In conjunction with Special Olympics, we are hosting our annual Open Mic “Special Edition” for members of our special needs community to perform at an open mic/karaoke setting. As described in the attached flyer, the event will be held at the Wallenpaupack Brewing Company on November 10 from one to four. There is no admission charge, and all are invited (we hope you can make it!). Please circulate this information however you see fit to as many as possible as we hope to bring in a crowd of both performers and audience supporters.
Western Wayne High School students participated in the Engineering Competition at Wallenpaupack High School on Friday, October 25. The team of Lia Hartman, Colette Schmitt, Kayla Walton, Julia Wehrmann, and Robert Scramuzza earned the Innovator Award for “most ingenious use of materials” during the competition. This is the second year in a row that a team from Western Wayne has won this award. From left: Julia Wehrmann, Robert Scramuzza, Colette Schmitt, Kayla Walton, and Lia Hartman.
Mental Health First Aid training is an 8-hour evidence-based curriculum created by the National Council for Mental Well-being. This course helps adults working with youth ages 12-18 to identify, understand, and respond to the early signs of mental health and substance use challenges using the ALGEE action plan.
We will host the PSAT tomorrow from 8:15 to 11:30. Students who registered for the test should arrive to their assigned testing room with a fully-charged laptop, a charger, and a calculator.
The following students were recognized by the Student Council as students of the month for September. Their teachers and administrators weighed in on the decisions. All of the students chosen hold a high standard of academic and personal excellence. They are true examples of the P.R.I.D.E. standards for PBIS at our school.
First, Olivia MacCollum is our selected freshman. Olivia has been on the Western Wayne Color Guard team for two years and is a member of the National Art Honor Society. Olivia enjoys making ceramic art.
“I love being able to share my personal experiences, emotions and activities through my art,” Olivia said.
In addition, Olivia enjoys being in a creative writing class at school and sharing all of her original ideas there.
Next, Kaylee Heise is our chosen sophomore this month. Kaylee loves her ELA class, because it is a calm place where she can practice her writing.
“Writing helps to calm me down,” she said. “I really like journaling.”
Her hobbies include: listening to a wide variety of music from rock to rap and going for walks. She aspires to study psychology in college and pursue a career as a psychiatrist.
In addition, Logan Pauler is this month’s featured junior. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Robotics Team, the soccer team, and the volleyball team. His favorite class is pre-calculus, and he plans to study mechanical engineering in college with his preferred school being Penn State.
“All of my teachers at Western Wayne have been a great help in leading me to figure out my path and to learn problem-solving skills,” he explained.
Finally, Makayla Walton is our senior spotlight this month. Makayla enjoys most her advanced placement government and psychology classes this year. She aspires to be a forensic psychologist. She is involved in many activities including: band for four years, where she plays both the flute and piccolo. She also serves as a woodwind section leader and band librarian. In addition, she is Student Council secretary, a member of National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, and Envirothon. She thinks she learned the most about leadership skills from her experience in the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today program her junior year.
“I learned how to be able to better communicate with others through confidence in my leadership skills,” she explained.
The Western Wayne School District congratulates these September students of the month and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.
From left: Olivia MacCollum, Logan Pauler, Mr. Paul Gregorski, high school principal; Kaylee Heise, and Makayla Walton.
NEIU 19, Arts in Education Northeast Pennsylvania, The Ritz Theater, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts hosted a special program entitled “The Convening” on Wednesday, Oct. 16. It was a Day of Art Workshops based on Academic Standards taught by Nationally Recognized Artists. Students and teachers from a variety of local districts including Western Wayne experienced art workshops in visual arts, theater and music contingent on their respective areas of teaching/ study.
The four senior students who participated from Western Wayne included: Lillian Maros, Colette Schmitt, Stephanie Maxwell, and Robert Scramuzza. They did a variety of workshop sessions. One was with Tara Middleton, Grammy nominee vocalist, who worked with the students in a jazz vocals session. She explained to students that along with the technical aspects of learning music that they have to be present in their performance as well. “You have to be free enough to be in the moment when you are performing,” she explained to the students.
For another session, the performance arts students worked with Conor McGuigan, an actor and writer from Scranton who performs throughout the area and off-Broadway. He helped the students tap into a variety of characters from Italian theater in his workshop with a focus on comedic timing. Also, the students got to end their day with the Kofi and Sankofa Drum & Dance Ensemble in which they were fully immersed in learning about culture, musical instruments, and dance.
In addition, there were a variety of raffle prizes given out at this event and Western Wayne was the only school to win a raffle drawing for a five-day Artist in Residence Program for their Drama Club. The prize is a 1,000 dollar value. They will have the opportunity to work with a professional artist to help them further develop their performance arts skills. The Artist in Residence Program will be scheduled in correspondence with the school’s musical director and the NEIU.
The Western Wayne Drama Club is extremely thankful to have won this experience and look forward to learning even more about their craft through it. “We were really excited for all of the classes we took at the Convening,” Lillian Maros, Drama Club president, said. “It was an added special bonus to know that we have won, through luck of the draw, five more hours of experience with a talented local artist of our choosing.” From left: Conor McGuigan, Lillian Maros, Stephanie Maxwell, Colette Schmitt, and Robert Scramuzza.
At the Western Wayne Varsity Football Game against Lakeland on Friday, October 11, the Homecoming Court was honored, and this year’s winners were announced. They are Madison Stiffler, Lake Ariel, as Queen, and Mason Rush, Waymart, as King. Madison, our Queen, has played both varsity volleyball and varsity indoor & outdoor track for four years, along with being in the National Honor Society for two years. She plans to go to Empire Beauty School upon graduation to get the remaining hours needed for her cosmetology license. Mason Rush, our King, has participated in varsity football and student council throughout his high school career. He plans to attend a 4-year college for criminal justice and criminal psychology. The District congratulates the entire Homecoming Court and looks forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future. Picture one, from left, members of the 2024 Western Wayne
Homecoming Court: Grace Lidy, Raegan Palmer, Ally Irvine, Mackenzie Adams, Mason Rush, King; Madison Stiffler, Queen; Evan Dean, Sean Owens, Lance Maiocco, and Josh Vinton.
Picture two, from left: Madison Stiffler, Queen, and Mason Rush, King at the Homecoming dance.
The Western Wayne School District invites the community to attend its annual homecoming varsity football game this coming Friday, Oct. 11. The public is encouraged to bring a donation for our Food Drive to the game and will gain free admission for doing so. The donation truck will be near the gate of the Sharkey Rosetti Stadium.
The Western Wayne Homecoming Game against Lakeland will begin at 7 p.m. with the presentation of the Homecoming Court at 6:30 p.m.. The ten seniors on this year’s court feel extremely honored and excited to be a part of this ensemble.
Members of the court include: Josh Vinton, Raegan Palmer, Mackenzie Adams, Sean Owens, Ally Irvine, Lance Maiocco, Grace Lidy, Mason Rush, Madison Stiffler, and Evan Dean.
All of our senior court members have been highly involved during their time at Western Wayne in a variety of clubs, sports, and other activities.
All of the members of our Homecoming Court look forward to bonding with each other and making memories during homecoming at Friday’s game. The court along with the rest of the Western Wayne community invite the public to join them on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. for the homecoming festivities followed by the game.
The District also wants to invite our Western Wayne alumni and Western Wayne School Community to attend all of our home athletic events scheduled during Homecoming Week! Please come out and support our varsity athletic match-ups all week long by showing up and cheering for the Wildcats!
Monday 10/7 – Western Wayne Boys Soccer v. Mountain View at 6 PM
Tuesday 10/8 – Western Wayne Cross Country Meet v. multiple schools at 4:45 PM
Tuesday 10/8 – Western Wayne Girls Volleyball v. Valley View at 6 PM
Friday 10/11 – Western Wayne Football v. Lakeland at 7 PM
Pictured are members of the 2024 Western Wayne Homecoming Court, from left: Josh Vinton, Raegan Palmer, Mackenzie Adams, Sean Owens, Ally Irvine, Lance Maiocco, Grace Lidy, Mason Rush, Madison Stiffler, and Evan Dean.
12th graders & parents/guardians…college is expensive. Come to Financial Aid Night to learn more about the costs and financial opportunities that are available.
From left: Mark Nebzydoski Ph.D., Western Wayne High School Science Teacher; Eugene Schultz, Presenter of Think Energy Innovation Program.
On September 23rd Western Wayne High School Students in grade 9 experienced the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Program. This program is an interactive, hands-on presentation with a take home energy efficiency kit for each participating student and teacher. The program teaches the importance of energy, natural resources and environmental resources, and gives each participating student’s family energy-efficient technologies to install at home. Students and Staff in the high school received innovation kits on September 23rd. The kits included faucet aerators, a furnace filter whistle, a water conserving shower head, three LED light bulbs as well an advanced smart energy power strip. 176 innovation kits were distributed overall. This comes to 5758 new LED bulbs distributed to the Western Wayne School District since the program’s launch in 2015. This program will also result in a number of mini grants for the teachers in the high school as well. The Think Energy Innovation Program has been brought to the schools by the National Energy Foundation, PPL Electric Utilities and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. For more information or questions, please contact National Energy Foundation at 1-855-494-2942 or email amy.lamielle@nef1.org
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.