Cast members of Western Wayne School District’s upcoming production of Bye Bye Birdie recently recorded an interview at WVIA Studios in Pittston that will air at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, as a part of the WVIA High School Musical Preview Show on 89.9 WVIA FM. From left: Mrs. Jessica Grizzanti McLaughlin, musical director; Samantha Pritzlaff, who plays Kim MacAfee; Ty Alpaugh, who plays Rose Alvarez; R.J. Clemens, who plays Albert Peterson; Maggie Podunajec who plays Mae Peterson and serves as student director; and Alivia DeLeon, who plays Gloria Rasputin and serves as student director.   Bye Bye Birdie will be performed at Western Wayne High School in the newly renovated high school auditorium located at 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA 18436. Show dates and times are 7 p.m. on Friday, April 28; 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29; and 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 30. Students and senior citizens $3 dollars for tickets and adults $5 for tickets.

 

Students learned how to feel confident in giving presentations, how to effectively use leadership skills, and how to apply their knowledge of the business world among other things at the FBLA State Leadership Conference this week in Hersey, PA.  The event took place from April 3 through April 5.

Thirty-one Western Wayne High School students attended the conference and seventeen placed in the top ten in the state.  Those members placing in the top four in their events are now eligible to attend the National Leadership Conference this summer in Anaheim, California, from June 27 through July 3.

The following students placed:  Dakotah Sopko, first place for Accounting I; Jack Tuman, first place for Accounting II; Ty Alpaugh and Laurel Frable, fifth place for Digital Video Production; Abby Black, first place for FBLA Principles and Procedures; Angelia Reggie, third place for FBLA Principles and Procedures; Samantha Atcavage, Evan Coons, Jillian Dudley, fifth place for Introduction to Business Presentation; Allison Mattern, first place for Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure; Noelle Orehek, eighth place for Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure; Morgan Amorine, Alexandra Buckman, Chayni Carroll, Jacob Karnick, Hannah Roedel, third place for Parliamentary Procedure; and Ezra Tetreault, second place for Public Speaking I; and Jacob Karnick placed sixth in Who’s Who in Pennsylvania FBLA.  Also, Western Wayne FBLA received 10th place in Outstanding Chapter.

From left, first row:  Evan Coons, Jacob Karnick, Dakotah Sopko, Angelia Reggie, Morgan Amorine, Hannah Roedel, Chayni Carroll, Ty Alpaugh, and Laurel Frable.  From left, second row:  Jack Tuman, Ezra Tetreault, Samantha Atcavage, Jillian Dudley, Abby Black, Allison Mattern, Alexandra Buckman, and Noelle Orehek.

Western Wayne Middle and High School students participated in the Technology Student Association Region 9 Leadership Conference that was held on Saturday, February 4, at Stroudsburg High School. Pictured are the four seniors who made up Western Wayne’s Fashion Design and Technology team.   From left:  Gina Infante, Rachel Roberts, Emily Shaffer, and Madison Kornutiak.The team faced the task of creating clothes made of recyclable materials that would fit a person comfortably.  The girls made a top out of a Victoria’s Secret Bag, a skirt out of newspaper, and a dress from the shiny silver side of chip bags.

“It was a lot of trial and error,” Gina said.  “It was one of the hardest things we have ever done.”

Her and Rachel explained how the girls had to sometimes sew in a zig-zag pattern to work with their recycled materials.  They also described how they used electrical tape as a seam for their chip bag dress.

The girls said the process was tedious and many times they had to collaborate to produce new ideas to make their nonconventional materials fit together.

“We learned how to voice our ideas without putting down someone else’s,” Rachel explained.

The girls in the group are used to sharing ideas because they also worked together last year in the same event and went on to the national competition for their creation of garments that could be worn for the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games.

The young designers feel proud of all of the work they have done involving fashion design at Western Wayne.  They believe their hard work in developing garments for TSA competitions will benefit them in their future career paths.

Rachel explained how it will help her as a future nurse practitioner.

“I think a lot of it has to do with last-minute thinking in the moment,” she said.  “I’m much more calm in high-pressure situations now.  I can think of things without panicking.”

Pictured are the garments the Western Wayne High School Fashion Design and Technology Team created for the TSA Region 9 Leadership Conference. They created a dress made of the shiny silver side of chip bags, a top from a Victoria’s Secret bag, and a skirt from newspaper.

 

 

Western Wayne Middle and High School students participated in the Technology Student Association Region 9 Leadership Conference that was held on Saturday, February 4, at Stroudsburg High School.

Fourteen Western Wayne High School students competed in a variety of events.  Of those who participated, seven qualified for the state competition which will be held from April 19 through April 22 at the Seven Springs Resort in Seven Springs, PA.  Pictured are members of the Scientific Visualization team that placed third at regionals. From left: Rachel Butler, R. J. Clemens, Journey Sosa, Vaeda Pontosky, and Maya Black.  Students who will also move on to states are Spencer Smith, who placed sixth in the Technology Bowl, and Olivia Troiano, who placed seventh in the Extemporaneous Speech competition.

Students from Western Wayne Middle and High Schools competed in the Technology Student Association Region 9 Leadership Conference on Saturday, February 4, at Stroudsburg High School. Pictured are the middle school students who participated. First row, from left: Haley Estus, Julia Lamberton, Caydence Faatz, Paige Moore, Justin Olson, and Aidan Donnini. Second row, from left: Courtney Petrilak, Lena Piccolino, Emma Pontosky, Brett Schane, and Ivan Knecht.

Third row, from left: Alexandra Butler, Rachel Tuman, Alexandria Bien-Aime, Morgan Coccodrilli, and Ryan Vinton. Fourth row, from left, Ava Compton, Jenna Eldred, Adelaide Treibley, and Jaden Gregory.  Nineteen of the middle schoolers who participated will move on to the state competition which will be held from April 19 through April 22 at the Seven Springs Resort in Seven Springs, PA.. The results are as follows: Haley Estus, first place for Forensic Technology; Adelaide Treibley, fourth place for Career Prep; Rachel Tuman, second place for Career Prep; Adelaide Treibley and Ava Compton second place for Environmental Engineering; Alexandria Bien-Aime first place for PA Snapshot; Ryan Vinton, Morgan Coccodrilli, and Brett Schane, third place for Inventions & Innovations; Ivan Knecht, Aidan Donnini, Jaden Gregory, and Justin Olson, fifth place for Junior Solar Spring; Rachel Tuman, fourth place for Technology Bowl; Haley Estus, Julia Lamberton, and Caydence Faatz, fourth place for Leadership Strategies; Paige Moore and Emma Pontosky, third place for Children’s Story; Ava Compton and Jenna Eldred, fourth place for Medical Technology; Lena Piccolino, Julia Lamberton, and Courtney Petrilak, second place for Medical Technology.

 

This past Thursday, January 26, through Saturday, January 28, two Western Wayne High School Band students participated in PMEA’s District 9 Orchestra Festival held at Elk Lake High School.  Mason Coccodrilli, junior, auditioned on drums but will not move on to Region Orchestra. Katherine Moore, sophomore, auditioned on the oboe and placed second of four other students auditioning from local schools. She will be one of two from this competition moving on to Region Orchestra which will be held at Bangor Area High School. The event will take place from Wednesday, March 8, through Saturday, March 11, at Bangor Area High School with a concert held the evening of Saturday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the M. Craig Paine Performing Arts Theater at Bangor Area High School which is open to the public. From left: Mason Coccodrilli; Mrs. Elaine Ort, Western Wayne Band Director; and Katherine Moore.

Western Wayne high school students attended the Future Business Leaders of America Regional Leadership Conference on December 13 at The University of Scranton. Of the 72 students who participated from Western Wayne 47 of them placed in the top five of their events. Of those Western Wayne students, 30 are eligible to attend the state conference which will be held April 3-5 at Hershey. Western Wayne also received second place for Outstanding Chapter in Region 22 at the regional conference. From left: Morgan Amorine, Chayni Carroll, Jacob Karnick, Hannah Roedel, and Alexandra Buckman, all Western Wayne Students, placed first in the Parliamentary Procedure event at the FBLA Regional Leadership Conference.  These students are eligible to attend the state conference in April.

Western Wayne High School General Science students won awards for their video submissions to the THINK! ENERGY Innovation Challenge, sponsored by the National Energy Foundation, PPL Electric Utilities, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.  Western Wayne students competed against other high school science students from five other districts in the nation.  The students made videos showing ways to conserve water and energy.  Between the five districts there were 42 submissions total.  Grand prize winners received a certificate and a PPL Solar Backpack that can charge devices as they hike.  Honorable mention winners received a certificate and a PPL usb.  Grand prize winners, seated from left to right: Caleb Brungard, Connor Laity, Matthew Romanowksi, Maxwell Phillips. Honorable mention winners, standing from left to right: Sadie Nahman; Amber Fenwick; Sinea Buford; Mark Nebzydoski, science teacher; Anthony Zoppi, science teacher;  Nicholas Kassen; Daniel Kassen; Nicholas Gombita.

The  Western Wayne High School National Honor Society hosted a district-wide toy and food drive.  The  Wayne County Children’s Christmas Bureau will benefit from the toys donated.  The Honor Society will also donate 647 dollars, raised from a dress down day, to the Christmas Bureau.  Half of the food collected will go to the Wayne County Food Pantry and the other half will go to the Ronald McDonald House in Scranton via the Wayne County Farm Bureau.  The donations will be made  before the Christmas holiday.  From left, standing:  Kelly Devito, National Honor Society president; Scott Walck, National Honor Society vice president; Gabby Durso, National Honor Society treasurer; Olivia Troiano National Honor Society secretary; Caitlin Henneforth, Kurt Dietrich, and Maggie Podunajec. From left, kneeling:  Julianna Cruz, Rachel Roberts, Desirae Garnett, and Alivia deLeon.