West Orange High School (WOHS) is a comprehensive four-year community

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, serving students in ninth through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s from West Orange in Essex County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. Since the closure of West Orange Mountain High School, WOHS is the only secondary school serving the West Orange Public Schools. West Orange High School has been accredited by the New Jersey Department of Education and by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1928. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,142 students and 191.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.2:1. There were 893 students (41.7% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with th ...

and 136 (6.3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for West Orange High School
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.

Faculty and academics

A faculty of 200 includes administration and supervisory personnel, as well as Guidance Staff, two full-time Library Media Specialists, two nurses, a Student Assistance Counselor, and a full-time Child Study Team. The majority of the professional staff members have earned master's degrees, and seven have earned doctorates. West Orange High School has a comprehensive program with a wide variety of course offerings. Graduation requirements are based on study in grades nine through twelve. Students must satisfy the state and local requirements for graduation and take additional courses to total a minimum of 135 credits. In addition to the basic academic courses offered at multiple ability levels, there are Honors and Advanced Placement courses in most disciplines. Programs in business education, technical and industrial education, computer education, performing and fine arts, and

English as a Second Language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

are also offered. Now, West Orange High School offers block scheduling, which uses a rotation that switches out two courses per day. The Cooperative Education Program provides students with the opportunity to study academics as well as receive on-the-job training. Students can also choose from a wide variety of electives.

History

The high school was built in 1898 on Gaston Street in West Orange but was burned down in 1913. It was rebuilt, and was relocated to a new building on Northfield Avenue in 1922. The old building became Gaston Street Junior High School (Fairmount Elementary School was built behind it) and was torn down in 1972. The current facility was built in 1960 as Mountain High School. In 1984, the 1922 building was sold to become

Seton Hall Preparatory School Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Arch ...

, a private

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

school. Mountain High School and the adjoined Abraham Lincoln Junior High School were converted into the existing facility. In 2004, a new building was added, doubling the size of the school. As of February 19, 2021, the athletic complex includes a football field, one soccer field, one softball field, an outdoor basketball court, one 80-yard field, five tennis courts, and a baseball field.

Awards, recognition and rankings

In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', the school was ranked 44th in New Jersey and 1,379th nationwide. The school was the 170th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in '' New Jersey Monthly'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 136th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 128th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 114th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 98th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"
'' New Jersey Monthly'', September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008. For the 1998–99 school year, West Orange High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor that a New Jersey school can achieve. West Orange High School applied for, and was awarded, a Dodge Grant for the 2004–05 academic year through

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

. The focus of the grant is to explore how to develop a Conflict Resolution program responsive to the needs of West Orange High School. The Dodge Grant Team spent a year researching and developing a potential Conflict Resolution Model for West Orange High School.

Athletics

The West Orange High School MountaineersWest Orange High School
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Super Essex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Before the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the

Northern Hills Conference The Northern Hills Conference, was an athletic conference of nineteen private and public high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in Northern New Jersey. There were nineteen member Northern Hills Conference schools, split into t ...

an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools located in Essex,

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

and

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

counties. With 1,574 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Liberty White division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2022–2024. The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1936 (defeating Millville Memorial High School in the tournament final) and won the Group IV title in 1949 (vs. Emerson High School). The 1935 team defeated Millville by a score of 35-24 to win the Group III state finals in the title game played at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. The ice hockey team won the Gordon Cup in 1961 (as co-champion) and won the Monsignor Kelly Cup in 2004. The boys' swimming team won the Division B state championship in 1963. The boys' baseball team won the North II Group III state championship in 1967 and won the Group III state title in 1971 (against runner-up

Bridgewater-Raritan High School Bridgewater-Raritan High School (commonly abbreviated as BRHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school. It is the lone secondary school of the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District serving students in ninth through twelfth grad ...

in the final of the playoffs). The girls' tennis team won the Group IV state championship in 1984 (defeating

Cherry Hill High School East Cherry Hill High School East (also known as Cherry Hill East or CHE) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Cherry Hill, in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, operating a ...

in the final match of the tournament), 1985 (vs. Ridgewood High School) and 1986 (vs. Cherry Hill High School East); the team lost to

Red Bank Catholic High School Red Bank Catholic High School is a four-year private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operating under the supervision ...

in the finals of the Tournament of Champions in both 1984 and 1985, before defeating Red Bank Catholic in 1986 to win the overall state championship. The school's marching band, the Marching Mountaineers, were three-year

United States Scholastic Band Association United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

(USSBA) Group V Open State Champs (2005, 2006, 2009), USSBA Group V Open Northern State Champs (2009), and ninth in the northeastern region as of 2007 BOA (Bands of America). In addition, their Color Guard is nationally known for their "globe-tossing" performance. The boys' soccer team won the Group IV state championship in 2006 (defeating

Manalapan High School Manalapan High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Manalapan Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Freehold Regional High School District. The school serves students i ...

in the tournament final) and 2013 (vs. Clearview Regional High School). The 2006 boys' soccer team finished the season with a 24–1 record; the team was ranked 4th in the nation at the beginning of the 2006 season and finished 17th in the NSCAA/Adidas National Rankings. The 2006 team won the Group IV state championship with a 4–1 win over

in the semifinals and a 3–0 win against

in the finals. The team finished the 2013 season with a 13-7-2 record, after winning the Group IV title with a 1-0 win against Clearview Regional High School in the championship game. The school hosted a match in 2007 between a team representing the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Traver ...

and teams from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. The NYAC team beat Russia 14–11 in free style and Romania 14–12 in Greco-Roman matches. The boys' wrestling team won the North I Group IV state sectional championship in 2012 and the North I Group V title in 2018.

Administration

The school's principal is Oscar Guerrero. His administration team includes four assistant principals.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of West Orange High School and West Orange Mountain High School include: * Anna Easter Brown (1879-1957, class of 1897), founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. *

Brendan Byrne Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a priva ...

(born 1924, class of 1942), former governor of New Jersey. * Chris Christian (born 1989), professional soccer player who currently plays as a defender for

Oakland Roots SC Oakland Roots Sports Club is an American professional soccer team based in Oakland, California. The club was formed in 2018 by a group of Oakland natives, and began play in the National Independent Soccer Association in the fall of 2019. In 2021, ...

in the

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

. * Charles Cullen (born 1960, class of 1978), nurse and convicted

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

, who murdered multiple hospital patients, at least 29 of which have been confirmed *

Ginny Duenkel Virginia Ruth Fuldner (née Duenkel; born March 7, 1947), also known as Ginny Fuldner, is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Duenkel medaled in ...

(born 1947), gold medalist in the 400 meter freestyle at the 1964 Summer Olympics in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. * Chris Gethard (born 1980), actor and comedian. * Mark Kelly (born 1964), astronaut and identical twin of Scott Kelly. Elected as United States Senator from Arizona, November 2020. * Scott Kelly (born 1964), astronaut and identical twin of Mark Kelly. * General Paul J. Kern (born 1945), commanding general of the

United States Army Materiel Command U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) is the primary provider of materiel to the United States Army. The Command's mission includes the management of installations, as well as maintenance and parts distribution. It was established on 8 May 1962 and wa ...

from 2001–2004. *

Joshua D. Maurer Joshua D. Maurer (born February 26, 1964) is an American film producer, writer and actor who is best known for ''Georgia O'Keeffe,'' ''The Hoax,'' ''The Last Tycoon,'' '' Rosemary's Baby,'' '' Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret,'' ''Introducing Dor ...

(born 1964), film producer, writer and actor whose credits include ''

Georgia O'Keeffe Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American modernist artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been called the "Mother of Ame ...

,'' ''

The Hoax ''The Hoax'' is a 2006 American comedy-drama film starring Richard Gere, directed by Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallström. The screenplay by William Wheeler is based on the book of the same title by Clifford Irving. It recounts Irving's elaborate ...

,'' ''

The Last Tycoon ''The Last Tycoon'' is an unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1941, it was published posthumously under this title, as prepared by his friend Edmund Wilson, a critic and writer. According to ''Publishers Weekly,'' the novel is "generally ...

,'' '' Rosemary's Baby,'' '' Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret'' and ''

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge ''Introducing Dorothy Dandridge'' is a 1999 American biographical drama television film directed by Martha Coolidge from a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott, based on the biography ''Dorothy Dandridge'' by Earl Mills. Filmed over a spa ...

''. * John F. McKeon (born 1958), politician who has served in the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

since 2002, where he represents the 27th Legislative District. * Gordon Allen Newkirk Jr. (1928–1985), astrophysicist. *

Rebecca Odes Rebecca Odes (born September 11, 1969) is an American media entrepreneur, author, and former musician. From 1987 to 1992, she was the bassist and vocalist for the band Love Child. In 1994, she debuted as a solo artist under the stage name Odes ...

(born 1969), media entrepreneur, author and musician, who was the bassist and vocalist for the band Love Child and co-founded the website Gurl.com. *

Okieriete Onaodowan Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan ( ; born August 16, 1987) is an American actor and singer known for originating the dual roles of Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the 2015 musical ''Hamilton'' and the role of Dean Miller in the ABC drama and ''G ...

(born 1987, class of 2005), actor who originated the roles of

Hercules Mulligan Hercules Mulligan (September 25, 1740March 4, 1825) was an Irish-American tailor and spy during the American Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty. Early life Born in Coleraine in the north of Ireland to Hugh and Sarah Mull ...

and

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

in the 2015 Broadway musical '' Hamilton. *

Michael Oren Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), former member of the Knesset for ...

(born 1955), served as

Israeli Ambassador to the United States The office of the Israeli Ambassador to the United States of America is the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary from the State of Israel to the United States of America. It is generally regarded as the most prestigious position in the Isr ...

. * Vinnie Politan (born , class of 1983), anchor, talk show host for Court TV and radio host for

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...

. *

Johnny Sansone John "Johnny" Sansone (born September 27, 1957), also known as Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, harmonicist, accordionist, guitarist and piano player. He was nominated for seven music awards in 2012, incl ...

(born 1957),

electric blues Electric blues refers to any type of blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930 ...

singer, songwriter, harmonicist, accordionist, guitarist and piano player * Elizabeth Shin (1980–2000),

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

student who died from burns inflicted by a fire in her dormitory room. Her death resulted in the upgrading of MIT's counseling services. * Andy Stern (born 1950, class of 1968), former President of the

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...

. * Stephen Vittoria (born 1957), filmmaker and author, who ran for the district's board of education while a student in 1973. * Kenneth T. Wilson (born 1936), politician who served in the

from 1968 to 1972. *

Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Party of Five'' as Bailey Salinger, as Jake Hartman in '' Everwood'', as Chad Decker in '' V'' and as Carson Drew in ''Nancy Drew'' ...

(born 1968, class of 1986), actor best known for playing the role of Bailey Salinger on ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by ...

''. *

Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering (; born March 30, 1964) is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the television series '' Beverly Hills, 90210'', which he played from 1990 to 2000. He is also the voice of Vinnie on '' Biker Mice from ...

(born 1964, class of 1982), actor best known for appearing as Steve Sanders on ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

''."Celebrity Proms: ''Dancing's'' Ian Ziering"
''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

'', May 10, 2007. Accessed April 5, 2011. "We took Ian back twenty-five years to prom 1982 at Mountain High School in West Orange, New Jersey. We found his prom date, Julie Slavitt, happily married with two little girls in Demarest, New Jersey."

In popular culture

A fifth-season episode of the HBO series ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...

'' titled " The Test Dream" shows Tony Soprano in a dream scene with his high school football coach, Mr. Molinero. The school letters "W.O.H.S." are shown on a jacket in the coach's office.

Gallery

Image:wohsbldg.jpg, WOHS, 1922–1983 Image:WOHS1955.jpg, WOHS, 1984–present day

References

External links

West Orange High School
*
Data for West Orange High School
National Center for Education Statistics {{Authority control West Orange, New Jersey 1898 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1898 Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools Public high schools in Essex County, New Jersey