Wayne Highlands School District School

The Wayne Highlands School District is a Third Class School District located in the northern part of Wayne County. This district provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 3400 youngsters housed within its six schools. Four of these schools are located within the borough of Honesdale. The remaining two are located in Damascus and Lakewood. The school in Lakewood, known as the Preston Area School, operates a kindergarten through eighth grade program for approximately 200 students. Its mission, like that of Wayne Highlands, is to promote a school community alliance dedicated to dynamic and flexible education processes, success for all students, interdependent lifelong learning, and respect for oneself and society. In addition to the regular classroom program, Preston offers instruction in special areas as students move through the grades. These areas include Technology Education, Music (Vocal and Instrumental), Family/Consumer Sciences, Industrial Arts, Library, and Art, as well as a program of Physical Education. School health services are available through the nurse's office. Guidance services are available through the school's guidance counselor. Breakfast is served daily by the school cafeteria staff. A hot lunch program is also available. The first school in Preston Township was built in 1829 at Tallmanville near Shehawken. From that time until 1890 many one-room schools were operated throughout the township, such as South Preston, Preston Center, Lake Como, Winwood, Orson, and Crosby. The township then built a large wooden building in the village of Winwood (Lakewood), which became a three-year high school. Around 1903 or 1904 that same building became a four-year high school. In 1924 the Preston School Board voted to build a new high school and elementary school for the entire township, closing all the smaller schools except those located at Preston Park and Orson. This became a reality when Preston High School opened in early spring of 1926. In 1950 Preston, Scott, and Buckingham Townships formed a jointure, and the school became known as Northern Wayne Joint High School. This jointure was dissolved in 1953 with a return to the Preston High School. In the late 1950's the school in Orson was closed. In 1960 the Preston School Board voted to discontinue the high school at the Preston site. High school students were sent to Hancock Central School in Hancock, New York. In the late 1960's the school in Lake Como was closed. High school students currently either attend Hancock or Deposit in New York or Honesdale High School in Honesdale.