Pictured are student council members who served as D.J.s and emcees for the event. From left Mrs. Kristen Donohue, Middle School principal; Courtney Petrilak, Anya Rusnak, student council members; and Celeste Orchard, student council president.
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Band Director Enjoys Macy’s Day Parade ExperienceNovember 28, 2023Mrs. Ort stands surrounded by every student she makes an impact on at Western Wayne on a daily basis from grades seven through twelve.
Mrs. Ort by the Jolly Green Giant balloon which was just ahead of her performance group at the parade.
An aerial shot of the America’s Band Directors Band on parade day.
Mrs. Ort by the Jolly Green Giant balloon which was just ahead of her performance group at the parade.
From left, Chris Bohinski, Rachel Malak, and Mrs. Elaine Ort, from her interview with them on the Monday, Nov. 27, PA Live show.
: Mrs. Ort reacts to her band, color guard, and musical students having a special surprise tribute parade to send her off to New York City.
From left, Caden Wilson, senior drum major; Mrs. Elaine Ort, band director; and junior drum major Lia Hartman.
From left, Ort and Lia Hartman leading the Western Wayne High School Marching Band.
“Mrs. Ort, your band is ready for you,” junior Western Wayne Drama Club vice president, Bobby Scramuzza, announced over the loudspeaker to the faculty and staff of the Western Wayne High School and Middle School, as part of a special surprise tribute to the district’s beloved band director on Friday, Nov. 17. Ort represented Western Wayne at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a part of the project Saluting America’s Band Directors.Students in the Western Wayne high school marching band, color guard, drama club, and middle school band along with faculty and staff paid tribute to Mrs. Ort with a special parade through the hallways of the high school and middle school. The procession was led by drum major junior Lia Hartman and, of course, Mrs. Ort herself. Hartman and senior drum major Caden Wilson conducted the musical selections for the traveling tribute played by the high school marching band with members of the color guard and drama club in tow.The procession ended at the middle school gym where Ort was surprised to see her 7th and 8th grade students ready to play “Let’s Go, Cats!” with the high schoolers as a special send off for the closing number. But first Ort was treated to a unique rendition of “Hey, Baby!” played by the high school marching band featuring new lyrics for her send off and sung by everyone in attendance, “Hey, Mrs. Ort! Oo! Ah! You’re gonna go to New York City!”Before embarking for the Big Apple on Sunday, Nov. 19, Ort was interviewed and featured on WBRE-TV news with her high school band students. In addition, she did an interview with local radio host Rocky Rhodes in which Rhodes promoted her feature by calling her a “superstar.”Ort is humbled by all of the attention and felt extremely proud to represent the district at Macy’s. In addition, she did a playing spot on the Fox & Friends morning show on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to promote the upcoming performance of Saluting America’s Band Director’s in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.“I was so honored to represent Western Wayne and all of my music students in NYC!” Ort said.Ort had an amazing experience at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade playing with the America’s Band Director’s Band and can’t wait to see what event they may play at next.On Monday, Nov. 27, Ort did a follow-up interview on WBRE’s PA Live to discuss her performance experience in detail. See link below
https://www.pahomepage.com/pa-live/western-wayne-band-director-performs-at-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/
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RDW Principal to Receive 2023 Administrator Appreciation AwardNovember 28, 2023Mrs. Maria Miller has been chosen to receive the 2023 Administrator Appreciation Award from the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA). This rare distinction “acknowledges administrators who demonstrate an understanding and support of, commitment to and belief in the role of school counselors and comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs.”Miller will be formally recognized at the PSCA annual conference on December 7th at Kalahari Resorts and Conference Center.She has been an avid supporter of the school counseling program at RDW since they started working together in June of 2012. She is the reason the program has received national and state recognition; and she is a true champion of the school’s comprehensive school counseling program.Miller was born and raised in Waymart and has lived there her whole life. She graduated from Western Wayne School District in 1986. She then attended Marywood University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Early Childhood (1990) and Master’s Degree in Early Childhood (1992). Later, she received her Principal Certification in 1997 from The University of Scranton.Miller has worked at R.D. Wilson for the past 33 years. She was a classroom teacher for 10 years, serving students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Fourth Grade before entering her current role as principal. Miller is a champion of her community and has devoted her career to bettering the lives of the students and families in this area that she calls home.
Mrs. Miller spear-headed the efforts to bring the PROSPER Program to the Western Wayne School District. Based out of Penn State, this program trains local teams to lead family-based and school-based prevention program efforts on the ground in their communities.In addition to her many roles at school, Miller is Waymart Historical Society: Vice President; has her RAMP-Certification: Principal of a RAMP-Certified school (2019-2024), currently supporting the counselor in applying for Re-RAMP and the PA Black Diamond Program award.Also, R.D. Wilson received the Adequate Yearly Progress PDE achievement recognition every year from 2002 until 2011 (when PA stopped awarding this to schools) under Miller’s leadership.Miller is thrilled to represent Western Wayne at the awards ceremony to receive her great honor in early December.
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Western Wayne Celebrates Veterans Day November 28, 2023Mrs. Elaine Ort, high school band director, conducts her band at the Veterans Day assembly.
North Pocono alumni Kariem Withers, United States Marine Corp. enlistee; Nathaniel Swingle, United States Marine Corps. enlistee; Luke Janiszewski, United States Marine Corp. enlistee; and George Schaffer, United States Air Force.
From left: Western Wayne alumni Nathaniel Swingle and Luke Janiszewski, United States Marine Corp enlistees who have completed their first round of basic training.
Junior Lilly Maros plays “Taps” to close out the assembly with senior Summer Paugh, not pictured.
From left, Major Shane Grodack USMC retired, Western Wayne social studies teacher; and James English, United States Marine Corp.
Mr. Taber Starnes, high school chorus teacher, conducts his singers at the Veterans Day assembly.
Elwood Merring, who earned the Silver Star Medal; Bronze Star Medal; and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
From left: Frank DiRosa, United States Marine Corp.; and his granddaughter, sophomore, Sydney Sosa.
From left, Frank DiRosa, United States Marine Corp.; George Schaffer, United States Air Force and National Guard; and Bryan Strubel, United States Navy.
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.
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Drama Club to Host Family Movie Night Dec. 8November 28, 2023From left: Robert Scramuzza, Drama Club vice president; and Nate Conway, Drama Club president.
Come and join the Western Wayne Drama Club at the Western Wayne High School Cafeteria on the evening of Friday, Dec. 8, to enjoy a holiday movie, refreshments, and basket raffles. We encourage you to wear school-appropriate holiday attire such as holiday sweaters and or pajamas. Doors for the event open at 6:30 p.m. with the movie beginning at 7 p.m. Cost is only $1 per person. We welcome families to attend! All elementary students must be accompanied by an adult. No advance tickets needed. Hope to see you on December 9 to celebrate the holiday early with the Western Wayne Drama Club. Alumni are also encouraged to attend!
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Guiding Good ChoicesNovember 16, 2023Guiding Good Choices for 4th-6th grade parents and caregivers. Attend thisFREE VIRTUAL five-session program to help your youth navigate thepressures and expectations of life during their teen years to succeed andachieve a brighter future.
Parents and caregivers can enhance their parenting skills by learning how to:
Promote health and well-being during the teen years.
Develop health beliefs and clear standards for behavior.
Deal with anger in a positive way and manage family conflict to strengthenbonds with youth.
Protect their children from substance abuse and other problematic behaviors.
Strengthen family bonds and increase youth’s involvement in the family throughthe teen years.
Youth attend session 4 with their parents and caregivers.The program will be held on five Tuesdays: February 6, 13, 20, 27 and March 6from 6 to 8 PM via Zoom.For more information or to register, e-mail or call Karen Thomas at kat1@psu.eduor 570-878-2385
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Middle School Hosts Visit From Author J. E. ThompsonNovember 14, 2023From left: Author J. E. Thompson. and Middle School Principal Jennifer Bradley.
Western Wayne Middle School students learned about the time and effort it takes to have a career as a published author on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when award-winning author J. E. Thompson spoke to them.
Upon graduation from Middlebury College with a major in English and minor in finance, Thompson had wanted to pursue a career in writing but couldn’t figure out how to make money in such a venture. Therefore, first, his life’s path took him to a 25 year career working on Wall Street instead.
Thompson greatly enjoyed the many years he spent working in finance but came to a turning point in his life in 1994 when he realized he wanted to return to his dream of becoming a writer.
“I realized that I had to find the courage to do it,” he explained. Not only did Thompson find the courage to pursue this dream, but also he has now been a successful writer for about 25 years with one of his most well-known books being Buccaneer’s Spit.
Thompson told the students about this best-selling book. In the novel, two teenagers work to save a spit of land in South Carolina from a developer who wants to take it over.
Thompson explained that his books are mystery, thriller stories. He told the students about the process he goes through to write a novel. He explained that he likes to start by creating characters that readers will care about. Then he creates a large problem for those characters to overcome, and, as he writes, he discovers how his characters will overcome the obstacles they face. Thompson explained to the students the many times a writer has to edit, revise, and rewrite a story before it is finally published.
“If you think what you have written as a first draft is the best way to express yourself, you are wrong,” Thompson explained when discussing how he would advise students to go about the process of writing good quality work. “If I were ever to enter a first draft to my agent or publishers, they would surely ‘cancel’ it.” He quipped thinking about the youth of today’s connection to the word ‘canceled.’
Thompson further explained how when he discusses the writing process with young aspiring writers he tries to relate it to how athletes spend a lot of time working on their craft.
“The first time you throw a pass it might not be as good as how the throw will be after a lot of practice,” he said. “The same is true for your writing. Practice through the form of revision and editing is what makes the writing better.”
The students had the chance to purchase a signed copy of one of Thompson’s novels after the presentation. Many of them are excited to read a book from an author they have met. Two of Thompson’s other published novels are The Girl From Felony Bay and its sequel Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff. Both of these books have recently been republished with Pelican Publishing.
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Mrs. Ort and Marching Band on WBRE WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.November 14, 2023Mrs. 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.
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EverGreen Bullying Prevention AssemblyNovember 10, 2023Kindergarten through fifth grade students attended a bullying prevention assembly on Thursday, November 9th. Students were presented with tips to be helpful in the event they are being bullied or if they are a by stander to a bullying situation. Students were deterred of being a bully throughout the presentation by having kindness and teamwork being the central theme. All students were instructed to do the RIGHT thing in all situations. The topic was presented through music and a laser light show that allowed students to interact with the presenter while learning. The EverGreen Elementary PTA and administration coordinated the event for EverGreen Elementary students.
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High School Creative Writing Students Submit Their Work to ContestsNovember 10, 2023Winners pictured (left to right):Olivia Ford (junior), Melinda Kopcza (senior), and Laylah Epstein (sophomore).
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.”
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Sophomores Chosen to Attend HOBYNovember 6, 2023From left: Cassidy Levens and Laylah Epstein.
Western Wayne sophomores Cassidy Levens and Laylah Epstein have been chosen to represent Western Wayne at the 2024 Central Pennsylvania HOBY Leadership Seminar this June 2024.
Cassidy is an accomplished Western Wayne honor roll sophomore student who enjoys being a part of a variety of clubs at school including: football cheerleading, basketball cheerleading, political science club, softball, and drama club.
In Cassidy’s leadership essay for HOBY, she explained what leadership meant to her by discussing strong leadership role models she has worked with.
“I think that a good leader influences people around them in a positive way,” Cassidy said. “Leaders I have worked with have not tried to boss me around, instead they have made me want to become a leader as well. These leaders have truly cared about me and other members of my teams and have inspired me.”
After high school, Cassidy aspires to study political science in college and go on to pursue a career as a lawyer and/ or a legislator.
Cassidy’s classmate Laylah Epstein, a sophomore honor roll student, also is a Hoby winner for Western Wayne and shares a similar view on leadership as Cassidy.
“I think a good leader leads by example,” Laylah explained. “Good leaders I have worked with want to see others succeed.”
Laylah is a member of both football and basketball cheerleading.
After high school, Laylah plans to major in nursing and become an ER nurse.
Both girls look forward to attending the conference in the spring and meeting other student leaders from various districts.
“I hope to learn about their different outlooks on life and leadership at the conference,” Cassidy explained.
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