Wildcat World Open Mic Night

Western Wayne’s Drama Club invites the public to join them for an Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Friday, January 11, in the Western Wayne High School Auditorium located at 1970A Easton Turnpike, Lake Ariel, PA 18436.

The club will host a basket raffle as part of the event. Some of the baskets include a movie night basket and a coffee/ tea book lovers’ basket among many others. Refreshments will also be served in the high school cafeteria with all proceeds benefiting drama club students.

Admission to the event is free!

The show will be family-friendly with Masters of Ceremonies junior Honour Shaffer and sophomore Alex Taylor.

“I’m excited to be an MC for the second year,” Honour said. “I enjoy hosting the evening for everyone and it’s always fun to make everyone laugh with the bits I say in-between acts.”

The show will kick off with a show-stopping opening number “All for The Best” from the musical Godspell performed by R.J. Clemens, drama club president, and Sydney Peet, drama club public relations officer .

“We want to make the audience excited right from the start of the show,” R.J. explained. “We are excited to sing, dance, and use some special props.”

Other acts include original poetry readings by eighth grade student Larissa Ellsworth and a monologue read by freshman Nick Valentin about staying hopeful in the face of bullying.

The night will also showcase a variety of musical selections. Some performances include: Amanda David, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” from Grease, Lily Visceglia, “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman, an acoustic guitar version of “Ain’t it Fun” by Andie Solimine, and a breath-taking finale by R.J. featuring a song from a very popular musical currently on Broadway among many other lively numbers.

“We are very excited to get the community out to see these talented Western Wayne students,” Mrs. Jessica McLaughlin, drama club advisor and musical director, said. “We look forward to seeing them shine on Friday night along with raising some money to support our drama club students.”

The Drama Parents Club will be selling a variety of treats this evening. There will be coffee, hot chocolate, bottled water along with a variety of sweets and snacks available for sale.

Tonight is the first event that the Drama Club will host in 2019. The group was formed at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year as an effort to have a year-round performing arts organization for Western Wayne students in grades 8 through 12.

Earlier this school year, they hosted a car wash as a kick-off fundraising event. The students also had a table at Western Wayne’s Annual Craft Fair in October. Other fall events included having a presence at Western Wayne High School’s Open House and Parent Teacher Conference nights along with hosting gift wrapping events to raise funds at both the high school and Tractor Supply in Hamlin.

The students plan to have other events this year to serve as performance opportunities and fundraisers including a possible character breakfast in early April at the high school to promote their upcoming spring production of Annie the musical.

Western Wayne’s performances will be Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. on the newly renovated Western Wayne Veterans Memorial Auditorium stage. Students and senior citizens $3 dollars for tickets and adults $5 for tickets. Western Wayne students are admitted free with a student ID.

Some of the performers from Open Mic Night will also be featured leads in Annie including Amanda David who plays the title role, R.J. Clemens who plays Daddy Warbucks, Andie Solimine who plays Grace Farrell, Sydney Peet who plays Miss Hannigan, Lily Visceglia, who plays Lilly, and Honour Shaffer who plays Bert Healy among others.

Please join us at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, January 11, to celebrate the talents of all of our Drama Club students who are participating in Open Mic Night. Again, admission is free!

The show should last about two hours. Come out and have a hot drink, a sweet treat, and an excellent experience watching our students shine!

Regular season starts tonight!

The regular season for Basketball and Wrestling starts tonight! The boys basketball team will host Valley View tonight, JV starting at 5:30 PM and Varsity at 7:30 PM. The wrestling team will travel to Mt. View tonight with the Varsity team wrestling at 7:00 PM. Jr. High wrestling starts at 6:00 PM.

The girls basketball will play at Valley View tomorrow, 1/3/19 with varsity tip-off at 7:00 PM. JV plays at 5:30 PM.

Hamlin/ Lake Ariel Rotary Donates Coats for Western Wayne Students

Pictured are Western Wayne staff members with members of the Rotary who generously donated coats for students throughout the Western Wayne School District. From left: Matthew Fitzsimmons, high school guidance counselor; Diane Tansits, high school and middle school social worker; Tatiana Black, Rotary member; Susan Giguere, Rotary member; Terry Gunning, Rotary member; Renee Chernin, high school guidance counselor; Kasey Gribble, high school guidance counselor; Lisa Jacques, middle school guidance counselor; and Jennifer Bradley, high school assistant principal.

All four Western Wayne Schools (EverGreen Elementary, R.D. Wilson Elementary, the High School, and Middle School) benefited from a coat drive done by the Hamlin/ Lake Ariel Rotary. The Rotary donated several cases of coats to the schools. All of the schools received a variety of coats in different colors and sizes. The district is so grateful for this donation and knows its students will greatly benefit from these much needed coats. From left, Sue Schlasta, EverGreen Elementary social worker; and Tatiana Black, from the Rotary.

Tech Talk | Johnson College guides Wayne Co. man’s career

MOSCOW, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WOLF) — “I was a bit less of a book-learned student… I didn’t learn as well from lectures and things like that. I learned well when I could combine that with taking what I learned in the classroom and applying it right there in their labs.”

Wayne County native Fernando Marques always had a knack for technology, having a role on the Western Wayne High School robotics team.

He says the Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program at Johnson College fit him best with his background.

“When I was coming out of high school I really wasn’t sure where to go. I actually haven’t found that degree program when I first graduated from Western Wayne. And then shortly after, I found their program so I had worked construction for a year to save up the money- and built a little bit of a buffer so that the following year I could start the AMET program,” said Marques.

Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe: The Return Journey

The Western Wayne School District and the Carbondale Historical Society are pleased to present the Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe Male Choir from Wales And the Western Wayne Band in Concert
Monday October 29, 2018 7:00PM Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium 1970A Easton Turnpike Lake Ariel, PA Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

For advance tickets, see any member of the WWHS Band
Côr Dathlu Cwmtawe:
The Return Journey

Western Wayne Starts Monday Welcome Initiative for Students

Just like droves of fans wait to welcome celebrity guests to popular morning television programs like Good Morning America, every Monday morning, administrators, school board members, parents, and community members line up outside of all Western Wayne School District Buildings to welcome in students as they return after their weekend break.

The initiative is titled “Today’s a Great Day, to Have a Great Day…Can’t Hide That Wildcat PRIDE!” This idea came from Mrs. Mindy Maros, a parent in the district, whose purpose with the initiative is to promote a positive environment for students to come to school, and to get parents involved in the school community in a positive way.

“Last year I read an article about a school in Indiana that did a similar program. I thought the idea was great; small time commitment, another opportunity for parents to be involved and it’s simple to do. We aren’t asking anyone to teach algebra- just to help us create a fun, welcoming atmosphere on Monday mornings,” Maros explained.

She said it was a smooth process to get her ideas into action.

“I pitched the idea to Miss Faliskie and Mrs. Fiorella. They were enthusiastic and instrumental in the idea coming to fruition. From there, they took it to the Administration and we followed up with talking to parents at all the Open Houses this fall. All of our Great Days volunteers have been approved through our background clearances process. We had shirts made through Custom Cured in our community, picked some fun songs and we’re off to a great start! We’re thrilled to not only have parents helping, but community members, as well,” Maros said.

The kick-off for the Monday welcome program at Western Wayne School District began on Monday, Oct. 15 and will continue throughout the year.

The high school band even joined in on the fun for the first day to play some lively music to get students excited to start their weeks at the middle and high schools.

“We are happy to play for the students to help make them feel more enthusiastic about the start of the week,” Mrs. Elaine Ort, high school band director, said.

The second week of “Today’s a Great Day” was just as successful as the first with many administrators, school board members, parents, and community members lining the walkways to the schools in the district to welcome the students back. In the middle school, music was played throughout the loud speakers to help add to the positive energy created by the greetings given by the adults to the students.

Parent Bill McCormick, whose son is a high school student, joined in on the fun for the second week. He found out about the opportunity through emails the district sends to parents informing of them of different school events.

“I just wanted to come out and support the school,” McCormick said. “There are a lot of good kids here at Western Wayne and many good programs like this one.”

Fellow Western Wayne parent Nicole O’Donnell agrees with McCormick.

“I wanted to come and welcome students because I know some of them don’t have parents at home in the morning to greet them,” she explained.

Community members also attended to interact with students and spread positivity. Melvina Black is a retired teacher from New York City who learned about the initiative from Bernice Fiorella, president of the Western Wayne Board of Education.

Black is a master teacher who taught all subjects in grades Pre-K through sixth for 15 years before retiring from teaching. Her degree is called Common Branches.

“I think greeting the students gives them a sense of pride and makes them feel welcomed,” Black explained.

She has enjoyed welcoming Western Wayne students to school at the two opening weeks of the initiative and plans to continue participating in this tradition in the future. She has also agreed to be a tutor in the high school on some mornings and is excited to help Western Wayne students refine their academic skills.

Parent Sandi Beavers thinks it is wonderful that community members like Black want to take the time to greet and work with students in the district. Beavers has two sons that attend Western Wayne and is highly involved in multiple parent groups at the district including the Band Parent and Drama Parent organizations.

“I enjoy working to make Western Wayne the best possible place it can be to meet the needs of all students,” Beavers said. “The welcome initiative is just another way that I can help spread pride at Western Wayne.”

Maros is glad that parents like Beavers feel this way since this outcome was her intention with the program from the start.

“Our goal is that through this effort, our students will look forward to Mondays, feel encouraged and most of all that they will feel known and valued by their community. We also hope that our entire district will embrace this opportunity for personal connection in an era when digital connection is prominent. When we take the time to pour into our kids and help them feel valued, it’s time well spent. Mondays can be tough, but when you add fun music, a word of encouragement and a few high fives, we can change Mondays into Great Days,” Maros discussed.

All administrators, school board members, community members, parents, and, most importantly, students look forward to continuing the welcome tradition throughout the school year.