The Western Wayne Band has been accepted as a platinum member of the Jupiter KHS Academic Alliance. As a platinum member, the band will have access to test instruments, can be a local ambassador for Jupiter artists, and will receive a complimentary appearance by one of the rostered professional artists. In addition, the band will be represented on the KHS website with a small blurb and the school logo.
Western Wayne Band Director Elaine Ort greatly looks forward to being a part of this amazing program in the coming school year. She explained that the band will have the potential to be featured in future KHS literature both in photos and written articles.
“We are the 31st school in the country to receive this status, and the 1st school in Pennsylvania,” Ort said. “I am extremely proud of our students and can’t wait for them to benefit from this program in the coming years.”
From left, this year’s Western Wayne Wildcat Marching Band Drum Majors Kat Moore and Lindsey Karwacki. They are pictured at the marching band’s final performance of the year, the annual Flag Day Parade in Waymart held this past Saturday, June 8.
Starting June 17, 2019, The Cooperage Project, in collaboration
with the Wayne Highlands School District, will open its doors Monday through
Friday from 11:00am to 1:00pm to kids ages 0-18 to receive FREE lunch. No
income requirements or sign ups. The program will continue Monday through
Friday through August 6, with the exception of July 4 & 5. Join in the fun
with arts and crafts, story time, music and more!
Junior Trina Barcarola is the 2019 State Champ in the Pole Vault (clearing 12’6), and the 100 Hurdles. She finished 8th place in the 400 Hurdles and was part of the girls 4 x 400 Relay Team,
Pictured L to R:Dr. Matthew Barrett, Superintendent, Paul Gregorski, High School Principal, Vaeda Pontosky, Robert Carey, and Bob Black, Athletic Director
Senior’s Vaeda Potosky and Robert Carey were honored on May 29, 2019 at the annual LIAA Scholar Athlete Breakfast, held at Genetti’s in Dickson City,
Vaeda Pontosky, is the daughter of Richard and Marnie Pontosky and resides in Lake Ariel. She has played soccer and softball for 4 years and has been a basketball cheerleader for 1 year. In soccer, she was a captain. She received the Hustle Award and was named an LIAA First Team All-Star in Soccer. Vaeda is a member of the National Honor Society,Girls Lead, the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Sciences, Technology Student Association,and Student Council. She serves om the Wayne County Children and Youth Advisory Committee. She volunteers for the Steamtown Marathon, Santa’s Workshop, and assists elementary students in conducting science experiments. Vaeda has earned a Geisinger Commonwealth School ofMedicine Research Fellowship and has participated in the Pennsylvania State Police Camp Cadet. She will attend DeSales University in the fall where she will begin Medical Studies.
Robert Carey, son of Eugene and Christine Carey and resides in Moscow. He has earned 10 varsity letters; 4 in baseball, 3 in golf, and 3 in basketball. He has served as one of his baseball team’s captains. Robert is a member of the National Honor Society, TSA, and Student Council. He will attend West Virginia University in the fall where he will major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Natural Gas.
The Western
Wayne School District is very proud of two of its 2015 alumni who soon will
serve our country in the military.
Timothy Shaffer has
been attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida
and participating in Air Force ROTC Detachment 157 for the last four years.
He recently graduated as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air
Force with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics. He earned a pilot
slot in his junior year and will be stationed at Columbus Air Force Base,
Mississippi, next year to begin pilot training. Upon graduation of pilot
training, he intends to fly an F-35.
His former classmate Kyle Coons attended the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) for 4 years,
graduating as a Second Lieutenant in the Army with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
History. While at VMI, he marched in President Trump’s Inauguration Parade in
Washington, DC along with the Governor of Virginia’s inaugural parade in
Richmond, VA. He presented the colors at Martinsville Speedway for a NASCAR
race and was part of a committee within the corps of cadets named the RDC, this
group helps freshmen get accustomed to the VMI system. He will be first stationed at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma for training. His first duty station will be Fort Drum, New York.
Pictured is 2015 Western Wayne alumni Timothy Shaffer, who recently graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautics.
Both recent graduates
credit their time at Western Wayne as one of the reasons they found success in
their four years at their respective institutions.
“All of my
teachers were great at Western Wayne,” Tim said. “The math and science departments in the high
school especially prepared me for school. I have done really well in math and
science in college.”
Kyle agrees that his
time at Western Wayne helped to prepare him for his time at VMI.
“I learned
leadership skills from serving as the captain of both the football team and
volleyball team,” Kyle explained. “Also,
my AP classes taught me good study habits.”
Tim and Kyle had
different collegiate experiences but each have the same end result of being
prepared and ready to enter the military in their respective branches.
Tim’s experience
at Embry-Riddle allowed him to have a normal university experience of attending
his classes and being involved in other on-campus school activities along with
his military training three days a week. He explained how it was a very equal
blend.
Kyle’s experience
was different in the respect that his college experience was immersed in
military training every day in various ways.
He explained how the students dressed in military attire at all times
while on campus along with training each day and going to their college
classes.
Pictured is 2015 Western Wayne alumni Kyle Coons, who recently graduated from the Virginia Military Institute as a Second Lieutenant in the Army with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.
These two, very
accomplished, Western Wayne alumni have a great mutual respect for one another
and are proud of each other’s college achievements. They explained how they chose to pursue
becoming service men through different avenues but that they both learned so
much already and feel prepared to continue their military training.
Tim feels excited
to start his journey at Columbus Air Force Base this spring.
“I am really proud
to be able to do what I’m doing,” Tim said.
“I know a lot of other people would want to be doing it.”
He is eager to
learn more about aviation and explained that the feeling he gets on a flight is
incredibly exciting.
“I remember one
solo flight I did in college that was special,” Tim explained. “It was right before the sun came up. I was flying from Daytona Beach south past
Kennedy Space Center.”
In addition, Tim
feels very excited to be able to use the skills he learned in college when he
starts his pilot training for the Air Force.
“I have always had
a love for aviation that I couldn’t explain,” Tim said. “I have also always been fascinated, from
when I was younger, with American history and events such as Pearl Harbor.”
Kyle also is eager
to begin his field artillery training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His first duty station will be in Fort Drum,
New York. He feels he has learned a lot
about leadership from his time at VMI that he will use in the future.
“VMI taught me
that good leaders are confident with their decisions,” Kyle explained. “I have also learned to lead by example.”
Western Wayne,
faculty, administration, and staff wish Tim and Kyle the best with their future
endeavors along with thanking them for serving our country.
Pictured are the student designers and student models from Western Wayne’s Road Trip to Fashion Show. From left standing: Erin Murphy, Gabby Tetreault, Noelle Orehek, Lily Visceglia, Emily Pavlicek, Victoria Petrosky, Isabel Valentin, Gabby Ostolaza, Shauna McAndrew, Abby Black, Rachel Hoch, Trina Barcarola, Maggie Millon, and Meghann Clark. From left, sitting: Mitchell Herzog, Alex Kuha, Johnny Barcarola, Leonard Johnson, Kobe Sauter, Ed Sledzinski, and Mrs. Colleen Carmody, show director and fashion teacher.
Western Wayne hosted its second annual community
fashion show on Friday, May 31, in the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the high
school. Two hundred dollars was raised
from the event to benefit local food pantries and the Dessin Animal Shelter.
The
show titled Road Trip to Fashion featured the senior collections of students
Victoria Petrosky, whose collection was titled “Elegance,” and Isabel Valentin,
whose collection was titled “Inspiring Vintage.”
The show also featured
pieces from students in textile, fashion I, and fashion II classes at Western
Wayne.
Another main aspect of
the fashion show was the competitive portion in which seniors Victoria and
Isabel worked with teams of student designers and student models to create and
showcase fashions for the theme Road Trip to Fashion. Victoria’s team was called Border to Border
Fashion and consisted of student designers, Abby Black, Shauna McAndrew, Noelle
Orehek, and Emily Pavlicek; student models, Lily Visceglia, Gabby Tetreault,
Leonard Johnson, and Johnny Barcarola.
Isabel’s team was called Rhapsody’s Caravan and consisted of student
designers, Meghann Clark, Trina Barcarola, Maggie Millon, and Erin Murphy;
student models, Rachel Hoch, Gabby Ostolaza, Kobe Sauter, and Alex Kuha.
The week of the show the students learned the
theme and pieces they needed to create for the competitive portion of the
show. For their Road Trip to Fashion
themed collection each team had to create a variety of garments including: a simple romper to capture the feel of the
sea, water, warm climate or sailing as found on the Eastern Seaboard; bibbed
joggers to capture a Midwestern appeal; a two-piece outfit: capris, vest, and
scarf to portray life as a mountain climber in the Rockies; from sheer curtains
provided, a wrap (only) style halter dress, cape overlay, and organic belt to
depict Desert life; and with clear plastic, netting and white banding, and
lights provided, they created either a one or two piece winter avant-garde gown
to capture the glistening of the snow and northern light of Alaska.
This portion of the show
was judged and Victoria’s team “Border to Border Fashion” won by six
points. Isabel’s team “Rhapsody’s
Caravan” won the audience vote.
As her senior project, sophomore Emily
Pavlicek worked with show director and fashion teacher Mrs. Colleen Carmody to design
the hallway leading to the auditorium and the set, along with collecting the
money raised to go to local food pantries and the Dessin Animal Shelter. Emily also designed a very special dress for
the show. The dress was created to emphasize this year’s theme Road Trip to
Fashion. The dress consisted of a satin
bodice and laminated skirt made from collected paper maps. The collar of the dress was made of black
vinyl and wire, the train of black and yellow tulle in combination with the
vinyl was used to emphasize the roadways of the United States. In addition, earlier this year, Emily was the
proud recipient of the Wayne County Youth Advisory Grant, the funds bought
supplies for present and future shows and displays.
Carmody feels very proud
of all of her students’ accomplishments and looks forward to the event next
year.
“It was wonderful to see
everyone’s hard work come together in our show,” Carmody said. “It is great to
see our students’ talent brought to life on stage.”
This year’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year are Kobe Sauter and Trina Barcarola. Senior Kobe Sauter, a 3-sport athlete, was a stand-out running back on the football team, rushing for over 1200 yards this year. He was a starter and key player on the Basketball team. The basketball team made the District 2 LIAA play-offs for the first time in school history. Finally, as a member of the Track & Field team he ran the 100, 4 x 100 relay team, and the long jump. Kobe will continue his studies at Lycoming College. Trina Barcarola, a Junior, is a 2019 Track & Field State Champion in the Pole Vault and 100 Hurdles and she metaled in the 300 Hurdles. As a member of the Indoor Track & Field team, where she excelled there as well. Trina, also a 3-sport athlete, is a member of the Girls Volleyball team too. From the Varsity Club the athletes each receive a plaque and a $250 gift card to the College they plan on attending. If they are not a senior, it is given to them later on when they are a senior.
ALL NEWS
Student Council Homecoming Food DriveNovember 13, 2024Western Wayne High School Student Council recently delivered donations to the food pantry volunteers in Waymart as run by the Calvary United Methodist Church.
During Homecoming week, the Western Wayne High School Student Council collected nonperishable food items from the school and community to help stock local food pantries, including items donated as admission into the Varsity football game.
The donations were made to the food pantries at Calvary United Methodist Church in Waymart and St. Thomas More Food Pantry in Lake Ariel.
If interested in these resources or to make donations, please contact the United Methodist Church in Waymart via Donna LaBar at 570-470-3763 and the Thomas More Food Pantry via Jen Cruciani at office@stthomas-stmary.com
From left: Becky Leljedal, Mrs. Jenkins, and Donna LaBar. [...]
Creative Writing Students Compete in “Fright Club” ContestNovember 11, 2024During October’s spooky season, WWHS students in the Creative Writing elective competed to give senior class readers the biggest “fright” by composing a 100-word or less mini saga. Students could opt to submit their sagas to a national level competition via the Young Writers 2024 “Fright Club” contest.
Runners up were senior Anthony Donnini’s “Monster,” junior Makayla Fullone’s “Performance is a Promise to be Kept ,” and senior Vallita Belinova’s “Rite Aid.”
Senior Lillian Maros took the first place “boo-basket” prize for her chilling poetic saga, “Black Sheep.”
Winners (left to right):Anthony Donnini , Lillian Maros, Makayla Fullone, and Vallita Belinova (not pictured). [...]
Students Recognized Nationally for PSAT ScoresNovember 7, 2024Five Western Wayne High School students have been recognized nationally for their PSAT scores this year. They include: Mia Arcadipane, Lillian Bronson, David Elias, Antonio Fisichella, and Hailey Wasman.
The students feel honored for this recognition and look forward to attending college to study a variety of subjects to further their future careers.
First, Mia Arcadipane, junior, is involved in the following school activities: cross county, track, wrestling, FBLA, NHS, Cats Club, and Student Ambassador Program. Mia is excited to study veterinary medicine after graduation.
“I have always loved science and biology and am excited to learn about these subjects,” she said.
Another nationally recognized student is Lillian Bronson, senior.
She participates in the following activities: Envirothon, soccer, NHS, and Cats Club, where she serves as treasurer.
Lillian plans to pursue a career path involving conservation and wants to study related areas in college.
“I grew up constantly being outside and hunting,” she explained. “I like our environment and want to protect it.”
Next, David Elias, senior, participates in basketball, track, FBLA, and PBIS committee.
He wishes to study mathematics further after graduation through a major in mechanical engineering.
“My favorite subjects are calculus and physics, and they go hand in hand in the field I wish to pursue,” David said.
Another high-achieving PSAT student is Antonio Fisichella, junior. Anotonio is involved in a variety of sports and activities including: Envirothon, Science Olympiad, political science club, outdoor and indoor track, cross country, and student council. In addition, he has been highly involved in the school’s band for the past four years playing percussion in the marching and concert band and participating in both the pit and pep bands.
Antonio greatly values his faith and looks forward to pursuing the study of neurology in college.
“God is good,” he said when reflecting on his recognition for his test score and his future plans.
Finally, Hailey Wasman, junior, is an accomplished member of her local 4H club. She has been showing animals since she was four years old. Some animals she has shown include: goats, lamb, dairy, beef, etc. In addition, she is a member of the Wayne County Livestock Judging Team and is a member of NHS at school.
Her path in 4-H and her strong achievements in academics have led her to pursue a career as a large animal veterinarian with a speciality in reproduction. She wants to study this particular field in college.
“This field of study will help me and others to build strength in our animals,” she explained. “I will learn how to do this by studying different aspects of genealogy in my future coursework.”
The Western Wayne School District wishes these nationally recognized students the best in their future studies at Western Wayne and their respective colleges upon graduation.
From left: Antonio Fisichella, Hailey Wasman, Lillian Bronson, Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal; David Elias, and Mia Arcadipane. [...]
Drama Club to Host Holiday Murder Mystery Dinner on Dec. 6November 6, 2024The Western Wayne Drama Club is now accepting reservations for our HOLIDAY MURDER MYSTERY DINNER on Friday, December 6, from 6 to 8 pm in the High School Cafeteria.
This event is for adults and students grades 8 and up ONLY. Adult ticket cost $25 dollars; students and senior citizens for $20 dollars. Cost includes: appetizers, soda and water, buffet dinner catered by RPlace, and live show. More information in ticket link.
Reservations accepted now through Nov. 22. PUBLIC IS ENCOURAGED TO DRESS IN 1920s ATTIRE. There will be audience prizes for best costume! We hope you join us for this unique night out hosted by our Drama Club students this holiday season! Questions, email jmclau@wwsd.io
See order link for more details below. Paper order form attached, if preferred.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_2TJjhZqD8u9LolAyFEkoBj1UDIBQhLF7twGyKXJGl4/edit#response=ACYDBNjB1v5pHKuPdYtYBAIQTz4g3JBZuuA8K5HOUNAMe6dEqiym1ckR1-4EAAj8ScB2w2A
Happy early holiday season from the Western Wayne Drama Club! [...]
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.
