Curriculum Night will be held Wednesday, January 24, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:30. Administration, Guidance and the Department Heads will go over the curriculum, graduation requirements and the scheduling process.
The Western Wayne High School CATS club visited Wayne Woodlands Manor in Waymart on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, to spread Christmas cheer. They visited with all the residents and gave out a gift to each person. The residents and the students had a wonderful time talking to each other, singing, and spreading holiday spirit. Bottom row: Lizzie Washine. Middle row, from left: Lillian Bronson, Grace Lidy, and MaKennah Holbert.
Western Wayne High School students in the Creative Writing elective classes served as Santa’s helpers by composing official North Pole responses and crafting gifts for some RDW students who wrote to Santa about their wish lists. Students were excited for the opportunity to use their talents to do a good deed this holiday season.
This past October Western Wayne High School science students participated in the WAHS Engineering Competition held at Wallenpaupack Area High School and hosted by the WAHS Technology Club Kiley and Associates.
It was a one-day engineering and design contest for local high schools. Teams were presented with a challenge at the start of the event. This year’s challenge was to make a marble move from one end of a board to the other in a certain timeframe. The marble had to move from one corner of the space to the other and couldn’t go off of it.
Students were given specific materials to use for the challenge which included: pipe cleaners, tape, uncooked pasta, rope, chain, silly puddy, wood blocks, etc.
Two groups of Western Wayne High Schoolers participated and competed against groups of students from other local schools. One of the Western Wayne groups won the award for the Most Ingenious Use of Materials. This winning group included: Makayla Walton, Julia Wehrmann, Colette Schmitt, Kallie Wehrmann, and Lia Hartman. A second group of Western Wayne students also participated and had a great learning experience: Anita Vanyo, Stephanie Mildner, Sean Owens, Jacob Dietrich, and Jacob Schott.
Lia Hartman, Western Wayne junior, who plans to attend medical school and study pathology in the future, explained how her group used their materials “ingeniously” for the challenge.
“Instead of having it all one dimension, we created a wall and along the wall funnels to slow down the marble,” she explained. ‘We also included a maze at the bottom of our project.”
All of Lia’s teammates were excited to be recognized for their work in the competition.
“I thought I was going to feel a lot more pressure,” Makayla Walton, a Western Wayne junior who wishes to attend a four-year college after graduation to study psychology and also wants to pursue a doctorate in the same field, said. “But I realized that everyone had the same task to accomplish and that we needed to have confidence in ourselves and each other.”
Another one of their teammates, Julia Wehrmann, a Western Wayne junior, who would like to study science and medicine after graduation, explained how she learned a lot about adapting to unexpected situations from the competition.
“When we practiced ahead of time for the event, we didn’t know exactly how difficult it would be,” she explained. “At the actual competition, the scenario was harder than we anticipated, and we had to work together to meet the challenge.”
All of the Western Wayne students who attended the event felt like they learned a lot and those who are not seniors look forward to participating in the competition again next year.
This past Saturday, Dec. 2, Western Wayne hosted their annual Semi Formal which took place at Ladore Camp in Waymart from 4 to 9 p.m. About 300 people were in attendance that included students, faculty, and security members. The theme was Hollywood and the student body voted sophomores Khloe Mistishin and Paul Borowski to be crowned as Semi Princess and Semi Prince.
The Western Wayne Drama Club recently had its first-ever Broadway trip on November 8 to see the musical Wicked which is celebrating 20 years on Broadway this year. The students enjoyed a fun-filled day which also included a stop at the well-known Ellen’s Stardust Diner where they were entertained by their “world famous” singing wait staff while they enjoyed lunch. The students felt inspired by all of the incredibly talented performers they encountered on their trip and are set to begin working on their upcoming spring musical at Western Wayne, The Addams Family School Edition, with performances to be held on Friday, April 12; Saturday, April 13; and Sunday, April 14.
Western Wayne chorus students have qualified to participate in the PMEA District 9 Chorus Festival at Dallas High School this coming January. Students were chosen from recorded video auditions that were submitted in October. The Western Wayne Chorus students selected to attend this year are Vallita Belinova, 11th Grade, 17th on Soprano 1; Stephanie Maxwell, 11th Grade, 2nd Alternate on Soprano 1; Emily Lescinski, 12th Grade, 16th on Soprano 1; and Owen Obloshny, 10th Grade, 12th on Tenor 1. All of the students are eager to have the opportunity to attend districts.
“I’m really excited to work with students from other districts and learn more about music,” senior Emily Lescinski said.
As a tradition for many years, Western Wayne administration, faculty, staff, and students joined together on Thursday, Nov. 9, to celebrate veterans in the community with a special in-school event that featured music from the high school band and chorus, a video presentation about Veterans Day, and a question and answer session with the veterans.
Many local veterans attended the presentation at Western Wayne, some of which had special connections to district faculty and students.
One such veteran at the assembly who has a connection was James English who served in the Marine Corps. English served with Major, USMA retired, Shane Grodack’s father, Sergeant Chester J. Grodack, USMC United States Marine Corp.
Major Grodack, a Western Wayne Middle School history teacher, organizes the Veterans Day assembly each year and was glad that an old friend of his father’s could participate.
English recalled that his best duty in the service was flying helicopters for the White House under presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy.
He fondly remembers traveling for this assignment to places like South America, Camp David, and Venezuela.
“At times we would go by sea and take the planes on ships,” he recalled. “It was amazing to get to see the world.”
English is now the Deputy Commander of the American Legion 15th District.
“I hope that the veterans presence at today’s assembly inspires others to go in the service and do good for others,” he said.
Fellow veteran Frank DiRosa had ties to two special students at the assembly. He had the pleasure of having his granddaughter sophomore Sydney Sosa help escort him. Sydney is a member of the Western Wayne Student Ambassador Program that helps to facilitate events of this nature at the school. His granddaughter Sophie Burian, 8th grade, was also at the assembly.
DiRosa left his senior year of high school early to become a Marine. He earned his GED while in the service which he spent six years in.
DiRosa hopes the middle and high school students who attended the event learned something from seeing the veterans there.
“Commitment is something that I think young people can learn from veterans,” he explained. “Too many times nowadays people start something and give up.”
Sydney is proud of her grandfather’s commitment to the service.
“I want him to be appreciated,” she explained. “I am glad that his friends who are veterans are here this morning, and I hope they all feel some joy.”
Sydney really enjoys spending time with her grandfather and learning from him.
“We play chess and golf together,” she said. “He loves history, and, sometimes, we just sit and talk about it.”
Fellow veteran and friend of DiRosa, Bryan Strubel also wished for the students at the assembly to feel inspired by the program.
“Patriotism is what I think they should gain from today,” he explained.
Strubel spent six years total in the Navy; four years active and two years reserve. He worked in a training squadron with trainer pilots. He also worked with F9s and FA4s. His job was being a jet mechanic working with A frames and quality control, among many other things.
He is originally from New York and later moved to Waymart. Currently he is a member of the American Legion 889 in Waymart.
His friend George Schaffer, an Air Force member, was also in attendance. Schaffer spent four years in the Air Force. He was also a part of the National Guard. In the service, his duty was a cook. Later he worked for 35 years as a Tobyhanna Army civilian doing electrical/ mechanical work. He is also a member of the 899 Legion in Waymart.
“I hope that students gain a respect for service people from the presentation,” he explained. “Maybe some will go into the Marines or the guard.”
DiRosa, Strubel, and Schaffer are grateful to still be friends and active in their American Legion years after their time in active service.
In comparison, Western Wayne Alumni from the class of 2023 Nathaniel Swingle and Luke Janiszewski are equally grateful for their friendship that blossomed at Western Wayne and led them to joining the service as a part of the buddy system. The two recent Marine Corps enlistees completed their first round of basic training together and will go on to join a fleet at an undisclosed location some time in the near future after additional training. The two served as squad leaders at their boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina.
Swingle and Janiszewski became friends with North Pocono graduate Kariem Withers after bootcamp. The three servicemen currently are working for the Scranton Recruiting Office. They go to local high schools and interact with students to inspire them to sign-up for military service.
“I joined the military to improve myself,” Withers explained. “I feel a lot more disciplined now even just having a short time in so far.”
Withers explained that he really enjoyed working with Swingle and Janiszewski. “They are motivators,” he said.
Janiszewski aspires to attend college after his time in the service and become a secondary social studies teacher. Swingle can see himself studying business in college and aspires to open a sporting goods store one day.
A veteran at the event whose service is inspiring to all there was Elwood Merring. Merring earned the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts for what he did in combat in his service to the Army in Vietnam.
Merring is a member of the American Legion 807 in Hamlin. He is an extremely humble, decorated serviceman.
“I hope the students learn about the history of what veterans went through,” he explained.
The Western Wayne School District is proud to host veterans on their campus in remembrance of Veterans Day as a yearly tradition since 1982. The entire District thanks all of the veterans who took the time to attend the assembly and especially sends well wishes to all Western Wayne alumni who have served or are currently serving.
Mrs. Ort and the Pride of Western Wayne, the Wildcat Marching Band will appear on WBRE television tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 15. The group will have a live spot at 5 a.m., 5:30 a.m., 6 a.m., and 6:30 a.m. that will be broadcast from our high school. The station will interview Mrs. Ort about her upcoming performance with the Saluting America’s Band Directors project in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Both Mrs. Ort and the band will be featured in this broadcast. Be sure to tune in to watch them shine TOMORROW, WED. NOV. 15, starting at 5 a.m.
In the month of October, students in the inaugural Creative Writing elective at Western Wayne High School were challenged with the task of composing a 100-word or less mini saga with the purpose of evoking suspense and intrigue. While students had the option to submit their sagas to a national level competition via the Young Writers 2023 “SOS Saga: Hunted” contest, their pieces were entered in to the class contest evaluated by a variety staff and students.
Runners up were Olivia Ford’s “Inner Demons” and Laylah Epstein’s “The Wake.”
The first place “boo-basket” prize was awarded to Melinda Kopcza for her thrilling saga, “Mama’s Boy.”
FBLA Students Excel at Regional Leadership ConferenceJanuary 16, 2025Western Wayne FBLA recently attended the Regional Leadership Conference at The University of Scranton. Students participated in competitive events and attended workshops with local business leaders. Twenty-two Western Wayne Students qualified to compete in the State Leadership Conference in April. Students who qualified are as follows:
Clare Coccodrilli, Isabella Kolp, Avery Ullner – 1st Place, Intro to Social Media Strategy
Khloe Mistishin, Grace Moser, Maggie Kotchessa – 1st Place, Business Ethics
Chris Pane – 1st Place, Intro to Financial Math
Madelyn McClure – 1st Place, Intro to Parliamentary Procedure
Lance Maiocco – 1st Place, Networking Infrastructures
Lily Kieva & Julia Wehrmann – 1st Place, Sales Presentation
Makenzie Chearney – 2nd Place, Intro to FBLA
Phoebe Schmitt & Audrey Agnello – 2nd Place, Social Media Strategies
Colette Schmitt – 2nd Place, Public Speaking
Nathaniel Amberg – 2nd Place, Impromptu Speaking
Kyle Matthews – 3rd Place, Intro to Event Planning
Abigail Bell – 3rd Place, Intro to FBLA
Ciarra Kidder – 3rd Place, Accounting 1
Olivia Gries – 4th Place, Business Communication
Paityn Duprey – 4th Place, Intro to Business Communication
Eli Bilski – 4th Place, Intro to Business Procedures
Lastly, Madelyn McClure was voted to serve as the 2025-26 Region 22 Secretary.
The District is proud of our FBLA members’ hard work and commitment to the program.
Photo One:
From left, row one: Grace Langendoerfer, David Elias, Ethan Lamberton, Timmy Roberts, Madelyn McClure, Audrey Agnello, Phoebe Schmitt, Ciarra Kidder, Olivia Gries, Isabella Kolp, Clare Coccodrilli, Avery Ullner, Cameron Press, and Myles Lee.
From left, row two: Carmine Leggio, Connor Bryant, Jared Goldman, Emaan Tanveer, Lily Kieva, Grace Moser, Maggie Kotchessa, Graysen Valinski, Paul Borowski, and Lance Maiocc.o
From left, row three: Jason Vass, Julia Wehrmann, Khloe Mistishin, Colette Schmitt, Vinny Baldini, and Mitchell Ferraro.
From left, row four: Mia Arcadipane, Madison Trapanese, Donovan Gregorski, and Gage Roberts.
Back row: Nathaniel Amberg, Mackenzie Adams, Hannah DeStefano, Raeleigh Kromko, and Madelyn Vinton.
Photo Two:
Madelyn McClure, who was voted to serve as the 2025-26 Region 22 Secretary. [...]
Band Director Earns PMEA District 9 Citation of ExcellenceJanuary 16, 2025The Western Wayne School District would like to congratulate high school band director Mrs. Elaine Ort on being the recipient of the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District 9 Citation of Excellence. Mrs. Ort is the only band director in District 9 to be chosen for the award this year. This award is given to music educators who demonstrate high musical standards both inside and outside the classroom. She will attend an awards banquet at the PMEA State Conference in April to receive the official recognition.In addition, Mrs. Ort has had the honor of being a member of America’s Bands Directors with her most recent appearance with this group at the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.The district is proud of Mrs. Ort’s past and most recent accomplishments.Pictured is Mrs. Ort at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Please also enjoy this link to an appearance Mrs. Ort made on PA Live last year to discuss her accomplishments in music.
https://www.pahomepage.com/pa-live/western-wayne-band-director-performs-at-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/ [...]
High School Watershed Group Receives Grant for Fourth-Grade Trip to Varden Conservation AreaJanuary 16, 2025Western Wayne High School’s Watershed Group is proud to announce the acceptance of a grant to sponsor a fourth-grade field trip to the Varden Conservation Area this spring. This initiative, led by students, exemplifies their commitment to fostering environmental stewardship and creating meaningful educational opportunities for younger learners.
Sophomore Aliyah Gregory wrote the grant and is thrilled to have been given it to use to help the younger students at Western Wayne have this unique educational experience.
“I really enjoy helping environmental causes,” Aliyah said. “I also aspire to be a teacher one day and think that working with the fourth graders later this year will be a good experience in leading others.”
The program, Community Connections to Our Watershed, has a legacy spanning over two decades. Each year, education staff from Lackawanna and Nescopeck State Parks collaborate with local schools to engage students and educators in an environmental forum. Participants explore local parks and public lands while learning from conservation professionals who work tirelessly to ensure equitable access to clean water—a resource vital for both human and ecological health. An overview of the 2023-2024 program, including information, pictures, and highlights from field trips, is available at https://tinyurl.com/CCTW2024
This year’s participating schools include:
Lackawanna County Teams: Carbondale, Forest City, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mountain View, Old Forge, Riverside, Western Wayne, and Wayne Highlands.
Luzerne County Teams: Crestwood, Hanover, HAAS, HACC, Hazleton, Northwest, Tunkhannock, and Wyoming Area.
Western Wayne High School students have already participated in enriching field trips to Lackawanna State Park, Keystone College, the Old Forge borehole, and the Alliance Landfill. These experiences provided hands-on lessons in understanding healthy watersheds, monitoring their condition, and implementing solutions to maintain water quality. These activities were made possible through support from Pennsylvania American Water Company, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and DCNR’s Watershed Education Program.
Sophomore Dakota Douglas greatly enjoyed the trip to Keystone. Part of the experience that day was the students doing a simulated bird watching activity where they used binoculars to look at pictures of birds on trails and then identify them.
“The bird watching activity was really fun,” she said. “I love science and hope to study psychology one day in college.”
The program will culminate on May 6, 2025, with a student presentation banquet at Montage Mountain. Western Wayne students will present their project, which involves designing and implementing a field trip for fourth-grade elementary students to the Varden Conservation Area. Drawing from their own learning experiences, the high school students crafted ecology-based activities to inspire and educate their younger peers.
To fund this initiative, the students successfully applied for a grant through the Wayne County Community Foundation (WCCF). The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) reviewed and approved their mini-grant application, which secured funding for transportation and programming costs.
The Wayne County Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a charitable reserve for the current and future needs of Wayne County. Through its grant programs, the Foundation empowers community organizations to grow, thrive, and achieve sustainability. For more information about the Foundation, visit their office at 214 Ninth Street, Honesdale, PA 18431, call 570-251-9993, email info@waynefoundation.org, or visit https://www.waynefoundation.org.
Western Wayne High School is deeply grateful for the support that made this student-led program possible. This grant underscores the power of youth initiative and collaboration in promoting environmental awareness and education within our community.
From left, kneeling: Aliyah Gregory and Kyleigh Turner. From left, standing: Dakota Douglas, Jerrah-Ann DeBree, Mark Nebzydoski Ph.D. advisor; and Giuliana Velazquez. [...]
Curriculum Night – January 29, 2025 – 6:00-8:00 PMJanuary 10, 2025Curriculum Night will be held Wednesday, January 29, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:00. Administration, Guidance and the Department Heads will go over the curriculum, graduation requirements and the scheduling process. [...]
Western Wayne School District Job OpportunitiesJanuary 2, 2025We are currently looking for a food service team member.Part-time (5 hours per day) 9 am-2 pm. Rate $14.00 per hour
Great jobs when you have students in the district…you work when they are in school.
Please reach out for more info to: Maria Liptak, RD Food Service Directormliptak@westernwayne.orgor call 1-800-321-9973 option 1
Applicants must be in compliance with Acts 34/151/114 GuidelinesWestern Wayne School District is an EOE school district [...]
