Westfield High School (New Jersey):

The school was the 27th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 314 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2008 cover story on the state's Top Public High Schools. The school was ranked 22nd in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which included 316 schools across the state.^[3]

Westfield was listed in 691st place nationwide in Newsweek's May 8, 2006, issue, listing the Top 1,200 High Schools in The United States.^[4]

Courses

Student body

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,789 students and 141.6 classroom teachers (on a FTE basis, for a student-teacher ratio of 12.6.^[1]

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.

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 teachers' websites have received more than 800,000 pageviews.^[5]

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.^[2] 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.

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.

The Girls Swimming Team won the 2007 NJSIAA Group IV State Championship, conquering West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. The boys swimming team won the 2007 North II - A state sectional championship, topping Bridgewater-Raritan High School 93-77 in the tournament final.^[9] The girls swim team duplicated the feat with a 113-57 win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.^[10] In 2008, for the first time in school history, both teams won the NJSIAA Public A State Championships in the same year, with the boys defeating Cherry Hill West High School 91-79 ^[11] and the girls defeating West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South for the second year in a row, 106-64.^[12] Westfield is a traditional power house in boys and girls swimming. The girls have won 10 state championships and 16 Union County Titles, and the boys have won 21 State Championships and 51 Union County Titles.

The 2004 softball team won the North II, Group IV state sectional championship with a 1-0 victory over J. P. Stevens High School in the tournament final.^[13]

Clubs and organizations

Blue Devil Television

Blue Devil Televsion broadcasts 3 1/2 days a week on Channel 36. Blue Devil TV operates out of Room 135 at the high school and provides Westfield school-related programming including: Board of Education meetings and informational programs, high school sports and concerts, original student projects from Westfield High's TV Production classes, as well as other programs from the school district. Blue Devil TV televises more than thirty sporting events each year including every home football game and live home basketball games. Phil Queller and Kevin Russell are the voices of the Blue Devils. The principal of WHS exercises prior review of students' newscasts.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Westfield High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 7, 2007.
^ ^a ^b News 12 crew puts focus on the Hi's Eye, Record-Press, March 8, 2007. "Hi's Eye is one of the few high school newspapers in the country and the only one in New Jersey that produces a weekly uncensored issue".
^ "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
^ The Complete List: 1,200 Top U.S. Schools, Newsweek May 8, 2006, accessed April 14, 2007.
^ Ms. Molly Phelan's website, which has more than 800,000 hits.
^ 2007 Boys Tennis - North II, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed June 7, 2007.
^ 2007 Boys Tennis - Public Group Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed May 27, 2007.
^ Karn, Jeff. "No. 1 Westfield captures T of C championship, 4-1", The Star-Ledger, June 1, 2007. Accessed June 1, 2007. "Chu's 6-1, 7-5 victory at third singles against Greg Holtzman helped Westfield (30-0), No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, finish a perfect season with a 4-1 victory over No. 8 Newark Academy yesterday at Mercer County Park in West Windsor.... Westfield, which became just the fifth program to win the T of C since its inception in 1992, won All-Groups titles, the equivalent of the T of C, in 1978, 1986 and 1987 and an overall state title in 1957."
^ 2007 Boys Team Swimming - North II - A, NJSIAA. Accessed June 4, 2007.
^ 2007 Girls Team Swimming - North II - A, NJSIAA. June 4, 2007.
^ 2008 Boys Team Swimming - Public North II - A, NJSIAA. Accessed May 22, 2008.
^ 2008 Girls Team Swimming - Public Semis/Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed May 22, 2008.
^ 2004 Softball - North II, Group IV, NJSIAA. Accessed July 16, 2007.
^ Charles Addams - Cartoonist, Bbc.co.uk, May 7, 2002.
^ The Virginia Apgar Papers: Biographical Information, accessed December 31, 2006.
^ George, Thomas. "FOOTBALL; Giants Sign Dave Brown", The New York Times, August 13, 1992. Accessed March 4, 2008. "Brown, who starred at Westfield High School in New Jersey, initially planned to play another season at Duke, but changed his mind after the regular N.F.L. draft in April and decided to enter his name in the supplemental draft."
^ Chiefs Sign P Steve Cheek, Kansas City Chiefs press release dated October 13, 2004.
^ Goldblatt, Jennifer. "IN PERSON; Trapped In the 30's, On the Radio", The New York Times, January 11, 2004. Accessed January 16, 2008.
^ Kevin Kelly -- Chronology, accessed April 14, 2007. "Graduated from Westfield High School, Westfield NJ."
^ Durbach, Elaine. "From bar mitzva boy to Wedding Singer: A composer gets his big Broadway break", New Jersey Jewish News, July 6, 2006. "In summer workshops, working with a number of extraordinary teachers, including Westfield High School theater director Joe Nierle, he got to explore all facets of musical theater."
^ Litsky, Frank. "TWO SWIFT RUNNERS SELECTED BY GIANTS", The New York Times, April 28, 1982. Accessed June 4, 2007. "In a matter of seconds, the Giants complied and took the 6-foot- 1/4-inch, 204-pound Woolfolk, a former schoolboy sprint champion at Westfield (N.J.) High."

Westfield High School (New Jersey)

Contents

Awards and recognition