Westfield High School (New Jersey)

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Westfield High School
Established	1953
Type	Public high school
Principal	Dennis Fyffe (Interim)
Vice Principals	Joan Sullivan Doug Sanford Lynn Muir (Administrative Intern)
Students	1,801
Grades	9-12
Location	Westfield, NJ USA
District	Westfield Public Schools
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Blue and White
Mascot	Blue Devil
Yearbook	the Weather Vane
Publications	Hi's Eye Folio Literary Magazine
Faculty	149
Website	http://www.westfieldnjk12.org

Westfield Senior High School, or simply, Westfield High School (abbreviated as WHS) is the only public high school located in Westfield, in Union County, New Jersey and is part of the Westfield Public Schools. It was established in the early 1900's at its original location on Elm Street until 1953 when it was moved to its current location on Dorian Road. The new wing designated for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and other sciences was completed in 2003. Westfield High School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the New Jersey Department of Education. This high school publishes New Jersey's only weekly uncensored student newspaper, one of the few uncensored school publications in the entire country.^[1]

1 Awards and recognition
2 Courses
3 Student body
4 Teachers and classes
5 Student Publications
6 Varsity Sports
7 Clubs & Organizations
8 Westfield High School Television
9 Notable alumni
10 References
11 External links

[edit] Awards and recognition

Westfield High School was the 22nd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 316 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2006 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools^[2].

The school was recently ranked the number 709 high school in the country by Newsweek magazine.

[edit] Courses

Westfield High School offers a comprehensive program of some 165 different courses and 17 Advanced Placement Program (AP) classes. Some of these classes include business, fine arts, music, and practical arts. Advanced Placement classes are available in AP English Literature and Composition, AP English Language and Composition, AP Spanish Literature, AP French Language, AP Latin Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science AB, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP European History, and AP Psychology. 86% of the AP Exams taken in 2004 yielded a grade of "3" or higher. More than 75% of the students study one or more of the five languages available. In 2005, eight students were National Merit Scholarship Program Semi-Finalists and 18 students received Letters of Commendation.

[edit] Student body

The school houses about 1,700 students and continues to grow each year. The ethnic breakdown of the school is 86.3% Caucasian, 4.9% Black, 3.3% Hispanic, and 5.4% Asian or Pacific Islanders. 80% of the students participate in co-curricular activities, including 60 different co-curricular activities and 27 varsity athletic teams. The average SAT scores are a 560 on the Verbal/Critical Reading section and a 577 on the Math section. 11 students received a perfect score. 93.7% of the graduating class of 2004 went on to receive a more advanced education, with 83.7% at four-year colleges and 8.3% at two-year colleges.

[edit] Teachers and classes

Classes can be small, with class sizes averaging at 15-20 students, but as one moves to honors and Advanced Placement courses, class size increases, sometimes with up to 30 students. Teachers offer online help such as activities, notes and PowerPoint presentations, all organized by the Technology Department. Some teacher's websites have gotten over 550,000 hits.^[3]

[edit] Student Publications

The Westfield High School students produce a number of different publications, including the weekly Hi's Eye student newspaper (and monthly Iris Entertainment section), which has gained national recognition for more than thirty years. It is the only non-censored, self-funded high school newspaper in New Jersey.^[1] Hi's Eye is run by three tri-editors and an editor for the Iris Entertainment section. The newspaper maintains its independence through subscriptions, community sponsors, independent fundraising and advertising. The Iris Section is a monthly insert. Since 1983, Westfield High School students have operated a local access cable television station producing award-winning live and single-camera productions. In addition, the literary magazine Folio, the Weather Vane yearbook, and original theatre scripts are also produced by the students.

[edit] Varsity Sports

Westfield High School has 27 varsity athletic teams, including baseball, boys and girls' basketball, boys and girls' cross-country, field hockey, football, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, boys and girls' lacrosse, boy's and girls' soccer, boys and girls' swimming, boys and girls' tennis, softball, spring track & field, volleyball, wrestling, and winter track, among others.

Westfield High School participates in the Watchung Conference, a high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). The conference consists of eleven public high schools covering Essex County, Hudson County and Union County.

[edit] Clubs & Organizations

The school has numerous clubs and organizations, including: Project 79, Academic Challenge Team, Anime Club, Art Club, Asian Awareness Club, Astronomy Club, Awareness Club, Chess Club, Christian Awareness Club, Cooking Club, Crafty Creations, Creative Writing Group, Debate Club, Euterpe, Fed Challenge Team, French Club, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA), German Club, Girl's Learn International Club, Historical Miniature Gaming Club, Homeless Pet Advocacy Club, Iraq Survey Group, Italian Club, Junior Optimist Club, Key Club, Knitting Club, Knowledge Master Team, Latin Club, Latino Heat Dance Team, Living Poets Society, Mock Trial Team, Model UN, Music Service Club, Objectivist Club, Photography Club, Physics Club, Psychology Club, RadioWHS, Roller Hockey Club, Rotary Interact Club, Science Olympiad Team, Spanish Club, Stage Design Club, Student Council, Video Club, Tolkien Order, Transition Project, Triathlon Club,Ultimate Club, Variety Show Club, Weather Club, Young Democrats, Young Independents, Young Republicans, and Youth and Government Club.

Westfield High School also has a renowned drama and music department. They have performed shows in the past like Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, Children of Eden, The Pirates of Penzance, Plain and Fancy, Jesus Christ Superstar and most recently How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Two shows are put on a year, a fall drama and a spring musical.

[edit] Westfield High School Television

Westfield High School Television (or WHS TV) broadcasts 3 1/2 days a week on Channel 36. WHS TV operates out of Room 135 at the high school and provides Westfield school-related programming including: Board of Education meetings, informative programs about the education of our children and the school district, high school sports and concerts, original student projects from Westfield High's TV Production classes, as well as other programs from the school district.