Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) from Western Wayne High School learned leadership skills, organizational skills, and project ideas while attending the FCCLA Regional Leadership Meeting on October 25^th at Reading Area Community College.

          Members attended workshops on Leadership, Statewide Initiatives, Publicizing your Chapter, Safety, Family Consumer Sciences related topics, and State Officer Candidacy.  During the meeting, local chapter members also learned about the PA FCCLA outreach project and the membership campaign.

          Club advisor Lori Lucchesi, FCS Teacher, Western Wayne High School, explained how this is an exciting year for her students.

          “We have built our club membership up this year,” Lucchesi explained.  “The students felt excited to start the year off at the Regional Leadership Meeting and are now working on projects for the FCCLA State Leadership Conference in the spring.”

          Western Wayne members expressed enthusiasm toward returning to their chapter with great ideas and lots of motivation for a successful year.

           Freshman, Ashley Small Bermudez learned about FCCLA programs and competitions and stated, “The workshop taught me about a useful planning process that will help me organize community events and achieve my future career plans.”

          Sophomore Katarina Wood explained, “I attended an FCCLA work session that gave me key strategies to balance my extracurricular and academic skills.”

          Another sophomore Mackenzie Sheatler found it very interesting to learn about the safety of children at the conference.

          “I like learning about how kids interact and child development,” MacKenzie, who aspires to be a social worker, explained.

          Sinclaire Ogof, a senior and vice president of membership for Western Wayne, reported that “Twenty seven students attended the FCCLA Regional Leadership Meeting and our Western Wayne Chapter’s membership has tripled this year, totaling 52 students!”

          All of Western Wayne’s FCCLA members are excited to work with this club throughout the year and some have already begun their projects for the State Leadership Conference to be held in the spring at Penn State Main Campus.

          Sinaea Buford, FCCLA president who aspires to major in forensic science and minor in criminal justice, is working with fellow FCCLA member Sadie Nahman on a project for the category of event management for the State Leadership Conference.

          The girls are working to plan a senior citizen prom for the local community.  They wish to work with Wayne Woodlands Manor and Laurel Place on the event.

          “I really like to work with the elderly,” Sinaea, who has volunteered at Golden Way Personal Care Home in Waymart, explained.  “I like to make them happy by listening to them and making them feel like they are at home when they talk to me.”

          Fellow FCCLA member Shailyn Pugh said she also hopes to do a service-based project for FCCLA this year.

          “I like helping in the community and doing service projects,” Shailyn, who aspires to be a pharmaceutical technician, said.

          Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and addresses important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family & Consumer Sciences Education and Related Occupations.            FCCLA is unique among youth organizations because its programs are planned and run by members.  It is the only national in-school organization with the family as its central focus.  Participation in national programs and chapter activities helps members become strong leaders in their families, careers, and communities.

Twenty-nine members of the Western Wayne chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America recently attended the organization’s annual State Leadership Workshop at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in the Poconos. This was the largest workshop in FBLA history bringing together more than 1,500 members and advisers from across the state for leadership development.
Senior Ezra Tetreault, PA FBLA’s First Vice President, together with the other eight state officers, conducted the opening and closing sessions.
Students were then able to choose from a variety of workshops to attend covering such topics as Entrepreneurship, Leadership Lessons, Communication, Characteristics of Leaders, Business Innovation, FBLA Competition Boot Camp, Officership, and Marketing and Digital Branding.
This workshop was also the kickoff of the PA FBLA State Project, which benefits the American Heart Association. With a goal of $67,000, the state chapter has already raised more than $14,000 by holding a charity walk, a charity basket auction of nearly 100 baskets, a t-shirt sale, and several meals at the Great Karoo restaurant with a portion of the profits going to the state project.
Attending the workshop were Cassidy Asinski, Jamie Bryan, Julie Bryan, Haley Estus, Rachel Hoch, Sydney Hutchinson, Abby Kapschull, Skylar Long, Emilie McAllister, Madison McGlone, Laynee Nugent, Ella Pavlovich, Sydney Peet, Lena Piccolino, Anya Rusnak, Gabby Tetreault, Lou Azzato, Tommy Gogolski, Parker Howell, Zane Janiszewski, Matt Leslie, Lenny Maiocco, Derek Mason, Jack McAllister, Kiel Rizzi, Carson Rush, Kelton Slifko, Tim Smith, and Ezra Tetreault.

Row 1 (l to r): Jamie Bryan, Cassidy Asinski, Lena Piccolino, Haley Estus, Madison McGlone.
Row 2 (l to r): Emilie McAllister, Gabby Tetreault, Sydney Hutchinson, Anya Rusnak, Derek Mason.
Row 3 (l to r): Rachel Hoch, Sydney Peet, Abby Kapschull, Tommy Gogolski, Kelton Slifko, Kiel Rizzi, Lou Azzato.
Row 4 (l to r): Laynee Nugent, Ella Pavlovich, Skylar Long, Julie Bryan, Matt Leslie, Jack McAllister.
Row 5 (l to r): Lenny Maiocco, Carson Rush, Zane Janiszewski, Tim Smith, Parker Howell.

Western Wayne junior Cassidy Asinski is the 2019 ACS Susquehanna Valley Section National Chemistry Week Poetry Contest 9th-12th Grade Winner. Cassidy’s poem was judged as being the best out of all 9th-12th grade entries received by our section.

The poem has successfully been submitted to the national competition for a chance to win up to $300. In addition, Cassidy, her parents, and her science teacher Maria Masankay are invited to the annual Susquehanna Valley ACS Awards Banquet in May. Cassidy will receive a $50 check and a certificate at the banquet.

Cassidy’s poem is titled “Rust.”  She explained that she chose this topic after doing some research.  Cassidy, who enjoys both science and English classes at Western Wayne, said she really wanted to make her poem stand out by personifying rust throughout it.  The poem is told in the first person point of view of rust itself.

“I wanted to make it really unique,” Cassidy explained. 

Cassidy is highly involved at Western Wayne High School.  She is a triple-sport athlete who is a member of the soccer, basketball, and track teams.  She just made the first team all-stars for soccer.  Cassidy, also, participates in FBLA and is a member of NHS.  She is keeping her options open for the future, and says she is interested in the study of forensic science.

She feels excited to have won the poetry contest and looks forward to representing Western Wayne at the awards banquet for it in May.

Western Wayne faculty, administration, and staff, are proud of Cassidy’s accomplishments and wish her the best in her future endeavors.

Western Wayne High School Students attended the Wayne County Collaborative Transition Expo. held on Oct. 22 at Ladore Lodge in Waymart.  At the event, they learned about college and career opportunities.  The event is designed to assist transitioning students with disabilities and their families.

          Senior Rebeccah King enjoyed the knowledge she gained from the event.

          “Representatives from different schools help you with your questions about college,” King, who aspires to study welding after graduation, explained.  “They offered scholarship help, and I also learned about opportunities for employment available to me now.  I learned that Woodloch Pines is hiring.”

          Rebeccah’s classmate Becca Boots also thought she gained some valuable insights from the expo.

          “I am very interested in culinary studies in college,” Becca explained.  “I spoke to someone representing Lackawanna College’s culinary program, and I learned that they have a separate building on campus for that major.  That made me even more interested in attending that school.”

          All of the students who attended the transition expo. were happy to gain more knowledge about fields they can pursue after their time in high school.

          Pictured are some of the Western Wayne High School students who recently attended the Wayne County Collaborative Transition Expo. held on Oct. 22 at Ladore Lodge in Waymart.  Front row, from left:  Jamie Newman, Mya Lukas, Amy Newman, Caleb Burns, Jordan Diaz, Braydon Christian, and Rebecca Weist.  Back row, from left:  Jack Klikus, Caleb Swingle, Becca Boots, and Rebeccah King.