WEST ESSEX REGIONALSchool District

West Essex celebrated its Knight of the Arts on Wednesday, May 28th with a District Art Show, a Spring Cabaret, and Jazz Knight. Check out some action shots!

The West Essex Arts Department hosted the fourth concert of its Spring Concert Series on Wednesday, May 21st. The packed crowd warmly received the amazing performances of the MS and HS Orchestra Ensembles, along with the Chamber Orchestra.

This year's West Essex Community Book Drive, sponsored by the National English Honor Society (NEHS) and both the High School and Middle School Book Clubs, was a massive success, collecting a total of 1,080 books for the Bridge of Books Foundation! The HS Book Club assisted in sorting, counting and boxing up the donations.

Join us for our annual Knight of the Arts, featuring artwork and live music from our talented students on Wednesday, May 28th.

West Essex High School hosted its first AAPI Celebration on May 17th at 11 AM, honoring the rich and diverse cultures of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community! This beautiful celebration, which was generously sponsored by the NJEA, AAPI New Jersey, and other local organizations, was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, learn, and experience the beauty of AAPI heritage.

Join us for an exciting AAPI Celebration at WEHS on May 17th at 11 AM!🌏 Experience Culture – Enjoy vibrant performances showcasing traditional music and dance. 🍜 Taste the Flavors – Free samples and purchase delicious food from Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Middle Eastern cuisines.🎨 Fun for All Ages – Take part in exciting activities like origami, calligraphy, a chopstick contest, henna art, matcha tea making, ribbon/ dragon dances, and more!

West Essex is pleased to announce that for the eleventh year, the West Essex Regional School District has been recognized with the prestigious Best Communities for Music Education title by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). The Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) Award is a signature program of The NAMM Foundation that recognizes and celebrates school districts and schools for their support and commitment to music education and their efforts to ensure that all students have access to music as an integral component of a comprehensive education.

The Knights Football Family is proud to announce that two of their former players, Phil Lutz (Class of 2019) and Bardhyl Gashi (Class of 2020), have been invited to rookie mini-camp for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts respectively! Both men will be competing for contracts and roster spots for the upcoming season.

We celebrated our 2025 Valedictorian, Alexander Bejjani, and our 2025 Salutatorian, Emily Dyme, at Nanina’s in the Park on May 7th. The event and dinner, hosted by the NJ Department of Education, recognized talented scholars across Essex County. Congratulations to Alex and Emily!

The West Essex Arts Department hosted the first concert of its Winter Concert Series on Tuesday, April 29th. The packed crowd warmly received the amazing performances by the MS and HS choirs! At the end of the concert, Ms. Marion Drew, Director of Choral Arts at the HS, honored each senior with a rose, and handed out awards to all recipients.

Once again this year, West Essex High School and Middle School students had the opportunity to participate in the Special Olympics at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield! On the morning of April 30, the olympians processed through the halls to the “Rocky” theme song, all while their classmates clapped and cheered them on.

Our annual Academic Achievement & Induction Day was held on Wednesday, April 16! The event celebrated the academic achievements of our students, including the honor society induction ceremonies. The night before, students were inducted into the National Honor Society.

The New Jersey Department of Education recently released high school summative ratings and scores based on School Performance Reports from the 2023-2024 school year. NJ.com ranked those high schools based on the summative ratings, and we are proud to announce that West Essex High School is ranked #34 out of 358 high schools statewide.

The West Essex Guidance Department hosted their annual Trade School Fair last Thursday! Students had the chance to connect with Admissions Professionals from various schools around NJ, including Bergen Community College, Lincoln Tech, Christine Valmy, Essex County School of Technology, Clifton Electrical, and more. These schools presented offerings in Automotive, Cosmetology, Electrician Apprenticeship preparation, and Construction Trades.

The West Essex Regional School District is happy to announce the appointment of Dan Fulton as the next Head Football Coach of the West Essex Football Knights. The decision was approved by the West Essex Board of Education at their public meeting on April 7th.

🌊✨ Dive "Under the Sea" with the WEMS Spotlight Knights as they proudly present their debut production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr.! Join us for an unforgettable journey filled with music, magic, and adventure as Ariel, Sebastian, and friends bring this beloved tale to life on the West Essex stage.

Spring clean your children's book shelves and donate those old favorites to our Book Drive benefiting The Bridge of Books Foundation. Its mission is to provide an ongoing source of new and gently used books to children in underserved communities throughout New Jersey.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Masquers production of The Wizard of Oz! We couldn’t be prouder of the amazing cast and crew. The auditorium was packed for all 4 shows, and received outstanding reviews.

On March 13, the Essex County School Boards Association held their Unsung Hero Program, which recognizes and celebrates the exceptional contributions and service of Essex County students within their high school communities. These Unsung Heroes, often overlooked by traditional student recognition programs, make unique and outstanding contributions to their schools.

The Masquers of West Essex are proud to announce that tickets are available for their production of The Wizard of Oz here at the West Essex High School Auditorium! Click below to read more and purchase your tickets now.

Congratulations to Alexander Bejjani, our West Essex High School Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Emily Dyme, our West Essex High School Class of 2025 Salutatorian!

WERSD is happy to invite parents and community members to our Knight of Knowledge event—a night dedicated to empowering families! This special evening will feature engaging information sessions designed to support and guide parents in raising confident, successful children.

On Tuesday, February 18th, West Essex Faculty and Staff attended professional development seminars and workshops involving artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications on education. They were treated to a delicious lunch that was donated by local businesses!

On Thursday, February 6, the West Essex Dance Team presented their Winter Showcase entitled Holiday Knights. The event featured 16 wonderful dances, some of which were choreographed by WE students, on the High School stage. The team is composed of 18 high school and middle school students under the direction of coaches Sarah Blake, Gia Maayan, and Melissa Mooney. The team is also led by Senior Captains Samantha Kopec and Mia Russotto.

As Marking Period 3 begins, West Essex students have already begun thinking about next year's course offerings. At the High School, students can explore their interests through dozens of elective opportunities. When trying to make a decision about what courses to take, students might find themselves overwhelmed with so many options!

On Monday, January 27, Holocaust survivor Ruth Millman and members of '2GNJ: Descendants & Friends of Holocaust Survivors' delivered a presentation entitled “Advancing Holocaust Awareness” to our High School students. Ruth told her story of how she and her family survived the Holocaust, endured unbelievable hardships, and started a new life in America.

West Essex Regional School District is once again participating in ADL’s “No Place for Hate Initiative.” The Middle School and High School Culture & Climate Committees have been hard at work planning activities to create more inclusive, respectful, and equitable school environments.

On Monday, January 6th, the West Essex Regional School District Board of Education held its yearly Reorganization Meeting with the swearing in of new and returning board members.

The Fall 2024 season for the West Essex Athletics Department will certainly be one to remember as teams, coaches, and student athletes all received prestigious recognitions. The season began with an impressive ranking: Niche.com ranked West Essex as the #1 Best School in the County for Student Athletes. And the success did not stop there!

The West Essex Arts Department hosted their Winter Concert series featuring the West Essex Middle and High School bands, choirs, and orchestras. The HS auditorium was packed for all 3 performances as family and friends cheered on our talented students.

Leading up to Winter Break, it’s been a Winter Wonderland at West Essex! From holiday parties, ugly sweater contests, and gingerbread house competitions, there’s been no lack of exciting events going on in our halls.

On Monday, December 9th, the West Essex Arts Department unveiled its recent renovations to the Arts Wing of the High School. Beginning with a ribbon cutting, West Essex Board Members, Administrators and representatives from Di Cara Rubino Architects had the opportunity to tour the new facilities: a brand new robotics classroom and two state-of-the-art culinary classrooms. All 3 rooms contain the latest and greatest technology and equipment.

At the December 9th Board of Education meeting, Board Members and District Administration honored teachers, students, and outgoing board members for their time and dedication to West Essex.

The West Essex Middle and High School Student Councils honored Support Staff this year with Holiday Luncheons. The events featured delicious catered food and performances, as student council and district leaders thanked the staff for all that they do to keep West Essex running smoothly.

West Essex Middle and High School Field Hockey Teams have both had tremendous success this fall, earning top accolades and recognition, and we couldn’t be prouder.

WEHS students have elected Senior Emily Boksz to represent them on the West Essex Board of Education. Emily is ready to bring her thoughts to the table, & hopes to spread her love of WE to her peers through her new role.

Join us as the West Essex Marching Knights host and compete in the Tournament of Bands Chapter X Championship Competition! Come support our performers and musicians as they compete against other bands across the region.

The Masquers of West Essex Theater Club is hard at work on their production of the brand new play Witches?! In Salem!? which will be held on Friday, November 1st and November 2nd at 7:00pm at the high school auditorium.

WERSD is ranked among the best school districts in NJ. Congratulations to our outstanding faculty & staff, our dedicated Board of Education, and our supportive families for their exceptional commitment to our school district. Read more to see where WERSD ranks.

Did you know a time capsule was hidden in the walls of WEMS for nearly 50 years?! This past Thursday, September 26th, WEMS alumni returned home to open the capsule they placed in the wall almost 5 decades ago! Keep reading to hear how it was discovered, and to see what was inside…

On Friday, September 20 the WEFB Knights defeated Lakeland 40-7, as the Marching Band hosted their annual Band Knight.

13 new faculty members have joined the West Essex family as the 2024-25 school year begins. Get to know these new educators.

Welcome back, students and staff, as we kick off the 2024-25 school year!

The West Essex School District announces the following changes in the district administration for the upcoming 2024 - 25 school year.