Western Wayne FBLA members joined with students from several area schools at the Woodloch Resort for the annual Region 22 Leadership Workshop.  Region 22 President and Western Wayne senior Ezra Tetreault presided at the opening and business sessions. 

            The workshop is a wonderful opportunity for students to get together and meet students from neighboring schools in a social setting rather than a competitive one.  Also attending were members from Carbondale Area, Delaware Valley, Honesdale, Mid-Valley, and Wallenpaupack Area,

            Ice skating was available before the sessions and a haunted hayride concluded the evening’s activities.

            Representing Western Wayne were Ezra Tetreault, Kate Mattern, Darlene Black, Lenny Maiocco, Landon Firmstone, Jacob McCormack, and James Fryzel.  Theresa Lubash, chapter adviser, accompanied the students.

Western Wayne juniors Brett Schane and Madison McGlone represented Western Wayne at the 2019 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar at Shippensburg University held last May.
The students greatly enjoyed their experience. Brett and Madison were glad to learn leadership skills along with making lasting friendships with other students from across the state.
“This was a good experience not only to build leadership and character, but also to meet a lot of different people that I never would have had the opportunity to be friends with otherwise,” Brett explained.
Madison agreed stating that she still keeps in touch with many of the students she met at the seminar.
“I made a lot of life-long friends,” Madison, who aspires to study psychology after graduation, said.
Brett and Madison explained that they did many getting-to-know-you activities when they first arrived at the seminar. Then they also had the chance to do community service projects.
Madison’s group went to a local Boy Scout camp and worked on setting up tents and building other needed items for the camp. She explained how all of the students at the seminar were broken into different groups to work on various service projects.
Brett said along with the service aspect of the seminar he also enjoyed the time the students got to spend in Harrisburg in the capital building.
“We got to do a mock legislature and work to get a bill passed among our peers,” Brett, who aspires to major in journalism and write about political science, explained. “It was really great to get to sit in the room where real bills are passed in the state.”
Brett and Madison thought they benefitted so much from their experience at HOBY last year that they wish to apply to be student leaders at the upcoming HOBY Leadership Seminar this spring. Brett and Madison explained how as a part of the process they individually have to complete 100 hours of community service along with the application process. If chosen, they will help to set up and facilitate this year’s event, which would mean they would be working alongside this year’s chosen Western Wayne sophomores Bridget Oppelt and Rachel Tuman.
Oppelt and Tuman will represent Western Wayne at the 2020 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, from May 14 through May 17.
Both young ladies are very accomplished at Western Wayne. Bridget is an honor roll student who enjoys being a part of the Western Wayne Marching Band where she plays the alto saxophone. She also does baton with the Double R Twirlettes and likes to ride horses in her spare time.
Like her classmate, Rachel also is highly involved in academics and activities. Rachel is a member of the Mock Trial Team, PJAS, Science Olympiad, FBLA, Spanish Club, and is the vice president of the sophomore class.
The girls were chosen for HOBY through essays they submitted about what leadership means to them.
“I wrote about how leadership is a role that you can use to guide and help others,” Bridget said.
Rachel agreed that helping others is a large part of leadership.
“I wrote about how there are two types of leaders: positive and negative ones,” Rachel explained. “Positive leaders help to develop tomorrow’s leaders.”
Both girls are very excited to attend the HOBY Leadership Seminar.
“I look forward to hearing what is said about leadership and meeting other students and hearing their experiences,” Rachel said.
Hoby will soon celebrate 50 years as the country’s top youth leadership development organization. Founded in 1958 by veteran actor Hugh O’Brian, HOBY’s mission is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower individuals to achieve their highest potential. O’Brian set out to help young people make a difference and become positive catalysts for change—in the home, school, workplace, and community. Now, with more than 355,000 alumni leading the way, HOBY is respected worldwide for its youth leadership programs.

On October 17, 2019 the Western Wayne High School AP Biology students visited Lacawac Sanctuary and Biological Field Station. Students had the opportunity to engage in field research in the area of Forest Ecology and Conservation Biology. During the course of the visit students collected and analyzed data from the Lacawac Forest including a comparison of biodiversity inside of Deer Exclosures as compared to the rest of the forest, tree identification, invasive species discussions and conservation ecology. These rich field experiences allowed students to really understand the characteristics of a stable forest ecosystem. Students learned about research that is happening at the collegiate level at Lacawac Field Station and about partnerships between Lacawac and various Universities. These students will return to Lacawac in the spring to conduct their own research in the area of aquatic ecosystems.