Seniors!
Please bring in or forward us your college acceptance letters!! Also, if you receive any scholarship money, we want to know that too!! We need a copy on file in the Guidance Office.
If you have committed to a branch of the military or secured full time employment after high school, please let us know that too.
Many topics regarding how to succeed in the business world were covered at the 2022 PA State Leadership Workshop held in early November at Kalahari Resort Pocono. Many students from districts statewide attended along with students from Western Wayne High School.
The Western Wayne Wildcats hosted a pep rally on the morning of Friday, Nov. 11, in the high school gym. All fall sports teams were recognized. The student body enjoyed performances by the varsity cheerleaders and marching band along with getting to play some games in the gym with their classmates. A good time was had by all.
This year Western Wayne High School continues their Student Ambassador Program. On Monday, Nov. 7, the ambassadors went through a training with instructor Julie Bialkowski to prepare them for the upcoming year of being student leaders. Ambassadors greet visitors to the high school and escort them to their destination in the building while participating in other school events including the school’s Veterans Day program where the district hosted veterans from the community at an assembly held at the high school on Thursday, Nov. 10. Student ambassadors are from grades nine through twelve. Pictured are the members of Western Wayne’s Student Ambassador Program.
Row 1: Ciarra Kidder, Peyton Graboske, Skyler Murphy, Datanica Craven, Brooke Kellogg, Jaden Gregory, Grace Moser, and Zoe Albitz.
Row 2: Xenia Vivona, Colette Schmitt, Weston Nugent, Adrian Agnello, Nicholas Hrosovsky, Dustin Ferraro, and Jared Goldman.
Row 3: Kera Edwards, Emily Dickson, Hunter Smith, Jenna Kwiatkowski, Taylor Maiocco, Alex Chapman, Laynee Nugent, Alaina Maiocco, Cyrah Bihler, Brandon Lopez, Alex Enslin, and Lucius RIchner.
Row 4: Nate Conway, Justin Korea, Will Dwyer, Marshall Davis, Rhayni Carroll, Emily Romanowski, and Khloe Mistishin.
On November 8th Western Wayne High School Students in grade 9 experienced the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Program. This program is an interactive, hands-on presentation with a take home energy efficiency kit for each participating student and teacher. The program teaches the importance of energy, natural resources and environmental resources, and gives each participating student’s family energy-efficient technologies to install at home. Students and Staff in the high school received innovation kits on November 10th. The kits included faucet aerators, pipe insulation, weather stripping, outlet gaskets, a furnace filter whistle, a water conserving shower head, outdoor light bulb as well an advanced smart energy power strip. 190 innovation kits were distributed overall. This comes to 4,822 new LED bulbs distributed to the Western Wayne School District since the program’s launch in 2015. This program will also result in a number of mini grants for the teachers in the high school as well. The Think Energy Innovation Program has been brought to the schools by the National Energy Foundation, PPL Electric Utilities and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information or questions, please contact National Energy Foundation at 1-855-494-2942 or email stephanie.dorman@nef1.org
The Western Wayne High School Marching Band took their show on the road for Halloween festivities on Monday, Oct. 31.
First, the students gave a performance to elementary students in the district at the R.D. Wilson School and on the same day, they performed in the community at the Wayne Woodlands and Julia Ribaudo Nursing Homes. They also included in their day a performance for the Western Wayne Middle School and Evergreen Elementary School as well.
The band students were thrilled to be able to perform live for these very special audiences this year after two years of performing via video for Halloween due to COVID. All of the students and nursing home residents who got to see the performances felt a lot of joy on the holiday.
One such resident was Jean at Julia Ribaudo Nursing Home. Jean was a member of The Rockettes years ago, and absolutely loved listening to the band play a wide variety of songs. She also danced along in her chair while the color guard danced in front of her and with her.
“I am so grateful to be able to go out and perform in the community again,” one of the color guard captains, senior Emily Brophy said. “It adds another layer to our performances, and we get to have such fun experiences with new audiences.”
Fellow color guard captain senior Izzy O’Donnell agreed.
“It was so wonderful to be able to go back out into the community for our Halloween performances this year,” Izzy said. “I was able to perform live for this type of event in my 8th grade year, and I am so glad to get this experience again in my senior year. I love to make people smile.”
Learning rhythms, beats, steps, and choreography isn’t just work for the Rockettes and Broadway stars, Western Wayne High School foreign language students have a yearly tradition of learning Spanish dancing as a part of their curriculum each fall.
Local dance instructor and studio owner Vince Brust works with the Western Wayne students to teach a variety of traditional Spanish dances such as tango, merengue, mambo, and salsa among others. Brust does this as a part of the Artist in Residence Program through NEIU-19.
The students have a few weeks of sessions with Mr. Brust in the fall leading up to a performance for the community this Thursday, November 3, in the Western Wayne High School Veterans Memorial Auditorium at 7 p.m. Admission is FREE for everyone.
The high school students were thrilled to learn how to dance and get to meet and work more closely with their fellow classmates in the process.
Junior Gavin Steinmetz said he had never danced before this fall, but that once he got started with the classes he really enjoyed them.
“It was something different,” Gavin said. “You get to engage with students you didn’t really get to in the classroom.”
Fellow junior Michaela Birnkrant also said she really had fun during her Spanish dance experience.
“I really loved learning all of the turns in the dances like the frisbee we would do when spinning away and then into our partner,” she recalled.
There will be about 30 students participating in the Spanish Dance Performance for the local community at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 3, in the High School Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Again, admission is FREE for all.
The students and staff involved hope to see you there for what will be about an hour of performance fun.
Western Wayne sophomores Grace Lidy and Cassidy Zeiler have been chosen to represent Western Wayne at the 2023 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar to be held this spring.
The girls submitted essays on the topic of what leadership means to them and were chosen to represent Western Wayne at HOBY.
Grace and Cassidy are accomplished Western Wayne students who enjoy being a part of a variety of clubs and activities at school along with taking challenging courses.
In Grace’s essay, she discussed her views on leadership.
“Leadership isn’t about having control,” she explained. “Instead it is about letting others do what they excel at while keeping control as a leader.”
Grace is a member of FBLA, Cats Club, football cheerleading and basketball cheerleading. Her favorite classes are history and math.
“I feel my experiences at Western Wayne have taught me to always be open to others’ ideas and to not get discouraged by my mistakes but learn from them,” Grace explained.
Grace’s future plans are to attend a four-year college for psychology.
Both girls feel extremely grateful to have been recognized for their leadership essays.
Fellow classmate Cassidy Zeiler also believes that leadership isn’t about taking control.
“I think the most important part of leadership is including others’ ideas and making sure everyone is included,” Cassidy explained.
Cassidy is a member of the tennis team, CATS Club, student council, school newspaper, and NAHS. She enjoys her American Literature Honors Class this year the most.
Cassidy’s future plans are to attend nursing school. She aspires to be a traveling nurse and would like to specialize in labor and delivery.
Both Grace and Cassidy are looking forward to attending the Leadership Seminar for HOBY this spring. Everyone in the Western Wayne community wishes them well.
“I feel like I have learned a lot about leadership through my experiences at Western Wayne so far,” Cassidy said. “I have been included in a lot of activities and been allowed to contribute my ideas to make them better.”
From left: Grace Lidy and Cassidy Zeiler.
High School’s Student Council attends Student Council ConferenceApril 4, 2025Western Wayne High School’s Student Council was invited to attend the annual Pennsylvania Association of Student Council’s Region H Conference, hosted by Lakeland Jr./Sr. High School, on Friday, March 28th. Several of our students joined the 535 delegates, presenters, and advisors for a day of networking and learning more about what it means to be an effective leader in school and how to become one! Our students were thrilled with the opportunity to attend and left energized to put much of what they learned into practice here at Western Wayne! Pictured from left to right are Autumn Sawicki, Leah Reeger, Sadie Booths, Dakota Douglas, Madison Forgione, Raegan Fox, Makenzie Chearney, and Madie Kizer. [...]
Western Wayne Students Shine in Energy Efficiency Competition!April 4, 2025A group of ninth-grade students from Western Wayne High School earned a prestigious Honorable Mention in PPL Electric Utilities’ THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge—a competition that challenged students to create interactive presentations on energy conservation, natural resources, and environmental issues.Aidyn Graci and Mitchell Ferraro, students in Dr. Mark Nebzydoski’s General Science class, took home the Honorable Mention award for their creative and engaging video on energy efficiency. Their project, which can be viewed on the Western Wayne website, used humor and storytelling to highlight the importance of saving energy. Throughout the video, the students repeatedly urged their teacher with the catchphrase, “Come on, Mr. Nebz!”, reminding him to be mindful of energy consumption in the classroom. https://youtu.be/EDmCGFHw4Lk“I really enjoyed making the video and getting to boss Mr. Nebz around a little!” said Mitchell Ferraro, who aspires to become a social studies teacher. Fellow creator Aidyn Graci, who hopes to pursue a career in business, added, “It was a relief to see our hard work pay off.”As part of the competition, Dr. Nebzydoski registered all Western Wayne students for free energy conservation kits, which included compact fluorescent light bulbs, a smart energy power strip, a shower timer, a faucet aerator, and a water-saving showerhead. Students installed the devices in their homes and measured their energy savings—applying science in a real-world, hands-on way.“The creativity and enthusiasm in these projects were incredible,” said Dr. Nebzydoski. “Seeing students learn about energy efficiency and apply it to their daily lives is exactly what education should be about. These high school students are tomorrow’s homeowners, so reinforcing energy conservation now is essential.”For their outstanding work, Aidyn and Mitchell were each awarded Beats wireless earbuds, and Dr. Nebzydoski received $250 for classroom supplies.PPL Electric Utilities, in partnership with the National Energy Foundation (NEF) and the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), sponsors the THINK! ENERGY program to promote energy education among students. This initiative provides free resources to help young people develop a deeper understanding of energy conservation and efficiency.For more information on the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge, visit THINK! ENERGY. https://thinkenergy.org/ppl-innovation/teachers/Caption: (LtoR) Mike Touey, PPL Electricity; Paul Gregorski, High School Principal; Aidyn Graci, Student; Mitchell Ferraro, Student; and Dr. Mark Nebzydoski, Science Teacher. [...]
Scholarships & Career Opportunities – April EditionApril 1, 2025The April edition of Scholarships & Career Opportunities is now available. All grades should read this document to get information on college, careers, important dates, SAT/ACT exams and of course…scholarships!
Click here: https://ww3.westernwayne.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Scholarships-and-Career-Opportunities-April-2025.pdf [...]
Kindness is keyMarch 31, 2025The kindness club at R.D. Wilson aims to spread kindness for both students and staff. The winter kindness club completed two important projects. First was the Coffee Cart which provided staff members with free coffee and hot cocoa. Each cup had an uplifting message written on it. Next, they designed a bulletin board in the cafeteria. Their goal was to motivate kids to be friends and include others. The kindness club members hope their projects made a lasting impact.
Kindness Club Members (Bulletin board photo, left to right): Elisabeth Burry, Keagan Quinn, Mrs. Germani, Veronica Miller, Ben Vinton, and Colby Doud [...]
Western Wayne 9th Graders Dive into Trout Conservation with FUDRMarch 31, 2025Western Wayne High School’s 9th-grade students recently had a unique opportunity to learn about trout, stream ecology, and watershed conservation through an engaging presentation by Taline Almasian and Ciara Gunderson, outreach coordinators for the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR). The non-profit, based in Hancock, NY, is dedicated to protecting and restoring the Upper Delaware River watershed for the benefit of local communities.
The presentation covered the biology and ecology of trout, including their role in aquatic ecosystems, economic significance, and the importance of conservation efforts. Students learned about habitat restoration, sustainable fishing regulations, and ways to become stewards of local waterways. Almasian and Gunderson also shared insights into FUDR’s mission and projects, demonstrating the impact of their conservation work.
This experience also deepened students’ understanding of Dr. Mark Nebzydoski’s Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program, where students raise rainbow trout eggs provided by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. These trout will grow into fingerlings before being released during a field trip this spring to the Varden Conservation Area. The presentation reinforced the importance of trout conservation and gave students a broader perspective on how their classroom efforts connect to real-world ecological preservation.
To reinforce their understanding, students participated in a Jeopardy-style quiz, testing their knowledge on topics covered in the presentation. The interactive format made learning fun and encouraged deeper engagement with the subject matter.
“This was an excellent opportunity for our students to connect classroom learning to real-world environmental issues,” said Dr. Mark Nebzydoski, Western Wayne High School science teacher. “FUDR’s work is essential in protecting our waterways, and our students now have a better understanding of how they can contribute to conservation efforts.”
The event highlighted the importance of preserving healthy aquatic ecosystems and inspired students to take an active role in environmental stewardship. To learn more about FUDR and its conservation efforts, visit www.fudr.org. [...]
