for I have always loved the outcome of it,” Kourtney explained. “I chose to base my portfolio around flowers and plants because the colors are beautiful and it is unique.”
Kourtney currently works as a CNA and plans to achieve a nursing degree at Penn State.
Senior Lillian Morcom also had a featured display titled “Me.”
“I want to convey to my viewers my life through all of my pieces,” Lillian said. “The theme I chose reflects the things I like and the things I enjoy. I chose my room as my display because I feel it reflects me the most. I can’t control everything in my life, but I can control how my room looks.”
Lillian plans to attend East Stroudsburg University with a major in English.
In addition, senior Angelina Salvatore had a display centered around people’s insecurities and things that people see as weird or unconventional.
Angelina has been very inspired by her family to pursue art.
“I want people to look at my art and feel it,” she said. “I want to capture emotions in my art and immortalize them.”
She plans to attend Albright University to pursue a degree for fashion and costume design.
Finally, senior Alex Wallace had a very unique senior display titled “Mind on a Permanent Vacation.”
“I chose this theme because my thoughts are literally everywhere,” he explained. “Throughout senior year, there were a lot of things going on and being able to mentally check out and work on my art provided me with an outlet. I want to convey to my viewers a sense of calmness and peace. I believe it’s okay to be busy and have a lot of things going on, but it’s important to reign it in and be proud of how far you have come.”
Alex plans to attend East Stroudsburg University in the fall with a major in integrated arts.
Many of the seniors plan to pursue art as a hobby if it is not part of their chosen career field. They are grateful for the experiences they had at Western Wayne in their art classes.
The District wishes them the best on their future endeavors and congratulates the Art Department on another successful Art Show.
The Third Annual Cat Pack Games were held on Wednesday, May 24 at Sharkey Rosetti Stadium. After a musical welcome from the Western Wayne Marching Band, student CAThletes from EverGreen, RDW, and the Middle and High Schools spent the day running, jumping, throwing, and playing! Student volunteers from the High School assisted in setting up and running the games and activities, taking photographs, and face painting. The day was a perfect highlight of some of the many talents of our students. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a great day!
Emily Romanowski, Adrian Agnello, & Rhayni Carroll
Western Wayne High School students, Adrian Agnello, Rhayni Carroll and Emily Romanowski, graduated from Tomorrow’s Leaders Today on May 18, 2023.
Leadership Lackawanna’s seven-month Tomorrow’s Leaders Today program develops the leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills of high school juniors and provides real-world experiences in the areas of health care, STEAM, history and heritage, crime and corrections, financial literacy, philanthropy, non-profit organizations, and community service. Sessions are held one full weekday each month. The TLT Program accepts applications from high school sophomores who wish to improve their personal skills and impact their local community.
Western Wayne FBLA SLC students, Row 1, from left: Rhayni Carroll, Marshall Davis, Alaina Maiocco, Hailey Wasman, Olivia Gries, Maggie Kotchessa, Colette Schmitt, Allie Pauler, Emily Romanowski, Raegan Palmer, Khloe Mistishin, Lia Hartman, and Cyrah Bihler. Row 2: (sitting) Raeleigh Kromko, Maddie Vinton, Mason Rush, Tony Donnini, Nicholas Hrosovsky, and Alex Chapman. Row 3: Taylor Maiocco, Lauren Dramisino, Adrian Agnello, Angelina Correa, Logan Pauler, Alex Enslin, Mackenzie Adams, Lucius Richner, Bernie Roedel, Connor Bryant, Dustin Ferraro, Jared Goldman, Ryan Schane, Jamie Chapman, Weston Nugent, Laynee Nugent, Jade Wetherington, Julia Wehrmann, and Jenna Kwiatkowski.One of the Top 10 winners, Row 1, from left: Raeleigh Kromko, Maddie Vinton, Maggie Kotchessa, Khloe Mistishin, Allie Pauler, Raegan Palmer, and Colette Schmitt. Row 2: Jenna Kwiatkowski, Emily Romanowski, Taylor Maiocco, Rhayni Carroll, Alex Chapman, Weston Nugent, and Adrian Agnello.
Forty members of Western Wayne FBLA attended the 72nd Annual PA FBLA State Leadership Conference in Hershey April 17-April 19. At the Awards of Excellence Session held at the Giant Center the following members placed in the top 10: Adrian Agnello and Weston Nugent, 2nd place, Business Ethics; Raegan Palmer and Colette Schmitt, 8th place, Introduction to Business Presentation; Introduction to FBLA, Maggie Kotchessa, 4th place and Khloe Mistishin, 6th place; Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, Maddie Vinton 4th place and Raeleigh Kromko, 10th place; Rhayni Carroll, Alex Chapman, Jenna Kwiatkowski, Taylor Maiocco, and Emily Romanowski, 1st place Parliamentary Procedure; Allie Pauler, 2nd place, Word Processing, and Alex Chapman, 7th place, Who’s Who in PA FBLA. Alex Chapman and Jenna Kwiatkowski each received a William Selden Scholarship award. Alex placed 7th and received $750, and Jenna was an honorable mention and received $350. Western Wayne FBLA placed 6th in Outstanding Chapter. Ten members are eligible to compete at the FBLA National Leadership Conference this summer in Atlanta, GA.
Mr. Starnes and Mrs. Ort direct their groups for the closing number.Mrs. Ort directs the High School Band.Mr. Starnes directs the High School Chorus
The Western Wayne High School Band and Chorus presented their annual Spring concert this past Saturday, May 13, in the high school auditorium. The chorus entertained the crowd with a variety of beautiful songs including a special song to wish the senior members well titled “Shine Like Stars.” The crowd was also treated to selections from the newly created Acapella Choir. The band also presented a variety of music to entertain the crowd including the moving piece “Into the Raging River.” To close out the show, both the band and chorus performed highlights from the Music Man. The High School Chorus is under the direction of Mr. Taber Starnes and the High School Band is under the director of Mrs. Elaine Ort.
Congratulations to the following students who presented scientific research at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science State Competition on May 15th. These students investigated a scientific question, carried out controlled scientific research and presented their findings to a panel of professionals in the scientific fields. The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) is a statewide organization of middle and high school students designed to stimulate and promote interest in science among its members through the development of research projects and investigations.
Kailey Tickner was awarded a 2nd place for her research in the field of Biology on the efficacy of manual vs automatic blood pressure cuff readings in adult patients. Kailey was awarded a perseverance award for her 6 years of PJAS research.
Cassidy Zeiler was awarded a 2nd place for her research in the field of Behavioral Science on the effects of yoga practice on stress level in adults.
Audrey Agnello was awarded a 2nd place for her research in the field of Microbiology on the effects of dilution of cleaners on bacterial growth.
Madelyn McClure was awarded a 2nd place for her research in the field of Zoology on the effects of energy drinks on Daphnia magna heart rate.
Gallery Opens 6:15pm Show Starts 7pm Celebrating 50 years! WW Alumni tribute Fashion Flix Catwalk 2023 / May 23 Veterans Memorial Auditorium Western Wayne High School
Proceeds donated to local food pantry. Adults $2 Students Free
Kneeling (L to R): Lizzie Washine, Emily Romanowski, Rhayni Carroll, Taylor Maiocco, Vincent Tomasetti, Ryley Box, Marcello Caminiti, Addison Purvis, Brooke Kellogg, and Frankie Leyshon. Standing (L to R): Keyura, Neve, Lily Kieva, Alison Swingle, Stephanie Mildner, Allie Pauler, Hunter Smith, Adrian Agnello, Daniel Hall, Carter Mistishin, Hayden Mundrake, Ayden Rosengrant, Madelyn Chrobak, Kayne Bihler, Trinity Graboske, Timmy Roberts, Matt Brown, Allyson Irvine, Teagan Murphy, Mackenzie Adams, Paul Lukas, Matvey Mamoshuk, Addyson Pruss, Grace Lidy, Lauren Dramisino, Dylan Stookey, David Elias, Evan Dean, and Lance Maiocco.
Western Wayne sophomores and juniors took a trip to the Lehigh Valley to tour colleges on April 13. Students were able to see Lafayette College, DeSales University, and Moravian University. Topics included admissions, financial aid, housing, athletics, activities and tours of the facilities.
ALL NEWS
Student Council Homecoming Food DriveNovember 13, 2024Western Wayne High School Student Council recently delivered donations to the food pantry volunteers in Waymart as run by the Calvary United Methodist Church.
During Homecoming week, the Western Wayne High School Student Council collected nonperishable food items from the school and community to help stock local food pantries, including items donated as admission into the Varsity football game.
The donations were made to the food pantries at Calvary United Methodist Church in Waymart and St. Thomas More Food Pantry in Lake Ariel.
If interested in these resources or to make donations, please contact the United Methodist Church in Waymart via Donna LaBar at 570-470-3763 and the Thomas More Food Pantry via Jen Cruciani at office@stthomas-stmary.com
From left: Becky Leljedal, Mrs. Jenkins, and Donna LaBar. [...]
Creative Writing Students Compete in “Fright Club” ContestNovember 11, 2024During October’s spooky season, WWHS students in the Creative Writing elective competed to give senior class readers the biggest “fright” by composing a 100-word or less mini saga. Students could opt to submit their sagas to a national level competition via the Young Writers 2024 “Fright Club” contest.
Runners up were senior Anthony Donnini’s “Monster,” junior Makayla Fullone’s “Performance is a Promise to be Kept ,” and senior Vallita Belinova’s “Rite Aid.”
Senior Lillian Maros took the first place “boo-basket” prize for her chilling poetic saga, “Black Sheep.”
Winners (left to right):Anthony Donnini , Lillian Maros, Makayla Fullone, and Vallita Belinova (not pictured). [...]
Students Recognized Nationally for PSAT ScoresNovember 7, 2024Five Western Wayne High School students have been recognized nationally for their PSAT scores this year. They include: Mia Arcadipane, Lillian Bronson, David Elias, Antonio Fisichella, and Hailey Wasman.
The students feel honored for this recognition and look forward to attending college to study a variety of subjects to further their future careers.
First, Mia Arcadipane, junior, is involved in the following school activities: cross county, track, wrestling, FBLA, NHS, Cats Club, and Student Ambassador Program. Mia is excited to study veterinary medicine after graduation.
“I have always loved science and biology and am excited to learn about these subjects,” she said.
Another nationally recognized student is Lillian Bronson, senior.
She participates in the following activities: Envirothon, soccer, NHS, and Cats Club, where she serves as treasurer.
Lillian plans to pursue a career path involving conservation and wants to study related areas in college.
“I grew up constantly being outside and hunting,” she explained. “I like our environment and want to protect it.”
Next, David Elias, senior, participates in basketball, track, FBLA, and PBIS committee.
He wishes to study mathematics further after graduation through a major in mechanical engineering.
“My favorite subjects are calculus and physics, and they go hand in hand in the field I wish to pursue,” David said.
Another high-achieving PSAT student is Antonio Fisichella, junior. Anotonio is involved in a variety of sports and activities including: Envirothon, Science Olympiad, political science club, outdoor and indoor track, cross country, and student council. In addition, he has been highly involved in the school’s band for the past four years playing percussion in the marching and concert band and participating in both the pit and pep bands.
Antonio greatly values his faith and looks forward to pursuing the study of neurology in college.
“God is good,” he said when reflecting on his recognition for his test score and his future plans.
Finally, Hailey Wasman, junior, is an accomplished member of her local 4H club. She has been showing animals since she was four years old. Some animals she has shown include: goats, lamb, dairy, beef, etc. In addition, she is a member of the Wayne County Livestock Judging Team and is a member of NHS at school.
Her path in 4-H and her strong achievements in academics have led her to pursue a career as a large animal veterinarian with a speciality in reproduction. She wants to study this particular field in college.
“This field of study will help me and others to build strength in our animals,” she explained. “I will learn how to do this by studying different aspects of genealogy in my future coursework.”
The Western Wayne School District wishes these nationally recognized students the best in their future studies at Western Wayne and their respective colleges upon graduation.
From left: Antonio Fisichella, Hailey Wasman, Lillian Bronson, Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal; David Elias, and Mia Arcadipane. [...]
Drama Club to Host Holiday Murder Mystery Dinner on Dec. 6November 6, 2024The Western Wayne Drama Club is now accepting reservations for our HOLIDAY MURDER MYSTERY DINNER on Friday, December 6, from 6 to 8 pm in the High School Cafeteria.
This event is for adults and students grades 8 and up ONLY. Adult ticket cost $25 dollars; students and senior citizens for $20 dollars. Cost includes: appetizers, soda and water, buffet dinner catered by RPlace, and live show. More information in ticket link.
Reservations accepted now through Nov. 22. PUBLIC IS ENCOURAGED TO DRESS IN 1920s ATTIRE. There will be audience prizes for best costume! We hope you join us for this unique night out hosted by our Drama Club students this holiday season! Questions, email jmclau@wwsd.io
See order link for more details below. Paper order form attached, if preferred.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_2TJjhZqD8u9LolAyFEkoBj1UDIBQhLF7twGyKXJGl4/edit#response=ACYDBNjB1v5pHKuPdYtYBAIQTz4g3JBZuuA8K5HOUNAMe6dEqiym1ckR1-4EAAj8ScB2w2A
Happy early holiday season from the Western Wayne Drama Club! [...]
Safe2Say Something is a youth violence prevention
program run by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
The program teaches youth and adults how to recognize
warning signs and signals, especially within social media,
from individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others
and to “say something” BEFORE it is too late.