The Arts at West Essex
The Arts at West Essex offers a full range of courses, programs and activities to suit every student's interest and abilities.
The Visual and Media Arts Department offers a full range of exciting courses to suit every student's interests and abilities. Students are encouraged to explore a variety of media such as Exploratory Cycles at the middle school level and Studio Art, Drawing and Composition, and AP Art at the high school. West Essex has both a middle school and high school Art Club that is open to all students. The Media Arts Department offers students the opportunity to explore Digital Photography, Graphic Design, and Multimedia Design and Production. Our Photography Club is also available to all students. For students excelling in Art we have a National Arts Honor Society.
The Performing Arts Department provides for the study of Dance, Music, and Theater in the areas of performance, theory, technology and appreciation. Ensemble courses such as Band, Orchestra, and Chorus are suitable for students of all levels of proficiency. Music students may study music in greater depth through the Honors Music Program, AP Music Theory and Independent Study courses. We also offer foundation programs of study in Guitar, Music Technology and Theater Arts. Students can further their exploration of music and theater through extra curricular activities such as our Marching Knights, Masquers Theatre program, A Capella Vocal Ensembles, Jazz Quartet, Chamber Orchestra, Indoor Percussion and more. Students with a passion for dance and pageantry are encouraged to participate in Fall Colorguard and Winterguard at the high school while Dance Teams are offered at both the middle and high school levels. Service and excellence in music are celebrated through participation in the TRI-M Music Honor Society.
The Family and Consumer Science Department course offerings encompass honing life-skills through honors and foundation level courses. Culinary Arts I and II, Food and Sports Nutrition, and Fashion Design I and II focus on developing the practical use of science and art. Through this program, the teachers strive to teach students essential skills to live a sustainable life and have a meaningful connection to the world we live in.
The Technology and Engineering Department provides students with an opportunity to develop an understanding of technology, engineering, design and innovation. We offer students an introduction to exploratory STEM in our middle school. At the high school level several courses, including Foundations of Engineering and Architectural Design, Honors Engineering Graphics, 3D Modeling and Rapid Prototyping, Honors Architectural Design, Honors Engineering and Robotics are offered. There are also four level of Woods Technology available. Extracurricular clubs in Robotics, STEM, and Stagecrew are available.