High School

Western Wayne Celebrates Veterans Day

 

Veteran Harry Howard Howell shakes hands with Western Wayne School Board member Bill Gershey when receiving his diploma at the Veterans Day Assembly. From left: Bernice Fiorella, school board president, and Ellen Faliskie, assistant superintendent, also joined Howell on stage for this special moment.

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As a tradition for many years, Western Wayne administration, faculty, staff, and students joined together on Thursday, November 9 to celebrate veterans in the community with a special in-school event that featured music from the high school band and chorus, wise words from a veteran guest speaker, and this year the event had the added component of a special presentation of a high school diploma to a former student that was 50 years in the making.

Mr. Harry Howard Howell, a Navy Seaman from 1964 through 1971, attended the Lake Consolidated School before enlisting.  He would have received his diploma in 1966 but life had other plans.  Howell went on to earn his GED at sea in 1967.

He grew up in Wayne County and returned to the area after his time in the military.  He was honorably discharged in 1971 and returned to the area during a time when Lake, Hamlin, and Waymart were in the process of consolidating to Western Wayne.

He and his wife Jean raised a family in the Western Wayne School District.  The couple has three children Bonnie Howell, Jamie Howell, and the late John Howell.

Howell explained how he enjoyed sending his children to Western Wayne.  He served as a member of the Western Wayne School Board from1989-1997.  During his tenure, he held the offices of vice president and treasurer.  Howell is an active member of the community.  Along with serving on the board, he is a Mason and a huge supporter and friend to the Western Wayne community.

“Anything the district needs- he is there to help and provide,” Ms. Ellen Faliskie, assistant superintendent, said. “His contributions are endless.”

Howell felt thrilled to return to Western Wayne for the special Veterans Day event in which he would receive his diploma.

“I enjoy coming and doing whatever I can for students,” Howell said.  “It’s so nice to see good kids,” Howell explained, as he watched Western Wayne Middle school students serve veterans coffee and other refreshments before the event.

One such student serving Howell and the others was Gracie Clark, eighth grader.

“I like to honor them because they protected our country,” Gracie said.  “It’s so exciting to greet all of the veterans and to hear about how they served us.”

Fellow student helper Tarena Strasburger feels the same.

“We get to make them feel comfortable here,” Tarena explained.  “It’s so fun to see all of them come here and I enjoy getting to help them knowing how much they helped us.”

Howell hopes that students like Gracie and Tarena feel inspired from meeting the veterans and experiencing the Veterans Day program.

“I want the students to know that they need to stay in school and graduate,” Howell said.  “I think the service is a great avenue to look at for their education in the future. I know joining the military was good for me in so many ways.”

Howell explained how he came from a family that didn’t have a lot of money and that he looked to the military as a way to better himself.

He credits the military with helping him find a successful path for his life which eventually led him back to the area to raise his family.

Howell hopes that this generation of Western Wayne students take advantage of the great opportunities at the district to help them in their lives.

“Western Wayne teachers are 100 percent behind the kids in getting them a good education,” Howell said.  “The teachers here have a big impact on students.”

Howell felt glad to get to experience the Veterans Day Assembly alongside other veterans and Western Wayne teachers.

One such Western Wayne staff member and veteran who served as the main speaker at the event was Mr. Robert Black, athletic director.

Black like Howell believes that students have a lot to gain from their experience in middle and high school.  He explained that he was born and raised in Wayne County and attended school at Western Wayne where he was involved in a variety of activities such as athletics, band, drama, and the school paper before he enlisted with the Marine Corps.

“Become a part of this community,” Black told students. “You will gain great experience from it.”

Black explained that his time both inside and outside of the classroom better prepared him for life experiences later in boot camp and beyond.

“Change is a part of life,” Black explained.  “But if you prepare now you’ll be ready for whatever happens”

Black further discussed that he learned a lot in his time in the Marine Corps about not fearing failure and seeking self- improvement.  He asked the students to think about these values now and to always honor veterans in their daily lives.

“For me, if you want to honor the veterans and honor this country you need to value the things this country provides like tolerance.  Live the life that America provides and you will honor all veterans,” Black said.

Those in attendance at the Western Wayne Veterans Day program were also treated to patriotic musical selections from the high school band and chorus along with a video presentation about the history of Veterans Day put together by Western Wayne history teacher and Iraq war veteran Shane Grodack.

All present enjoyed the special day for veterans at Western Wayne.  Howell was very pleased after receiving his diploma from Faliskie, Mrs. Bernice Fiorella, school board president, and Mr. Bill Gershey, school board member. Howell hopes some students in attendance feel the same calling he did to join the military and serve this great nation.

“There’s nothing better than going into the service,” Howell said.

Western Wayne Girls Lead Club Hosts Fall Events

“Empowered women empower women.  Help a “sister”- you just might save a life.” The Western Wayne Girls Lead Club used this quote  for a sticker on a treat bag they gave out to high school students during lunches for homecoming this fall as one of their club projects.

The Girls Lead Club is an organization at Western Wayne whose purpose is to spread awareness about women’s rights and make all students feel more equal at school.  The group is open to members of both genders and has been in existence at Western Wayne for about three years under advisor Mrs. Marianne Morgan, English department chairperson.

Morgan explained that the sticker with the empowering quote was on a bag that had bracelets that said WWHS Homecoming 2018 on one side, and Girls Lead on the other.  The bag also had a symbolic Lifesaver inside.

“We chose this overall message to promote the attitude of befriending each other in a sisterhood and also to bring forth the topic of suicide prevention which has been at the forefront this year,” Morgan explained.

The next fall project the club will work on is set to take place in November.  For this event the students will work at a table in the cafeteria during which other high school students, on a voluntary basis, will be invited to complete the sentence stem, “Empowering women is important to me because…”

Each student who does so receives one raffle ticket toward a variety of items the group has purchased to promote positive self-image and the worth of young women. These include cups which say, “Girl Power”; shirts with female super heroes; a glass tray that says, ‘She needed a Hero, so that’s what she became;” a storage cube that says, “Be Bold, Brave & Brilliant,” etc.

Student officers in the club include:  Coral Swoyer, president; Sydney Peet, vice president; Vaeda Pontosky, treasurer; Trina Barcarola, activities director; Emily Kosciuk, art director; and Evan Thomas, press relations officer.

Trina, activities director, looks forward to this next Girls Lead event and is glad to work with this unique organization.

“I like to watch women empowerment figures on YouTube, so I thought this group would be something I would want to get involved with,” Trina explained.  “I want to help girls become more confident.”

Fellow club officer Emily Kosciuk, art director, agrees.

“We really get things done when we meet,” Emily said.  “The group is really a confidence booster.”

Emily and Trina hope that as the organization continues to grow and do more activities to involve the student body that more of their classmates will come out to support the group and what it stands for.

“I have seen some students come to understand our organization better once we explain the significance of who we are and what we are doing,” Trina said.  “We hope to get as many students involved as possible.”

WWHS College Fair

On Wednesday, November 7th, the Western Wayne High School Guidance Department held a College Fair for students in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.  Students were able to visit with different colleges/universities and speak with representatives from each school.

Schools in attendance were the following:

Clarks Summit University, East Stroudsburg University, Johnson College, Keystone College, King’s College, Kutztown University, Lackawanna College, Lock Haven University, Marywood University, Misericordia University, Moravian College, Penn State University – Scranton, University of Scranton, Wilkes University, and Wilson College.

The Marines and National Guard were also in attendance.

Also attending were EOC (Education Opportunity Center) and Wayne/Pike Workforce Alliance.

 

District will provide fan bus to Football Playoff vs Scranton Prep!

AAA Semifinal – (#4) Western Wayne @ (#1) Scranton Prep on Saturday, 11/10 @ 1 p.m.

A Fan bus will be provided by the district for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS only.

Great deal for the students, bus turns out too be free. Students sign up in the Athletic Office, are given a permission slip, return slip with the $5.00 and they are all set! When bus arrives at game, the $5.00 will be returned to them to pay the $4.00 admission fee with a $1.00 left for snacks.

 

 

Athletes of the Week for October 22, 2018

Athletes of the week for October 22, 2018 were Kobe Sauter (2nd time) for his football performance and Rachel Butler for her accomplishments to her soccer team!  Both Kobe and Rachel show outstanding senior leadership on the field,

Coaches, Parents and Students attend “Guiding the College-Bound Athlete” Presentation

Coaches, Parents and Students attended a presentation on November 1st, 2018 by Mr. Rick Wire of “Dynamite Sports” entitled “Guiding the College-Bound Athlete”.  The presentation was filled with information for coaches and those who wish to continue their athletic play into college.  Information was given on the necessary steps to achieve it,  and his books were available for purchase that night.

Parents and students may contact Mr. Black, Athletic Director, if they would like more information on the subject. Mr. Black does have the books available in his office in the high school if you would like to look at them.

You can also find information on Mr. Wire’s website https://dynamitesports.com.

Western Wayne Students Teach Science at Elementary School

Learning about what types of materials protect against ultraviolet light and figuring out what elements on Mars cause it to not sustain human life sound like topics for college students to tackle in their courses.  However, Western Wayne students at the Evergreen Elementary School are getting a head start on understanding scientific questions of this nature through their work with Western Wayne High School chemistry students.

The week of October 22 was National Chemistry Week and in honor of this week Ms. Maria Masankay, high school chemistry teacher, and some of her lab technicians came to EverGreen Elementary to experiment with third and fourth grade students on Thursday, Nov. 1. The third grade students learned about UV light while the fourth grade students experimented the light spectrum and neon lights.

Senior Vaeda Pontosky explained that the experiment with the third graders involved testing out sunglasses to see if they truly protected people from ultraviolet radiation.  Part of the test, involved them having the students make key chains with ultraviolet beads and then using a flashlight to see the beads change color under ultraviolet light.

“They were amazed at every little thing,” Vaeda, who is thinking about pursing a physician assistant program, explained.  “They loved wearing the sunglasses and both creating the key chains and watching them change colors.”

Fellow senior Bryce Urian also loved working with the elementary students and seeing their reactions to the experiments.

“They were very excited,” Bryce, who plans to major in chemistry next year, said.

Bryce explained that the experiment the students did with the fourth graders tied in with their elementary science curriculum.  The fourth graders are learning about Mars in class, so Masankay’s students did an experiment to help them identify the elements on Mars that make it impossible to sustain human life.

The students watched as the high school students used emission tubes with elements in them that they lit up to show different colors for the various elements on Mars. The fourth graders colored in papers to match what they saw in the demonstration and then labeled the elements with the help of their new teachers.

“I think the students really enjoyed having students as their teachers,” Bryce explained.

WWHS College Fair – November 7th

 

 

Western Wayne High School will be holding a College Fair on November 7, 2018. 

Students will have the opportunity to speak with different representatives to learn about the programs offered at their college or university. Military recruiters, from different branches, will also be available.

9th and 10th grade students will be called to the gym during 2nd period.

11th grade students will be called to the gym during 3rd period.

12th grade students will be called to the gym during 4th period.