Community Outcry Prompts District to Cancel Principal Swap

"I think that it really does go to show the power of the community," father of three Raj Shah said, about the cancelled proposal that would have switched Hazel Elementary's principal with Edison Central's.

West Orange's interim superintendent received a standing ovation Thursday night when he told a group of more than a hundred Hazel community members that Edwin Acevedo would remain principal at the elementary school.  "The board and I have revisited our options," Interim Superintendent James O'Neill said. "We looked at them carefully and we have opted to implement a number of changes next year we believe will benefit the students in Edison." The proposed transfer was to move Acevedo to Edison Central 6 as principal and have Xavier Fitzgerald take over at Hazel because of the elementary school's recent success. Raj Shah, a father of three children at Hazel, thanked O'Neill, saying, "I think that's the best possible news." "I think that it …

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Fresh Fruit, Vegetable Program Announced for West Orange School

Washington Elementary School student will be beneficiaries of state agricultural program designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

West Orange schoolchildren attending the Washington Elementary School will be the beneficiaries of a new state Department of Agriculture program to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to students during the 2013-14 school year, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher said Monday.  Under the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, funded by $3,934,586 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 144 state schools, students at Washington Elementary School, located at 289 Main St., will receive fresh produce during the school day as well as nutrition information, a statement from Fisher said. The goal of the program is to expose children to healthy foods, increase their fruit and vegetable consumption and teach them improved lifelong …

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Resident, Holocaust Survivor Speaks at Middle School

Holocaust survivor, Fran “Fay” Malkin spoke to hundreds of Roosevelt Middle School students about her experience of hiding in an hayloft for 20 months with a dozen others during WWII.

Summer Basketball Tryouts in West Orange

Boys and girls grades four-seven can try out at the end of May.

Tryouts for boys and girls summer basketball teams will be held on Tuesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 23, at the West Orange High School gym, according to the West Orange township website.  On both days, tryouts for children currently in 4th and 5th grade are set for 6 p.m. and for current 6th and 7th graders, tryouts will take place at 7:30 p.m. Attendance at one tryout is required, but showing up to both is recommended. For any issues with attendance, parents should email recreation@westorange.org before the tryouts. Games are scheduled for weekday evenings from late June to the end of July in the high school. No traveling will be required for players.

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NJ Commissioner of Banking Visits West Orange High

Kenneth Kobylowski, Commissioner of Banking and Insurance for the State of New Jersey appeared at West Orange High School last week for an assembly on financial literacy to recognize New Jersey’s Financial Literacy Month

5K Run to Raise Funds for Inner-City Scholarships at Seton Hall Prep

Runners, sponsors being sought for May 11 event.

McLoone’s Boathouse in West Orange has once again partnered with The Griffin Bridges Program at Seton Hall Preparatory School in hosting their Second Annual “Building Bridges 5K,” which is set to begin with a 1-Mile Kids’ Fun Run at 9 a.m. and the official 5K Run/Walk at 9:30 on Saturday, May 11th. The event will be held at the South Mountain Reservation certified course on Crest Drive in Maplewood. Pre-registration can be done online; on-site registration will begin at 8 a.m. at the venue. The event will also feature an awards ceremony and post-race reception immediately following the race at McLoone’s Boathouse in West Orange. Proceeds from this event will go to support academically talented inner city scholars attending Seton Hall …

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High School Hosts Intergenerational Prom

The West Orange High School Student Council held the event as a social opportunity to interact with the elders of their community on May 2.

How Does West Orange High Compare to State's Top High Schools?

U.S. News and World Report releases 2013 "Best High Schools" report.

U.S. News & World Report released its annual list of the nation’s best high schools last week, but the West Orange High School didn't seem to make the cut. On average 87 percent of West Orange High student were proficient in language and 71 percent in math. Those percentages were based on student performance on state exit exams and internationally available exams on college-level course work, according to the publication.  The list, which includes the top 50 performing schools in New Jersey, measures a variety of criteria including, the proficiency levels on High School Proficiency Exams (HSPA). On the HSPA in language the school tested: On the HSPA in math the school tested: Also on the report, the West Orange High School was given a 39.9…

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District: Despite Threat, High School Safe and Secure

West Orange High School said no indication April 24 threat on bathroom wall is credible, but officials taking it seriously — school to go on with increased police presence Tuesday.

The West Orange School District announced Monday the recent graffiti found in a West Orange High School lavatory warning of a bomb threat has been taken seriously but it believes the threat is a prank and school will go on as planned Tuesday. "We believe this is a prank bomb threat which does not directly indicate the high school is the target," Interim Superintendent Jim O'Neill said. "Nevertheless, we take this and any threat of this kind very seriously." The graffiti was found on a bathroom wall of West Orange High School on April 24 and warned of a bomb threat by the end of the month, police said.  At that time, the district said threat was an "adolescent prank." The administration reassured parents the high school is safe and secure …

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Vicki Russo

7:10 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013

I spoke with the principle after school was dismissed and today occurred without incident. The threat never stated there would be a bomb at the school only that there is a bomb. Also the writings on the wall had been wiped down looking as if the words were trying to be erased. Maybe the perpetrator tried to erase after writing this stupid remark on the wall. Well whatever happened was a wakeup of…   more ›