Middle School

Western Wayne Celebrates Veterans Day

Pictured are veterans demonstrating the proper folding of the flag with 13 folds.

As a tradition for many years, Western Wayne administration, faculty, staff, and students joined together on Wednesday, November 13, 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 the meaning of the 13 folds in the American flag.

          Many local veterans attended the presentation at Western Wayne. Some of which had special connections to Western Wayne students.  Marty Reingold, Vietnam veteran, attended with his wife Marsha to spend the day honoring veterans with their grandson sophomore Matt Reingold.

Marty Reingold and his wife Marsha shared the Veterans Day assembly at Western Wayne High School with their grandson. From left: Marty Reingold, Vietnam veteran; Matt Reingold, sophomore at Western Wayne; and Marsha Reingold.

          Marsha explained that they have taken part in the Veterans Day assembly at Western Wayne for the past four years.

          “Matt is very proud of his papa,” Marsha explained.  “We are so happy to be here with our grandson.  It is very rewarding to see the school do things for our service men and to witness the camaraderie.”

          Matt agreed with his grandmother.

          “The best part about today is being able to honor the veterans,” Matt explained.  “Especially my grandfather.”

          Another veteran that felt proud to be at the event with his grandchildren was Roger O’Brien, a United States Navy veteran. O’Brien explained that it was his first time at the Veterans Day event at Western Wayne.  However, he had heard about it from his granddaughter Rebeccah King, who is a senior this year, and performed with the chorus and band at the event.

          O’Brien also had a number of other grandchildren at the event who have attended Western Wayne.  His grandchildren Johnathan Robbins, 7th grade, and Summer Schaal, granddaughter, were with O’Brien before the presentation to welcome him to the school.

Roger O’Brien shared the Veterans Day assembly at Western Wayne High School with his grandchildren. From left: Johnathan Robbins, 7th grader at Western Wayne; Roger O’Brien, United States Navy veteran; and Summer Schaal.

          “I am a very proud grandfather,” O’Brien said.  “I promised them I would come.”

          O’Brien traveled to Western Wayne from New Jersey for the event, and he was happy to discuss his time in the service with his grandchildren.

          “I practically traveled around the world as a gunner on a cargo ship,” O’Brien explained.  “I was in Russia twice.  I was shipped to the West Coast and was headed to Okinawa, Japan, but they surrendered before we got there.  We saw plenty.”

          O’Brien discussed how he received many honors for his military service.

          “I have a number of medals and ribbons for my time in the service which I have shown to my grandchildren,” O’Brien explained.

          Reingold, O’Brien, and many other veterans processed into the auditorium to begin the event.

          Highlights of the event include some beautifully performed patriotic pieces by the Western Wayne High School chorus and band.  The veterans also were treated to a breakfast and lunch prepared by students in Mrs. Stephanie Zoppi’s culinary classes. In addition, during the assembly, a group of local veterans demonstrated and explained the meaning of the 13 folds in an American Flag when it is presented to a loved one at a military funeral service. 

Students in Western Wayne’s FCCLA Club helped to greet Veterans for the event. From left: Paige Bell, Zoey Goldman, Kennedy Mistishin, Jaquelyn Morris, and Jaden Gregory.

The symbolism of each of the folds was explained in a very moving presentation.  They represent a variety of meaningful parts of military service, faith in God, and faith in America.  For example, the second fold signifies a belief in eternal life; the seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces; and the final fold, when the stars are uppermost, is a tribute to our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

Pictured are veterans demonstrating the proper folding of the flag with 13 folds.

          As a closing to the assembly, the students, veterans, and faculty in attendance heard from guest speaker Officer Robert Robbins.  Officer Robbins served in the United States Army in the 101st Airborne Division as a Light Wheel Vehicle Mechanic at Fort Campbell Kentucky for two years.  He earned the Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Air Assault Badge. 

Upon the conclusion of his active service, Officer Robbins joined the Pennsylvania National Guard and served in Alpha Co, 1st Battalion of the 109th Infantry Regiment.  In this unit, he served as a Squad Leader, Vehicle Commander, was promoted to Sergeant and was awarded the General S. J. Stewart Medal for service and NCO Academy Graduate Ribbon.

Pictured is Guest Speaker Officer Robert Robbins. Officer Robbins serves as a School Resource Officer at Western Wayne since 2013.

In 1991, Officer Robbins joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard and served with the Security Police Flight at Willow Grove Naval Air Station.  He was responsible for base security, Flight Operations Security, and the protection of aircraft and missile weapons sites.  He earned the Rank of Staff Sergeant. 

He then attended the Security Police Academy at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, in which he earned the title of Honor Graduate and was awarded the Pennsylvania Commendation Medal.  Officer Robbins received an Honorable Discharge from all three branches he served in.

Officer Robbins is a retired Pennsylvania State Trooper, who served for 23 years and spent his entire career in the Patrol Unit.  He was promoted to Corporal in 1999 and was responsible for nearly every facet of daily operations in a State Police Troop.  He was stationed all over the State from Bucks County to Wayne County.   

Today, Officer Robbins serves as a School Resource Officer here at the Western Wayne School District and has diligently done so since 2013.  Robbins is beloved by Western Wayne students and faculty alike.  He has a very meaningful presence throughout the school keeping it safe and helping to guide students.

 Robbins also has the honor of being the newest voice of the Western Wayne Wildcats at their football and basketball games where he has taken over as announcer after the passing of Western Wayne’s beloved veteran teacher Mr. Jim Rebar.

          As Robbins talked to the students, he discussed his upbringing in Honesdale where he was one of seven children in what he described as an average family.  Robbins went on to marry his high school sweetheart and have three children.  He then explained his journey through the military.  Next, Robbins told the students what the military had done for him and how it shaped him as a person.

          “I discovered that there were things I never thought I could be capable of doing from my time in the military,” Robbins explained. “For example, I conquered my fear of heights. I had to jump out of helicopters in my time in the service.  My time in the military really shaped my life.”

          Robbins quoted “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and discussed how he feels it is very meaningful to him as a veteran.  He then told the students how important it is for them to be thankful for veterans and, if possible, for them to try to do service for the community to give back.

          “We should live a life that we have earned from what was sacrificed for us,” he said.  “It important for us to say thank you to veterans and to provide service to the community if we can.”

          His closing words were very meaningful and memorable.

          “God bless you,” he told all in attendance.  “God bless America.”

Western Wayne elementary, middle, and high school students all participated in a fall activity day

  • From left are eighth graders Haley Walsh and Aurora Morris.
  • From left are sixth graders Magda Malcolm and Audrey Agnello.
  • From left are sixth graders Joey Tickner and Aedan Lampman.
  • From left are seventh graders Abigail Sadowski and Cedar Gilpin.

Western Wayne elementary, middle, and high school students all participated in a fall activity day at their respective buildings on Thursday, Oct. 31, as a reward for the students’ achievements and positive behavior in the first marking period as a part of the district’s PBIS initiative. Our PBIS initiative is successfully creating a positive school environment in which students are demonstrating their Wildcat PRIDE daily. From left are eighth graders Taylor Maiocco, Brooke Kellogg, and Olivia Cottell.

Middle School Annual Turkey Trot Run/Walk

When:  November 26, 2019

Time:  8:30 am to 10:00 am

Where:  Western Wayne Middle School

Distance:  1 mile

Price due the day of the race:  5 Cat Cash or

 2 food items (cans or boxes)(Donation to local food pantry)

Bring your entry fee to the track

Prize at finish line for all participants:  10 Cat Cash

Additional prizes for 1st and 2nd place finishers:

6th grade Male and Female

7th grade Male and Female

8th grade Male and Female

After the Turkey trot:  Pictures with the Turkey, drinks, refreshments, and raffle!

Turkey Trot participants will participate in the following:

8:15 am Wellness Discussion

8:40 am Morning Stretch

9:00 am Race/Walk

9:20 am Award Ceremony

9:30 am Cool Down

You can spend your cat cash to purchase the following:

9:45 am Pictures with the Turkey, Refreshments, and Raffle

Western Wayne Middle School Holds Cake-Off Competition

First quarter Western Wayne eighth grade family & consumer science students, after studying different cultures in their social studies class, voted to represent Mayan culture in a Cake-Off Competition held in late October. The Cake-Off Competition was made up of nine teams, competing against each other to be the ultimate Cake-Off winner.  Mrs. Dawn Krautter is the Western Wayne Middle School family & consumer sciences teacher.

Pictured are the eighth grade winners of the Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Cianna Tyler, Tyler Gottshall, Michaela Birnkrant, Emily Dickson, and Stephanie Soom.

Krautter explained that each team created a cake that represented Mayan culture, civilization, or contributions.  In addition, the teams wrote a descriptive paragraph explaining their representation. Cakes were judged on eye appeal, creativity, accuracy of facts, descriptive paragraph writing, and overall presentation. 

The third place cake winner with a total of 216 points was made by Justin Eldred, Leah Fedorchak, Cayden Rose, Isis Christian, and Karina Booths. The second place cake winner with a total of 217 points was made by Taylor Maiocco, Laila Filkovsky, Eddie Belavitz, William Parry, Darrell Schramm and Adrianna Scarpati. Finally, the first place champions with a total of 229 points for their cake included Stephanie Soom, Michaela Birnkrant, Emily Dickson, Tyler Gottshall, and Cianna Tyler.

The third place cake winners explained that astrology played a key role in the design of their cake that has purple and blue icing and looks like the night sky in a galaxy. 

“The Mayans enjoyed studying astrology, so we decided to make that part of our cake design,” eighth grader Karina Booths explained.

Fellow group member Isis Christian discussed the challenges the group faced that later paid off in their third place win.

“Leveling the cake was challenging,” Isis explained.  “We also had to learn how to be cooperative with each other and be able to work with the supplies we had to make the cake.”

Pictured are the second place winners of the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Eddie Belavitz, Taylor Maiocco, Darrell Schramm, Adrianna Scarpati, Laila Filkovsky, and William Parry.
Pictured are the third place winners of the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition. From left: Cayden Rose, Isis Christian, Justin Eldred, Leah Fedorchak, and Karina Booths.

The second place cake winners agree that they learned a lot about working together from their experience in the Cake-Off Competition.

“In order to get everything done in time, we had to learn how to do separate jobs within the group at the same time,” eighth grader Taylor Maiocco explained.

This second place group worked together to create a cake that looked like a temple where Mayans would worship the Gods and bring food and other sacrifices to it to please them.

The winning Cake-Off Competition group included a variety of different aspects of the Mayan culture into their cake design.  They had a small temple on it made of Rice Krispie treats, a river on it with Goldfish crackers in it to represent how the Mayans got some of their foods, and the sides of the cake were a grayish blue color to represent the Mayan’s love of astrology.

“We wanted to incorporate as much as we could about the Mayan lifestyle in our cake design,” eighth grader Michaela Birnkrant explained.

All of the eighth grade students involved in the Western Wayne Middle School Cake-Off Competition were excited to take on this challenge and display their work for the school community.  Western Wayne Middle School administration, faculty, and staff are proud of the accomplishments of these students.

Western Wayne Middle School Recognizes Outstanding Seventh Graders for October

Western Wayne Middle School Administration has recognized Peyton Fox and Timmy Roberts as outstanding seventh grade students for the month of October.
Peyton loves her math class and is excited to be learning pre-algebra this year. She also enjoys her English language arts class because of the happiness she finds in reading.
“I love reading and learning new things about writing and figurative language,” Peyton explained.
When Peyton isn’t hitting the books, she can be found working on her gymnastics skills. Peyton participates in gymnastics at United Sports Academy in Dunmore. She began the sport when she was one and half years old.
“I like to practice gymnastics with my friends,” Peyton said. “My floor routine is my favorite, because I get to tumble and dance. I practice six days a week.”
Peyton’s classmate Timmy Roberts is also very dedicated to his academic studies and extra-curricular activities.
Timmy’s favorite class is English language arts.
“I like reading,” Timmy explained. “We are reading the novel Holes in class right now, and I find it very interesting.”
Timmy also enjoys working with his hands. He is looking forward to taking his industrial arts course later this school year. Last year, he really liked creating rockets in his sixth grade industrial arts class.
In addition, Timmy is a member of the Western Wayne Middle School soccer team where he plays the position of striker.
“It is nice to be around friends while playing a sport,” Timmy said. “The biggest challenge I have is shooting around defenders on the field.”
Western Wayne faculty, administration, and staff are proud of both Peyton and Timmy’s accomplishments and wish them the best with their continued efforts for success.

National Honor Society – Annual Food and Toy Drive

The National Honor Society is conducting our annual food and toy drive for the upcoming holiday season.  Food and toy collection boxes are now in the various offices and classrooms.  Please drop off donations.  Food donations go to the Wayne County food pantry and the Ronald McDonald House.  All toy donations go to the Wayne County Christmas Bureau.  

Western Wayne Middle School Recognizes Outstanding Sixth Graders for October

Western Wayne Middle School Administration has recognized Samantha Duval and Luckus Balmer as outstanding sixth grade students for the month of October.

          Samantha enjoys her library and science classes best this year.  She loves to read especially mystery and romance books.  In her science class, she likes reading and learning about the earth.  When she grows up, Samantha would like to be a veterinarian, and, therefore, she knows she will need to know a lot about science. 

          In addition, when Samantha isn’t reading.  She can be found practicing her flute.  “I’ve always loved music and love to play the flute,” Samantha said.

          In her spare time, Samantha does more reading.  Two of her current favorite books are A Dog’s Purpose and Wonder.

          As a hobby Samantha likes to make rubber band jewelry for her family and friends.  “It makes me happy that I’m making other people happy,” Samantha explained.

          Luckus also likes to make others happy in school by showing them respect.  He said he is working hard this year to participate in his classes especially his math class.

          When Luckus isn’t answering discussion questions in his classes, he can be found practicing his trombone in band class.

          “I like to play in band where I get to work on my music with a lot of kids who are really good at their instruments,” Luckus said.

          In addition to band class, Luckus also enjoys his technology education class.  He explained how they are working on a windmill project made of Legos.  Luckus likes to do hands-on work.

          In Luckus’ spare time he continues to work on his music skills. 

          “I practice my trombone in my spare time, because that way I will get better at it,” Luckus explained.

          Western Wayne faculty, administration, and staff are proud of both Samantha and Luckus’ accomplishments and wish them the best with their continued efforts for success.

Western Wayne Middle School September Students of the Month

Western Wayne Middle School Administration has recognized Mitchell Lunn and Gianna Rosetti, both sixth graders, as outstanding students for the month of September. 

        Mitchell has been very respectful to his classmates and teachers this first month of school.  He has even been seen holding doors open for his teachers.  “It feels good just to be helping people,” Mitchell said.  Mitchell’s favorite class is math.  He is always prepared for class and loves learning about exponents.  Mitchell also enjoys his band class where he is learning how to play the trombone.  In his spare time, Mitchell likes to ride his bike, play video games, and take walks with his mom and two dogs.

      Like Mitchell, Gianna has also been recognized for being very respectful to others at school.  She too enjoys her math class the most.  “It’s a fun class where I get to figure things out,” Gianna said.  In addition, Gianna likes her chorus class where she can develop the quality of her singing.  In her spare time, Gianna enjoys taking walks with her younger cousins. She also looks forward to joining track and cross country in seventh grade.

The Western Wayne community is proud of Mitchell and Gianna’s accomplishments and can’t wait to see what they do next.