Students who have satisfied all school obligations (including textbooks, cafeteria balances, etc.) can register for summer school on June 29th (8:00AM to 11:00AM) or June 30th (9:00AM to 12:00PM) at WESTERN WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL. A GUIDANCE RECOMMENDATION is required since all summer school students must have an average in the 55-69 range for the subject they need to make up. Any student with a grade under a 55 will not be allowed to register for summer school. Guidance recommendations are located on the Failure Notice sent out by Guidance. The cost will be $100.00 per student/per course. Checks may be made payable to the Western Wayne School District. ALL financial obligations MUST be met! If you receive Free or Reduced Lunch, financial accommodations can be made.
***COURSES WILL BE OFFERED IN AN AT HOME ON-LINE FORMAT***
Classes will be offered in from 8:00AM – 10:00AM and 10:00AM – 12:00PM
Recently, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released preliminary guidance for the phased reopening of Pre-K to 12 schools. Western Wayne School District intends to consider all of the guidelines put forth by PDE, CDC, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Our goal is to welcome students back to school in the fall. Surely, the safety of our students along with continued excellence in education will by our top priorities.
We are asking all parents/guardians to complete the following survey to assist us in the planning of the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. If you are unable to complete the survey online, please contact the District Office at 1-800-321-9973.
The FCCLA Western Wayne Chapter received recognition at the Virtual State Leadership Conference held this past spring. Western Wayne FCCLA received three award certificates.
The club’s adviser Mrs. Lori Lucchesi was recognized for being a PA FCCLA Adviser for five years; Western Wayne High School was recognized for outstanding FCCLA Membership for being the largest high school; and Western Wayne student Kennedy Mistishin received the great honor of being recognized as Chapter Member of the year.
Lucchesi is extremely proud of all of the work done in Western Wayne’s FCCLA chapter this year. The students helped at Western Wayne’s annual Veterans Day assembly, held a very successful Breakfast with Santa community service project, and worked many hours to prepare their FCCLA State Leadership Conference projects, among many other events and activities that the club did together. Mrs. Paula Lamberton was a volunteer for the organization this year, and the Breakfast with Santa would not have happened without Paula’s hard work.
“I am proud of all of the efforts of Western Wayne FCCLA members,” Mrs. Lucchesi said. “I look forward to continuing to work with our students to do more great work for FCCLA in the future.”
Pictured are students in Western Wayne’s FCCLA Club helping to greet Veterans for Western Wayne’s annual Veterans Day Assembly this past November. From left: Paige Bell, Zoey Goldman, Kennedy Mistishin, Chapter Member of the year; Jaquelyn Morris, and Jaden Gregory.
Attached to this message you will find a schedule of times for seniors to attend the Virtual Graduation ceremony. Seniors will report on either Thursday, May 28th, Friday, May 29th, or Monday, June 1st. Seniors should be dressed in their cap and gown. Appropriate dress attire should be worn underneath the cap and gown including shirt and tie with slacks and dress shoes. Dresses, dress pants, skirts and/or blouses or dress tops are also appropriate. Jeans, sneakers, and collarless shirts are not appropriate.
Seniors should arrive in one vehicle with their immediate family members a few minutes prior to their scheduled time and park outside of the high school auditorium entrance. A staff member will direct the graduate and their family into the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium. In order to maintain the safety of students and staff, individuals will not be permitted to enter the school building without a protective mask. The staff and administration will direct the graduate and their family to the stage where the graduate will be filmed receiving their diploma. Parents/guardians will be offered the opportunity to present the graduate with their diploma on stage during this event. There will be a professional photographer present to take pictures of each graduate and their family. One print of the graduate’s choice will be purchased by the senior class and provided to each graduate as a gift. Additional prints will be available to purchase from the on-site photographer at a later time.
Once the filming of the Virtual Graduation ceremony is complete the ceremony will be edited with assistance from the Sinclair Broadcast Group who have partnered with us to allow the Graduation ceremony to be aired on the FOX56 WOLF-TV, The CW WSWB-TV & MyTV WQMY family of stations. The time that the Graduation ceremony will be aired will be communicated to families when it becomes available.
Senior Western Wayne band student Kristoff Bien-Aime has received the Tim Bell Scholarship. It is a Fall Music Festival Scholarship awarded to the graduating senior who exhibits a passion for music and the ability to lead and inspire others with the power of music. The scholarship is given to a student who enhances and values their community by uniting others and creating an enriched environment with their love for music. Kristoff will use his scholarship at Widener University in the fall. In addition, Kristoff was recently awarded the Black and Gold Award by the Western Wayne Band. The Black and Gold Award is the only award that Western Wayne Band members themselves vote on for one of their own. Some of the qualities considered for this award are that it goes to the student who has the most spirit and school pride in the group.
The Awards of Excellence Program at the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference (SLC) is a night many PA FBLA members wait for each year. With schools closed around the state members began to wonder if this night would ever happen.
On Friday, May 15, it did happen! The top 10 awards in competitive events and the PA FBLA State Officer Team for the 2020-2021 school year were announced virtually on the PA FBLA website. Trading their suits and dress for sweatpants and tee shirts, and the jumbo screens and large meeting hall for a computer screen and a couch in their living room, FBLA members from around the state were able to “attend” the Pennsylvania FBLA State Leadership Conference this year.
“The Awards Program was a shining light in what has been a really weird past two months. Seeing Pennsylvania FBLA come together as a membership, it spread a feeling of positivity we hadn’t felt in months. I am so proud of Western Wayne FBLA for still succeeding no matter the circumstances.” Western Wayne FBLA Chapter President and outgoing PA FBLA First Vice President, Ezra Tetreault said.
“We work extremely hard all year to experience the exhilaration of hearing our names called in front of 5,000 in Hershey. We have built a FBLA legacy here. It began way before my time and I am confident the classes down the road will keep pushing it forward. Winning is the culture and it was writing on the wall in 2020.” Said Tetreault.
Twenty-two of the forty members that competed at the SLC placed in the top 10 in their competitive events. Western Wayne FBLA swept 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in three individual events. In Accounting I, Lacey Falloon placed 1st, Alex Hineline placed 2nd, and Celeste Orchard placed 3rd. Rach Hoch placed 1st, Kaeil Romanowski placed 2nd and Abby Kapschull placed 3rd in Introduction to FBLA. In Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, Gabby Tetreault was the 1st place winner, Rachel Tuman was 2nd and Ashton Fitzsimmons was 3rd. Also, in individual events, Adelaide Treibley placed 8th in Impromptu Speaking.
Four teams also placed in the top 10. James Fryzel and Caden Slifko captured 8th placed in Emerging Business Issues. Skylar Long and Ella Pavlovich placed 5th in Introduction to Business Presentation. The team of Landon Firmstone, Julia Lamberton, and Collin Murry placed 3rd in Entrepreneurship. The Parliamentary Procedure team of Darlene Black, Lenny Maiocco, Kate Mattern, Lena Piccolino and Sydney Peet had a 1st place win.
Additional awards included an 8th and 3rd place win for Sydney Peet and Ezra Tetreault in Who’s Who in PA FBLA. Western Wayne FBLA received 8th place in Outstanding Chapter and 10th place in Local Market Share. Darlene Black, Sydney Peet, and Ezra Tetreault each received a William Seldon scholarship ranging from $250 to $750.
Lenny Maiocco was selected as the Pennsylvania FBLA State Parliamentarian for the 2020-2021 school year. The parliamentarian in not an elected position, the candidate with the highest score on the Parliamentary Procedure test is appointed to the position.
“Even though the Awards Ceremony was not what it usually is, it was really great to see how well everyone did,” Lenny Maiocco said. “It is easy to just say that I am not going to do anything because the State Leadership Conference was cancelled, but Western Wayne really excelled and the hard work that everyone put in paid off.”
The competition is not over yet. The FBLA members that placed in the top 4 in their respective events will have the opportunity to compete at the national level. FBLA will be hosting a virtual National Leadership Experience this year to members to engage in this June.
Caption: Pictured is Lenny Maiocco who was selected as the Pennsylvania FBLA State Parliamentarian for the 2020-2021 school year. The parliamentarian is not an elected position, the candidate with the highest score on the Parliamentary Procedure test is appointed to the position.
The Western Wayne School District is pleased to announce plans for celebrating the Class of 2020 Graduation ceremony and activities. Please see the letter below with the official announcement. More information and specific instructions for graduating seniors and their families will be provided in the coming days. Again, we thank you for your patience and your understanding throughout this process.
Wednesday, May 20, 3:15 p.m. Interested students who will be in grades 8 through 12 next year should email Mrs. McLaughlin at jmclaughlin@westernwayne.org for more information prior to the meeting.
We perform with the Marching Band along with participating in various trips and events throughout the school year. We are looking to recruit new members for this coming school year and hope to see you at our meet. Remember to email jmclaughlin@westernwayne.org prior to May 20 to get more information on this meeting.
ALL NEWS
Art Show a SuccessMay 16, 2025Western Wayne hosted their annual spring Art Show on Saturday, May 10, for the community. The show featured art from students in grades 8 through 12 and art from graduating seniors. The following list of seven seniors exhibited their portfolios at the art show: Aubrey Bell, Andy Dickison, Cedar Gilpin, Lillian Maros, Davis Sheppard, Neima Smith-Horst, and Lizzie Washine. Their displays represented an accumulation of up to four years of artwork.
Senior Aubrey Bell’s featured display focussed on contrast.
“In my senior display, I juxtaposed elements like skulls and flowers,” Aubrey explained. “To me, this pairing symbolizes the inherent beauty in contrast–how life and death are not opposites, but part of a shared, nature cycle. By combining them, I aim to present death not as an end, but as a meaningful and even peaceful transition.”
Aubrey said that Marvel and DC comics often influence her creative perspective as well.
She plans to attend Penn State University to pursue a four-year degree in nursing, with the ultimate goal of becoming a surgeon. In addition, she always plans to carry her artistic perspective with her.
Senior Andy Dickison’s artwork centers around the human form and all the ways it can be bent. Andy takes inspiration from artists who use “gross” color palettes and strange perspectives. In addition, drum-heavy grunge music has also been inspirational.
“A message I want to send through my pieces is that they can never be exactly replicated again,” Andy explained. “AI image generators cannot replace human creativity and artwork.”
Andy is proud of doing the artwork for the cover of the December issue for Happening Magazine this school year and for being Artist of the Week on WVIA.
Andy plans to attend Kutztown University and major in art.
Senior Cedar Gilpin feels that in her time taking art class throughout her high school career has really helped her expand her creative mind.
“A major source of inspiration for me is my mother,” Cedar said. “She’s always been incredibly creative and has encouraged me to express myself through drawing, painting and more. I’m genuinely proud of what I’ve accomplished so far, and I believe the skills I’ve developed will benefit me greatly in the future.”
Cedar will attend college in the fall with a major in art therapy.
Senior Lillian Maros’ display centered around art inspired by her family.
“My inspiration is my family and things I experience around me,” Lilly explained. “My father and brother are both cowboys. Yes, they still exist. They participate in rodeos around the country and are often far from home. My art is a way of connecting to them when I can’t see them, and showing my support for them as they have supported me. My mural is the centerpiece of my display, as is my art. It is the explanation of how my relationship with my brother works.”
Lilly is greatly inspired by all members of her family including her mother and grandparents as well as her father and brother. She is also strongly guided by her faith in God.
Lilly plans to move with her family to Texas after graduation where she intends to start her own mobile coffee truck.
Senior Davis Sheppard believes his artwork has helped him grow as a person.
“My artwork has profoundly shaped my life, giving me a more positive outlook and inspiring personal growth to elevate my creative expression,” Davis explained. “Through my work, I found meaning and a sense of identity–I became someone. It also helped me open up to others.”
Davis wants others to know how truly free art is.
Davis plans to attend Marywood University to earn a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
Senior Neima Smith-Horst’s primary medium for art is mixed media, combining unexpected things together and creating peace, but also holding versatility.
“Everything comes from trusting the process, and I find peace in creating and trusting my own heart in making something,” she explained. “Art is an escape for me, something to do without pressure and insecurity. Being able to create different things allows me to capture what I wish was, what I fear, feel, love, enjoy, and even things I have no interest or control over.”
Neima plans to continue to work and also attend college for directing and filmmaking.
Finally, senior Lizzie Washine has always had a love for art.
Watercolor is her favored medium.
“I draw inspiration from everything around me: my personal experiences, the world I observe, the music I love, and the poetry and literature I read,” she explained. “Art surrounds us in so many forms. I see it in the lyrical depth of artists like Bob Dylan, The Doors, and even Noah Kahan, and Zach Bryan–where every word feels intentional and alive with meaning.”
Lizzie plans to attend Duquesne University to pursue a dual major in elementary and special education with a minor in creative writing.
All of the seniors 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.
From left: Aubrey Bell, Davis Sheppard, Cedar Gilpin, Neima Smith-Horst, Lizzie Washine, and Lilly Maros. Absent from photo: Andy Dickison. [...]
Community Invited to Annual CatWalk Fashion Show on May 22May 16, 2025Western Wayne Fashion students are thrilled to invite the community to their annual CatWalk Fashion Show on Thursday, May 22, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. This year the show titled “Eco Floral Fusion” is focussed on the theme of eco- sustainability .Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. Free admission! The students will also host the show for an audience of their peers during the school day on Thursday, May 22.
Pieces made by students in grades 9 through 12 will be featured. The students also worked in teams that represent fashion collections based on the four seasons. The lead designers for the collections are senior Lily Kieva, spring collection, sophomore Bella Kolp, winter collection; sophomore Emma DeNunzio, summer collection; and sophomore Addriana Cangas, fall collection.
Show director and fashion teacher Andrea McCleland explained the way the students created their seasonalities collections to reflect the theme of the show.
“The designers thrifted what’s on stage,” she explained. “We studied in class how the fashion industry has been a burden on the environment, so for the seasonalities portion of our show, we have set an example of not burdening the environment for these collections.”
Senior Lily Kieva is excited to debut her Lily of the Valley collection for the spring portion of the competition.
“It is a perfect theme for me,” she explained. “It is an eccentric spring theme with a reference to my name and Pennsylvania flowers of the valley.”
Lily is a four-year fashion student at Western Wayne. Upon graduation, she will attend Marywood University with a major in secondary education history with the intention of also earning a special education certificate.
She is most fond of the memories she has made through creating fashion and plans to continue to create designs after graduation with her sewing machine at home.
Fellow designer Bella Kolp also owns a sewing machine and learned how to sew at a young age.
She is thrilled to debut her winter collection called Whispers of Winter and other pieces in the show.
Bella shared how she has tied in another meaningful part of her high school years to the fashion show.
For the past two years, she has been a part of a program called EF Language Abroad which has given her the opportunity to study Japanese language and culture abroad in Japan both last summer and again this upcoming summer.
“I got the opportunity to study the language for about four hours a day and then travel throughout Japan,” she explained.
She discussed how one of the pieces she created for the show was inspired by her time in Japan. Bella aspires to study business in college.
Fellow sophomore Emma DeNunzio, who was encouraged by her aunt to start sewing years ago, is also excited to share her summer collection.
Emma just played the supporting role of Ali in Western Wayne’s production of Mamma Mia!
“One of my more beach-themed pieces was influenced by the musical,” she explained.
Her fellow fashion classmate sophomore Addriana Cangas is also happy to debut her fall collection at the show. She has greatly enjoyed her experience creating fashion and can’t wait to present her work to the community with her classmates and teacher.
McCleland and her students feel so grateful to be able to invite the community to their evening show on Thursday, May 22, and they look forward to creating more designs to share with the Western Wayne community in the future.
From left, standing: Chloe Gilpin, model; Clare Coccodrilli, model; Avery Ullner, model; and Davis Sheppard, model. From left, kneeling: Lily Kieva, designer; and Bella Kolp, designer. [...]
Hartman Named NEIU 19 Scholar of the Year and Scholastic SuperstarMay 14, 2025Senior, Lia Hartman, was recently recognized as both the NEIU 19 Scholar of the Year and The Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar. The Scholastic Superstar Ceremony was held on May 5th at Lackawanna College. NEIU Scholar of the Year Ceremony was held on May 6th at Carbondale Area Jr./Sr. High School.Lia is a highly involved student who is the president of the Science Club. She, also, is in Envirothon, National Honor Society, and is president of the Band. In addition, she served as a drum major for the past two years playing the flute and piccolo.“I have learned a lot about leadership in my time at Western Wayne,” she said. “I’ve come to embrace the fact that everyone I work with is unique and to have success leading them I have to adjust to their needs. I have become a more understanding and open-minded person through being a drum major.”Hartman will take the leadership skills she learned at Western Wayne to college next year. She will be attending The University of Scranton in the fall with a major in biochemistry.“The human body is really interesting,” she said. “I want to contribute to people’s health, and I enjoy lab work best, so pathology embodies what I see for my future.”From left: Western Wayne High School Principal Mr. Paul B. Gregorski and Lia Hartman. [...]
Kloss Sets Junior High School RecordMay 14, 2025Congratulations to Kaitlyn Kloss for setting the JH School Record in the 3200 with a time of 12:23.74 with a Gold Medal effort at Abington Heights tonight in a makeup event from the invitational two weeks ago. Garrett Malakin earned a Bronze Medal in the event with a time of 11:56.24. From left: Kloss and Malakin. [...]
Band Director Receives PMEA District 9 Citation of Excellence AwardMay 14, 2025Mrs. Elaine Ort formerly received thePennsylvania Music Educators Association District 9 Citation of Excellence award at the school board meeting on Wednesday, May 7. Mrs. Ort is the only band director in District 9 to be chosen for the award this year. This award is given to music educators who demonstrate high musical standards both inside and outside the classroom. She attended an awards banquet at the PMEA State Conference in April to receive recognition for this award as well.
In addition, Mrs. Ort has had the honor of being a member of America’s Bands Directors with her most recent appearance with this group at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The district is proud of Mrs. Ort’s past and most recent accomplishments.
Pictured is Mrs. Ort, PMEA District 9 vice president, shaking hands with and receiving her framed award from PMEA District 9 President Dr. Thomas Bassett.
Second picture is of Mrs. Ort with her well-deserved award. [...]
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.
