From left: Western Wayne High School Principal Paul Gregorski and Jenny Guadagno.
Western Wayne Senior Jenny Guadago has been selected as a College Board National Recognition Program awardee for scoring well on several advanced placement exams. Jenny explained that the rigorous courses she took at Western Wayne greatly prepared her to do well on these tests. She explained how she has taken and continues to take challenging science courses at Western Wayne. “I have a lot of practice with problem solving from the courses I have taken,” Jenny explained. “I have learned to question everything.” In addition to her academic studies, Jenny loves to be a part of the Western Wayne Marching Band where she has served as a section leader. “I like getting to know everyone and to connect with so many different people,” she said. “Band attracts such a diverse group of students with the common interest of having a passion for music.” Jenny aspires to study science in college upon graduation. “I am so interested in science because the whole concept involves trying to figure out the world around you.”
From left are Western Wayne Senior art students, who will be featured in the Scranton Times 2022 Artist of the Month Exhibit: Adelaide Treibley, Carleigh Galliford, and Ella Dougher
Carleigh Galliford’s piece called “Beacon of Hope.”
Ella Dougher’s piece called “Autumn’s Arrival”.
Adelaide Treibley’s piece called “A Moment with Monet”.
Adelaide Treibley’s featured artwork that ran in the December issue of Happenings Magazine.
Western Wayne senior artists have been selected to be a part of the Scranton Times Artists of the Month Exhibit. They include Carleigh Galliford, February artist; Adelaide Treibley, May artist; and Ella Dougher, November artist.
The students’ artwork will be featured in the Scranton Times for their designated month. Carleigh’s acrylic painting titled “Beacon of Hope” will be featured for February. The picture depicts a lighthouse by an ocean and a cabin. Carleigh has been accepted at Marywood University for the fall. She wishes to pursue an art therapy degree.
She explained that most of her pieces are based on self expression.
“I enjoy art because it helps me to express things that can’t be expressed through words,” Carleigh explained.
Fellow senior Adelaide Treibley also enjoys the aspect of creative expression in her art work. Adelaide’s acrylic piece titled “ A Moment with Monet” will be featured for May.
She explained how her piece is a very detailed nature scene that took her a lot of time to work on all of the coloring throughout it.
“I like to create artwork with animals, wild life, and nature the most,” Adelaide explained.
Senior Ella Dougher’s artwork also features nature. Her Scranton Times acrylic piece is called “Autumn’s Arrival.” Ella is excited to have already received a scholarship to Mount Saint Mary’s. She enjoys doing art and hopes to pursue it in some capacity in her college studies.
“I like having the freedom to create whatever I choose,” Ella said in regards to her art work.
The students look forward to having their pieces featured in the Scranton Times and are all currently working on creating more artwork for their upcoming spring art show which will be the culmination of their high school art careers.
Elaine Ort, band director for Western Wayne High School, will join band directors from across the country next January 1st in the annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Rose Parade.
A custom-designed animated float will lead a “marching band of band directors” up to 300 strong from across the country. The Michael D. Sewell Memorial Foundation, based in Pickerington, Ohio, is the sponsoring organization behind the project. The foundation was created to recognize and carry on the work of the late Mike Sewell, who dedicated his life to the school and community music programs in Pickerington and the Central Ohio area for more than 38 years.
The parade entry will convey the theme, “We teach music. We teach life.” The extraordinary dedication and accomplishments of band directors are well known to their students, to parents and to school teachers and administrators. No matter where they teach and work—public and private schools, colleges and universities, the military, community bands—dedicated music educators and leaders work long hours to not only teach and direct music, but to teach life itself. Students’ lives in particular are positively changed by a motivational leader who taught, inspired and mentored them.
“I am so incredibly excited for this experience, and so grateful to have had such wonderful colleagues and friends who have helped prepare me for this adventure,” Ort said. “ I hope that I will make all of you proud in Pasadena. Go Wildcats, and Go Band!”
Elaine Ort has devoted much of her life to the study and performance of music. A native of New England and graduate of Marywood University, Elaine is a member of the Scranton Brass Orchestra, the Providence Brass, the Schützengiggles Oompah Band, the Marywood University Wind Symphony, and performs often in musical pit orchestras throughout the region. As an educator, Elaine serves as the director of instrumental activities in the Western Wayne School District since 2014. At Western Wayne, her teaching responsibilities include sixth grade brass instruction, eighth grade band instruction, and the Pride of Western Wayne, the Wildcat High School Band. Under her direction and guidance the school continues to invest heavily in its music program, and was recently named a KHS America Academic Alliance Platinum school for its investment in instrumental education. It is the only school in Pennsylvania, and one of only 39 in the United States to have received that honor.
Complete details on the project are available on the Saluting America’s Band Directors website, BandDirectorSalute.org.
Taber Starnes conducts the Western Wayne High School Chorus at their recent concert
Elaine Ort and Taber Starnes conduct the Western Wayne High School Band and Chorus in their final joint number at their recent holiday concert.
Elaine Ort conducts the Western Wayne High School Band at their recent concert.
The Western Wayne High School Chorus and Band students performed their holiday concert on Friday, December 17, for family, friends, and members of the community under the direction of Mr. Taber Starnes, chorus, and Mrs. Elaine Ort, band. A great time was had by all.
The winners of this year’s Holiday Door Decorating Contest are as follows: 1st Place is Mrs. Jenkins Room 104 with her Buddy’s Starbucks Café! 2nd Place is Mr. Hayden Room 102 with the Polar Express. 3rd Place is Ms. Ferraro Room 101 with her Cozy Log Cabin. 4th Place is Mrs. Orloski and Mrs. Rush with their Cat Lady Meme. Runners up are Mrs. Masankay with the Year without a Santa Claus AND Mr. McCaffery with Putting the Fro in Frozen.
Western Wayne High School Band students participated in the Junior Wind Band Celebration held at Marywood the first weekend in December. They joined students from a variety of local schools for this event that ended with a concert on December 4. From left are Western Wayne High School Band members who participated: Lillian Maros, Lia Hartman, and Robert Scramuzza.
Western Wayne High School students were thrilled to get to spend an evening together at this year’s Winter Wonderland Semi Formal, held at Ladore Conference Center in Waymart, PA on Saturday, December 4th . Students enjoyed a dinner together before they danced the night away! Students also nominated their classmates, sophomores Frankie Leyshon and Rhayni Carroll, to be crowned Semi Prince and Princess!
Western Wayne Drama Club students were treated to a performance of the musical Annie at The Ritz Theater in Scranton on the evening of Friday, Dec. 3. Nearly forty students went on the field trip, some of which had never seen a live show before. The students were glad to have the opportunity to see the musical and will use what they learned from their experience as they work to prepare their spring musical Little Shop of Horrors. Pictured are Western Wayne Drama Club members in grades 8 through 12.
Western Wayne Select Chorus students were thrilled to return to singing in the community this past Saturday, Dec. 4. The students under the direction of Western Wayne choral teachers Joyce Covaleski and Taber Starnes sang at the Hideout’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and welcomed Santa to town. Pictured are members of Western Wayne’s Select Chorus in grades 6 through 12.
Western Wayne sophomore Hunter Smith has been chosen to represent Western Wayne at the 2021 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar in June 2021.
Hunter is an accomplished Western Wayne honor roll student who enjoys being a part of a variety of clubs at school including: FBLA, FCCLA, and student council where he serves as president this year. Hunter, also, is a member of the track team where his main event is throwing.
In Hunter’s leadership essay for HOBY, he explained how he discussed his leading roles in the activities and sports he is involved with at Western Wayne.
“On track I use my leadership skills to help my younger teammates,” Hunter explained.
He looks forward to attending the conference in the spring and meeting other student leaders from various districts.
“I hope to learn about their different outlooks on life at the conference,” Hunter explained.
After high school, Hunter aspires to study education. He wants to work with high school students.
“I hope to become a leader for students in my classroom one day,” Hunter said. “Teachers are leaders who help their students become better members of society than they were before they entered their classroom.”
ALL NEWS
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. [...]
RECYCLE YOUR ELECTRO JUNK – APRIL 26March 31, 2025Join the Y, Honesdale National Bank, Wayne County Fair Association and Advanced Recycling in beingenvironmentally active & recycling your broken & unwanted household or business electronic junk.Special thanks to The Fair Association for allowing us to use their location.
All funds raised will support our financial assistance program for our community.Cost: Households: $25 per household. Additional $20 for each item with Freon (such as air conditioners)Business, Schools, Gov’t Agencies: Pre-registration required with Tina at the YMCA570-253-2083
We accept: computers, servers, monitors, printers, keyboards, VCRs, CP batteries, cell phones,terminals, cables, wires, power supplies, fax machines, radios, modems, CTRs, corded & cordless phones, TVs,
CPUs, copiers, scanners, cassette/CD/DVD players, typewriters, stereo equipment.We don’t accept: Wooden TV consoles, glass, lightbulbs, cassette/video tapes, alkaline or cadmium batteries
Stay in your vehicles: We handle all removal.WHEN: Businesses & Households: Sat, April 26, 2025 9:00 AM-2:00 PMLOCATION: The Wayne County Fairground 270 Miller Drive Honesdale, PA 18431FOR MORE INFORMATION: Wayne County YMCA• 570-253-2083 • wcymca.com [...]
Ag Literacy WeekMarch 24, 2025EverGreen Elementary participated in Ag Literacy Week with 4H Penn State Extension of Wayne County. Students in grades kindergarten to second grade participated with classroom readers. Pennsylvania Ag Literacy Week is an important annual event that aims to educate young students about the significance of agriculture in their daily lives. In essence, Pennsylvania Ag Literacy Week is a valuable educational endeavor that fosters a greater understanding of agriculture and its vital role in society. This year’s book is “The Soil in Jackie’s Garden” and will teach children the importance of gardening, soil secrets and the magic of composting. [...]
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.