West Milford High School is a four-year comprehensive 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 ''Öffentlichkei ...

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 ...

that serves students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

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 Milford, in Passaic 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, operating as the lone secondary school of the

West Milford Township Public Schools The West Milford Township Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from West Milford, in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 201 ...

. The school has been accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...

Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1968 and is accredited through January 2023.West Milford High School

Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed December 31, 2022. As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 936 students and 91.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 10.2:1. There were 91 students (9.7% 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 42 (4.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for West Milford High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022.

History

Students from West Milford had attended Butler High School for grades 9-12 as part of a longstanding

sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...

that existed until September 1962, when West Milford opened its own high school. The

Butler Public Schools The Butler Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade from Butler, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, c ...

had served students from large parts of

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 counties, until soaring local enrollment led the district to notify feeder communities in 1954 that they would have to find alternative education options for their high school students. For some time, Macopin School (now the middle school) was the only secondary school in town until the current High School was built.

Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 146th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. The school had been ranked 163rd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 185th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 191st in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 169th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 167th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (an increase of 48 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (80.1%) and language arts literacy (94.7%) components of the

High School Proficiency Assessment The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA).

Academics

Honors

West Milford High School offers

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

(AP), honors and college preparatory classes to its students. Students are placed in the Honors or AP program based on various criteria. The school offers many Honors and Advanced Placement courses as core classes and electives, including: History: *

World History World history may refer to: * Human history, the history of human beings * History of Earth, the history of planet Earth * World history (field), a field of historical study that takes a global perspective * ''World History'' (album), a 1998 albu ...

Honors *

AP World History Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern (also known as just AP World History, AP World, or WHAP) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placemen ...

AP United States History Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (also known as AP U.S. History or APUSH () is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. Course The AP U.S. History course is designe ...

I/II Honors *

AP United States Government and Politics Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

AP Psychology Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology (also known as AP Psych) and its corresponding exam are part of College Board, College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an op ...

AP Economics Advanced Placement (AP) Economics (also known as AP Econ) refers to two College Board Advanced Placement Program courses and exams addressing various aspects of the field of economics: *AP Macroeconomics Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics ( ...

Western Civilization Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

Honors Mathematics: * Algebra I Honors *

Geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

Honors *

Algebra II In contemporary education, mathematics education, known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics – is the practice of teaching, learning and carrying out scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowledge. Althoug ...

Honors *

Pre-Calculus In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometr ...

Trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies. T ...

Honors *

AP Calculus Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cove ...

A Honors *

AP Calculus AB Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cov ...

AP Calculus BC Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cov ...

* AP Computer Science A *

AP Computer Science Principles Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (also known as APCSP) is an AP Computer Science course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computing ...

AP Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

English: * English I Honors * English II Honors (American Literature) * AP English: Language and Composition * AP English: Literature and Composition Science: *

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Honors *

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

Honors *

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Honors * Advanced Chemistry Honors *

AP Physics In the United States, Advanced Placement (AP) Physics collectively refers to the College Board Advanced Placement Program courses and exams covering various areas of physics. These are intended to be equivalent to university courses that use bes ...

AP Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their ...

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

Anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

and

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

Honors *

AP Environmental Science Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science (also known as APES, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Environment, or AP EnviroSci) is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school ...

World Language: * Spanish IV Honors * French IV Honors * German IV Honors * Italian IV Honors * Spanish V Honors * French V Honors * German V Honors * Italian V Honors *

AP Spanish Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placemen ...

V Honors * AP French V Honors * AP German V Honors * AP Italian V Honors. Fine Arts: * Honors

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

(applicable to both Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble) * Honors

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

(applicable to all choirs) *

AP Art History Advanced Placement (AP) Art History (also known as AP Art, or APAH) is an Advanced Placement art history course and exam offered by the College Board. AP Art History is designed to allow students to examine major forms of artistic expression re ...

* Advanced Art * AP Studio for 3D and Drawing AP Capstone: * AP Seminar * AP Research West Milford High School offers other non-AP and non-honors electives, such as: * Accounting for Business * Advanced Photography * Animation * Applied Instrumental Music * Architectural Design and Drawing * Studio Art 1 & 2 * Auto Occupations * Automotive & Transportation Technology * Concert Band ** Symphonic Band ** Wind Ensemble * Basic Art * Business Web Page Design * Business Law * Child Development * Chorus ** Highlands Chorale ** Men's Chorus ** Women's Chorus ** Concert Choir * Digital Art 1 & 2 * Communication Design * Communications/Public Relations * Culinary Arts * Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management * Fashion Merchandising * Food, Nutrition and You * Graphic Arts Communications 1, 2 & 3 * Guitar * Harmony And Theory * Hospitality and Tourism * History of Film * Interior Design * International Business * Tomorrow's Teachers:Internship * Marketing 1 * Mechanical Drawing/ CAD & CAD 2 * Painting, Illustration * Personal Auto Maintenance * Photography 1 & 2 * Piano * Principles of Engineering Design * Rock of Ages * Sculpture * Sports & Entertainment Marketing * Intro to Theater Arts * Theater Arts * TV Communication Arts & Media 1, 2 & 3 * Video Game Design * World Crafts * World Cuisines

Clubs and activities

West Milford High School offers a variety of afterschool clubs and activities for its students. These clubs are run by the student members under the supervision of WMHS staff members, thus allowing these clubs to truly by student-run. These include clubs, student-government programs, peer leadership programs, honorary societies, and scholastic competition organizations: * Art Club provides art students and students who are unable to take Art class during the school day to do art while having many resources and supplies available to them. This club is advised by a school art teacher. * Chess Club * West Milford High School has class offices at each grade level, with elected students representing their classmates in planning fundraisers, proms, and other class functions. Each graduating class has its own advisor (a WMHS staff member) and re-elects its officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) every school year. * DECA is a comprehensive business program that improves the students' understanding of marketing and advertising, while building leadership and administrative skills, through business-related tasks and projects. West Milford's award-winning DECA team sponsors school events, works with charities, and competes on a state and regional level. In 2008, students went to

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

to learn about sports marketing. This club is advised by the DECA teacher. * ERASE and GSA include politically minded students who desire a more inclusive environment in the school, community, and world at large. They are open to all students and organize events such as the

Day of Silence Day of Silence is GLSEN's annual day of action to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students. In the United States, students take a day-lo ...

. It is advised by several teachers. * Foreign Language Honor Societies (Spanish, French, German, Italian) induct members who have shown proficiency and outstanding knowledge in their chosen language of study. The members are from the IV Honors and AP V Honors courses, and must have met numerous criteria in order to be considered for nomination and induction. Each group has an elected executive board with members who serve as President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The clubs organize multicultural events and host a World Cuisine Night at which students prepare and serve foods from many nations and cultures to the guests. Each society is advised by a teacher of that language. * Gaming Club * Green Team (formerly known as the Environmental Club) is for students who deal with pressing environmental issues and who monitor and continually enhance the school's recycling program. The group has initiated a school-wide recycling program that has included putting separate recycling receptacles for cans/bottles and paper in every classroom. It is advised by a Science teacher. * Highland Jazz Choir is a select group of choir students that performs jazz repertoire throughout the year. The group received an Honorable mention at the prestigious Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston in 2016. * History Club is open to any students who have a passion for the subject of History. Students from all History courses are able to join. The club watches movies on historical figures and plays interactive games to enhance their knowledge on certain time periods. The club is advised by a History teacher. * Industrial Arts * Interact Club participants perform volunteer work in the schools and in the community. They often work at various school-sponsored events, including dances and activity nights. They are advised by a History teacher and a town councilwoman. * Miniature Golf Club * Mock Trial * West Milford High School participates in the

Model Congress Model Congress gives students a chance to engage in a role-playing simulation of the United States Congress. Such events are hosted by the Congress itself, Rutgers University, American International College, University of Maryland, Columbia Univers ...

program. Selected AP Government and Politics students meet with other schools' delegations and carry out the functions of a congress, writing and passing bills on various topics and issues. West Milford High School's Model Congress team won the Passaic County championship during the 2007–08 school year. This team is advised by WMHS's AP Government and Politics teacher. *

Mu Alpha Theta Mu Alpha Theta () is the United States mathematics honor society for high school and two-year college students. In June 2015, it served over 108,000 student members in over 2,200 chapters in the United States and in 20 foreign countries. Its main ...

Mathematics Honor Society includes inducted members who have shown proficiency and outstanding knowledge in Mathematics. The members are from a wide range of Mathematics courses, and must have met numerous criteria in order to be considered for nomination and induction. Mu Alpha Theta hosts multiple mathematics competitions for students from Macopin Middle School during the year. This group's elected executive board includes the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. It is advised by a Mathematics teacher. * The annual Musical is put on every year at the start of March. The shows are renowned for their quality in production and performance. Recent productions include "

The Drowsy Chaperone ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' is a Canadian musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, and a book by Bob Martin (comedian), Bob Martin and Don McKellar. The story concerns a middle-aged, asocial musical theater f ...

", "

Young Frankenstein ''Young Frankenstein'' is a 1974 American comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks. The screenplay was co-written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Wilder also starred in the lead role as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor F ...

", "

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

", "

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a h ...

", "

The Addams Family ''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over a ...

", "

Anything Goes ''Anything Goes'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap ant ...

", and "

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

". *

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

inducts members who have shown outstanding scholarship during their time at West Milford High School. The members must have met and exceeded numerous criteria, and are required to perform many hours of school and community service, including free peer tutoring. Membership in this society of scholars is a great distinction and honor, and is highly respected by post-secondary institutions of higher learning (colleges, universities, graduate schools, technical/vocational schools, and trade schools). The group is advised by an English teacher and has an elected executive board with student members who serve as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian. * Newspaper Club regularly produces the school's student paper, the Highland Echo. * Robotics Club * Peers As Leaders (PALs) is a group of hand-selected student in the junior and senior classes serves as peer leaders and role models for the other students of WMHS. This group plays an integral role in organizing and running the Freshmen Orientation, peer mediation, conflict resolution, and assisting new students with becoming acclimated to the school. The group has an Executive Board composed of a President, Vice President, and Secretary, and is run by two Guidance Counselors and a Science teacher. * Peer Tutoring offers afterschool sessions are administered and operated by candidates and members of the National Honor Society. These open tutoring groups are cost-free to students and allow students to be educated by their peers who are proficient in certain subjects. *

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

Science National Honor Society Science National Honor Society is an academic nationwide honor society focused on science for high school students in the United States. The society was established in 2000 in Texas and has expanded to over 1733 schools in all 50 states. The Scien ...

is a competitive scholastic team that competes against other high schools in New Jersey in the subject areas of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Membership on this team is open to any student that is enrolled in a science course. * Stage Audio/Lighting handles lighting and audio for the various events that take place in the auditorium. * Student Council has seven elected executive council members and up to 50 general members that represent the other students of WMHS. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible to run for the offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Communications Director, Teachers Lesion and Student Lesion. This organization is a separate entity from class offices, but does work with the individual class offices on certain projects to benefit the school. Students running for a Student Council office must deliver a speech, which is recorded on a video and viewed during English classes. Students are able to vote during that class period in their individual English class and through online balloting to ensure that every student has the opportunity to view the speeches and cast their vote. The Student Council is the only schoolwide student government organization and its officers are often considered the School President, School Vice President, School Treasurer, School Secretary, and School Communications Director. The group organizes and sponsors numerous school and community events, working with the school and district wide administrators to enhance the school environment. The WMHS student representative at the West Milford Board of Education meetings is a member of the Student Council Executive Council. The Student Council runs the Homecoming and other events throughout the year, Senior Choice Awards, Highlander Day, Pep Rallies and The Annual West Milford Spooktacular, winner of the coveted Character.org Award. * Student Wellness and Yoga * Varsity Club is open exclusively to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who possess a Varsity letter in a sport. The Varsity Club organizes and runs the school Pep Rallies and raises funds to help the Athletic Department. It also organizes fundraisers to aid current and former WMHS students who have serious illnesses. The club is responsible for updating the outdoor schedule board, which is located outside the business wing of the school, where all of the athletic teams' scheduled games for the week are posted. The club has an Executive Board composed of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and is advised by a Special Education teacher. * The Way * Weightlifting/Conditioning * West Milford Poetry Society * Yearbook Club is responsible for producing the annual school yearbook. Members of this club work together to gather information on sports teams and clubs, prepare picture profiles for graduating seniors, and lay out all pictures and text for the final production of the yearbook. They are responsible for creating the treasured keepsake by which many people remember their high school years. This club is advised by a Computers teacher and a Special Education teacher.

Highlander Band and Color Guard

;Highlander Marching Band The West Milford High School Highlander Marching Band and Color Guard has won hundreds of awards and accolades over the years under the direction of Dr. Brian McLaughlin, Matt Gramata and color guard director Pete Shaver. Awards and honors include: * 2021 USBands National Champions, Group III AKeller, Patricia
"Champions redux; West Milford. WMHS Highlander Band wins at national competition."
''West Milford Messenger'', November 11, 2021. Accessed March 8, 2022. "The West Milford High School Highlander Marching Band won first place for Division IIIA in the USBands Nationals Marching Band Competition in Allentown, Pa., on Saturday, Nov. 6. This is the third time in the band’s history that its members have been able to achieve the honor of earning the prestigious title of 'National Champions.' The previous two national competition wins for the Highlanders were in 2018 and 2010. On the heels of their first place wins at the 2021 USBands Yamaha Cup and N.J. State Championship competitions, the WMHS Marching band’s continued hard work and dedication definitely paid off for the band students and staff this year." * 2021 USBands NJ State Champions, Group III A * 2018 USBands National Champions, Group V A * 2018 USBands NJ State Champions, Group V A * 2018 US Marine Corps Esprit de Corps Award * 2018 USBands Yamaha Cup, Group V A Champions * 2017 USBands NJ State Champions, Group V A * 2017 USBands Yamaha Cup, Group V A Champions, MetLife Stadium * 2015 USBands NJ State Champions, Group V A * 2015 Yamaha Cup, Group V A, Champions, MetLife Stadium * 2013 North Jersey Independent Marching Band Circuit 1st Place * 2004–2012, 2014-2018 1st Place Randolph "Under the Stars" Competition * 2009 & 2010 USSBA Northern States Champions, Group V A * Numerous 1st Place Awards at the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade In addition to marching competitively, the Highlander Band holds its annual Tattoo and Military Concert every November. Each year, many bands travel to West Milford to partake in this exciting display of kilts, bagpipes, marching precision, and the show repertoire of both the Clifton High School Mustang Band and the Highlander Band. Recently, the tattoo has been held in honor of local veterans, and volunteer emergency personnel. Over the past few years, guests have included the Queen's Piper and the USMC Leatherneck Pipes and Drums. ;West Milford Color Guard The West Milford Highlander Color Guard is under the direction of Mr. Peter Shaver. In the Fall, the colorguard performs as a unit with the Highlander Marching Band. Following the conclusion of the marching season, the colorguard performs as a stand-alone unit at competitions across the United States. The West Milford Colorguard has been recognized over the years as both MAIN, Musical Arts Conference and WGI Regional medalists; they have also been a WGI World Championship Semi-Finalist. In 2019, the color guard won the WGI Philadelphia Regional Championship and Mid Atlantic Indoor Network (MAIN) SA Championships. For several weeks, they were ranked nationally in the top 10 among the Scholastic A Class color guards in WGI and completed their WGI season as a World Championship Semi-Finalist.

Jazz ensemble

The jazz program at the West Milford Township School District was established in 2010. All bands are created through an audition process that encourages participation regardless of experience in the genre. With a comprehensive study of styles and history, all bands have the opportunity to participate in festivals, concerts and the creation of combos. Recent highlights of the West Milford Jazz Ensemble include six New Jersey State Finals appearances in seven years of existence; including 2nd-place finishes at the NJAJE State Jazz Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In February 2017, the West Milford Jazz Ensemble participated for the first time, and was awarded 1st place at the Berklee Jazz Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. The Jazz Ensemble was also selected to perform at the National Association for Music Education All-Eastern Convention in Atlantic City.

Indoor percussion

West Milford Indoor Percussion is an extension of the Highlander Band program that combines the marching arts with the use of percussion instruments. West Milford Indoor Percussion has won numerous awards and honors. In recent years, West Milford Indoor Percussion won two USBands Division 1A Indoor Championships and is a WGI Regional Finalist.

Model United Nations

The award-winning West Milford High School

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

team has achieved success in New Jersey and around the northeastern United States, and is widely regarded as a highly successful program in the state and this region of the country. The team, which is advised by the Supervisor of History & Social Sciences, Mr. Oliver Pruksarnukal, has attended conferences at various premier locations, including

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, United Nations Headquarters (New York City),

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, the Historic District of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Saint Peter's College (

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Bergen County Academies (

Hackensack, New Jersey Hackensack is a city in and the county seat of Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.New Jers ...

), and Passaic County Law Day (Passaic County Courthouse, Paterson, NJ). The team was recognized at the 2007 United Nations Association of the United States of America (

UNA-USA The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to promoting political and public support for the United Nations among Americans. A program of the United Nations Foundation ...

) International Conference with award winners for Outstanding Delegation and Honorable Delegation. At the 2006 Princeton University Model UN Conference, West Milford won the overall team championship. At the 2007 UNA-USA UN Headquarters International Model UN Conference, West Milford students won four awards and the team won second place overall. Two of these were for Outstanding Delegation, while the other two were for Honorable Delegation. At the 2008 Yale University Model UN Conference, out of 50+ schools, only four of which were public, West Milford's Model UN team placed highly and enjoyed great success, taking home third place overall. West Milford won five honorable delegate awards at the conference. West Milford students also won seven awards at the 2008 Bergen County Academies Model UN Conference, with the team taking home Outstanding School Delegation for winning the overall championship. West Milford's Model UN team won the overall championship at the Saint Peter's College High School Model United Nations conference for the third year in a row in 2008, taking home 10 individual awards, including four for best delegate. At the 2009 Philadelphia Model United Nations Conference, West Milford won the overall team championship and Outstanding School Delegation, while taking home six awards for individual student delegations. Two delegations won Best Delegation, two won Outstanding Delegation, and two won Distinguished Delegation. West Milford dominated the Saint Peter's College High School Model United Nations conference for the fourth consecutive year in 2009. The team won eleven awards overall, which was nearly double the next-highest team's total, with five individual students winning for their individual delegate performance, five pairs of students winning for their delegation, and one pair winning for their position paper. West Milford's Model UN team coordinated, hosted, and moderated the first student-run Board of Education debate in New Jersey history on April 9, 2009. The four members of the Executive Board (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Chief of Staff) were the four moderators, with the other club members serving in other capacities, including timekeepers, ushers, and concessions workers. The debate featured the five candidates for the three available Board of Education seats. The candidates were asked questions ranging in topics from the school cafeteria program to gifted education programs to how to curb substance abuse among district students to what they would want their legacy to be once their time on the Board has ended. The event was met with great praise and acclaim from the public and gave the voters of West Milford an opportunity to learn where the candidates actually stood on the critical issues affecting the students of the district.

Athletics

The West Milford High School HighlandersWest Milford Township High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. compete in the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the

(NJSIAA). In the 2009–10 school year, the school competed in the

North Jersey Tri-County Conference The North Jersey Tri-County Conference was a high school athletic conference in New Jersey, created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) as a holding conference. The NJTCC consisted of 45 public and non-public school ...

, which was established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment. Prior to the realignment, the school had participated in the Skyline Division of 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 Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and Passaic counties. With 796 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range. The football team competes in the Patriot Blue 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 III North for football for 2022–2024. The school participates as the host school / lead agency for a joint cooperative ice hockey team with

Pequannock Township High School Pequannock Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Pequannock Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school ...

. The school participates in co-op boys / girls swimming teams with

Lakeland Regional High School Lakeland Regional High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school and school district serving students from the Boroughs of Ringwood and Wanaque (including its Haskell neighborhood), communities in Passaic County, New ...

as the host school. These co-op programs operate under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. The school offers 28 varsity sports during the fall, winter, and spring seasons: Fall sports offered are Cheerleading, Cross-Country (B&G), Field Hockey, Football, Gymnastics, Soccer (B&G), Tennis (G) and Volleyball (G). Winter sports offered are Basketball (B&G), Bowling, Cheerleading, Dance Team, Fencing (B&G), Ice Hockey, Indoor Track and Field (B&G), Skiing (B&G) and Wrestling. Spring sports offered are Baseball, Golf (B&G), Lacrosse (JV only), Outdoor Track and Field (B&G), Softball, Tennis (B) and Volleyball (B).

Field hockey

The field hockey team won the North I Group IV state sectional championship in 1985 and the North I Group III title in 2011. In 2016 and 2017, the team won the Passaic County Tournament to become back-to-back county champions.

Softball

The Highlanders softball program has won nine Passaic County Tournament titles: in 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011. The team has also won 24 conference championships (18 in the Northern Hills Conference, plus six in its predecessor, the Skyline Conference) and eight state sectional titles in North I, Group III and North I, Group IV. The softball team has won at least 20 games in 20 consecutive seasons. Varsity Head Coach Jim Dransfield retired in 2013 with a career record of 547-108 during his 23-year tenure, ranking him among the winningest coaches in the state and the winningest all-time in North Jersey. Dransfield became the winningest softball coach in North Jersey (Bergen and Passaic Counties) with a 6–1 win over Hawthorne High School, giving him 471 for his career and moving him past former Clifton High School coach Rich LaDuke for the most all-time. The softball program has produced two of the top ten winningest pitchers in New Jersey history: Karin Kolatac ('96) and Corinne Reiser ('00), who won 79 and 87 games during their high school careers, respectively. Kolatac was an All-American in 1996 (FP Magazine, NFCA). The program also boasts two-time FP Magazine All-American catcher Jen Pawol ('95) and DH Laura Remia ('97), the all-time leading home run hitter in the history of

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

college softball. In 2003, the softball team won the North I, Group IV state sectional championship, edging Clifton High School 1–0 in the tournament final. The 2004 team repeated the title, after a shift to Group III, with a 4–2 win over Ramapo High School. In the 2007 season, the softball team won the Northern Hills-Skyline championship with a 2–1 win over

Mount Saint Dominic Academy Mount St. Dominic Academy is a four-year Catholic college preparatory school for young women located in Caldwell, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. The school was founded in 1892 by ...

, and won the Passaic County championship with a 3–1 win over Clifton High School, the eventual state Group IV champions and the #2-ranked team in New Jersey in the final poll by ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

''. The Highlanders finished the season ranked #13, after reaching as high as #2 during the regular season. The 2008 softball team was ranked first by '' The Record'' in its preseason poll for North Jersey. The team won its second-straight county title by capping off its tournament run with a 5–2 victory over Hawthorne High School, after the team defeated rival

by a score of 11–0 in the semi-final round. The team has competed in the Mount Saint Dominic Academy Invitational tournament, and won the conference championship for the second-straight year, after beating

by a score of 4–0,

Millburn High School Millburn High School is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Millburn (including its Short Hills neighborhood), in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school ...

by a score of 7–1, and Mount Saint Dominic Academy again by a score of 2–0. The team finished the season with a record of 22–8, making it the team's 19th consecutive 20-win season. The 2009 softball team was ranked #3 by '' The Record'' in its preseason poll for North Jersey and was ranked as high as #2 in that poll. The team was ranked as high as #6 in the Star-Ledger Top 20 poll and won 20 games for the 20th consecutive season. The team finished with a record of 20–5.

Boys' basketball

The Highlanders boys' basketball team has won four conference titles, in 1973–74, 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2008–09, and has been to three sectional championship games, in 2005–06, 2007–08, and 2008–09. The 2003–04 team went 23–3, going 16–0 in conference play, and advanced to the state sectional semi-finals where they lost to

Teaneck High School , motto_translation = To enrich the mind and improve the character , fundingtype = Public , schooltype = high school , grades = 9– 12 , district = Teaneck Public Schools , enrollment = 1,239 (as of 2021–22) , faculty = ...

. The 2005–06 team advanced to the state sectional finals before losing to

Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan is a comprehensive four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from the suburban communities of Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood and Old Tappan in Berge ...

by two points. The 2007–08 team finished with a 21–6 record and captured its third conference championship (12–2 conference record). It received the #1 seed in the state sectional tournament but lost to

Wayne Valley High School Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary schools of the Wayne Pu ...

in the sectional finals, 48–45. The 2008–09 team finished with a 20–7 record and captured its fourth conference championship overall and second in a row (12–2 conference record). The team made its second consecutive appearance in the sectional finals and third in four years, but lost to Teaneck High School 58–51 in overtime.

Girls' basketball

The Highlanders girls' basketball team defeated Washington Township High School by a score of 54-45 in the tournament final to win the Group IV state championship in 1995 before losing to top-seeded St. John Vianney High School by a score of 68–36 in the finals of the New Jersey Tournament of Champions.

Boys' cross country

The Highlanders boys' cross country team was the Passaic County Championship winners in 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2017. The team won the North Jersey Group IV state sectional championship in 2001.

Girls' cross country

The Highlanders girls' cross country team won State titles from 2005 to 2008.

Wrestling

The wrestling team won the North I Group IV state sectional title in 1996, 1997 and 2003. The Highlanders wrestling program has won many conference, county and district championships. Most notable of the seasons was in 2001–2002, when longtime wrestling Coach Mike Blakely led the Highlanders to the Northern Hills Conference, Passaic County and state district championships. The following two seasons the Highlanders continued as Northern Hills Conference & Passaic County Champions (2002–2003, 2003–2004, 2005–2006). In the 2007–08 season, the Highlander wrestling team won the Passaic County Championship.

Ice hockey

The Highlanders ice hockey program has won the county championship in the 2001–02, 2003–04, and 2006–07 seasons. During the 2008–2009 season, the team won the Nardello Cup by defeating

Nutley High School Nutley High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the Township of Nutley, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Nutley Public Sch ...

2–0 in the championship game. In the 2009–2010 season, the team went the farthest into the state tournament in school history. The team defeated number one seed and 2009 state champions, Ramsey High School, by a score of 4–2. Starting in the 2018–19 season, West Milford High School and

play for a combined co-operative team.

Football

The Highlanders football team went 10–1 in the 2003–04 season, making it to the state semi-finals before losing to

Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

. The team won the conference, going 9–0 in league play. This marked the second time in school history and the first time in 16 years the team won the conference. The most monumental win of the season came against the

Delbarton School Delbarton School is a private all-male Catholic Church, Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey for young men in seventh grade, seventh through twelfth grades. It is an independent school directed by the Benedictine monks ...

Green Wave, 28–15, a parochial powerhouse that hadn't lost a conference game in five years. Delbarton hadn't lost to West Milford since 1995. The team was led by the 2003 Passaic County defense of the year, which posted four shutouts, including three consecutive, and never gave up more than 18 points in a game.

Highlander Day

This school-wide carnival occurs annually at the end of the school year, from 11:30am until the end of the school day outside on the back field at West Milford High School. Booths are run by individual clubs and groups, with all students being invited to participate in the festivities. Some of the booth themes have included "Win a Gold Fish", a hot dog eating contest, a taco eating contest, a dunk tank, pie throwing, face painting, pictures with friends in costumes, and more. A local band played live throughout the afternoon's festivities in 2009. This event is coordinated and run by the Student Council with assistance from many other school clubs.

Distinguished Scholars Recognition Awards Reception

On April 20, 2009, the school and district administrators held the first annual Distinguished Scholars Recognition Awards Reception in the high school cafeteria. This event recognized the top fifteen ranked students in each of the four graduating classes in the high school.

Notable alumni

Lennie Friedman at Redskins training camp, August 2005

* Lennie Friedman (born 1976), former offensive lineman with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. *

Billy Howerdel Billy Howerdel (born May 18, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the founding member, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band A Perfect Circle, as well as for his former solo project, Ashes Divide. Howerdel h ...

(born 1970), musician primarily known for his involvement with the bands

Ashes Divide Billy Howerdel (born May 18, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the founding member, guitarist, backing vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band A Perfect Circle, as well as for his former solo project, Ashes Divide. Howerdel ...

and

A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s: ' ...

. *

Dale Soules Dale Soules (born ) is an American actress known for starring in '' The Messenger'' and portraying Frieda Berlin in ''Orange Is the New Black'' from 2014 to 2019. Early life Soules was born on and grew up in the Greenwood Lake section of We ...

(born 1946), television and stage actress, known for appearing in ''

Orange is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wo ...

''. * Kevin Walker (born 1965), former linebacker for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

. * Donna Weinbrecht (born 1965), gold medalist in

mogul skiing Mogul skiing is a freestyle skiing competition consisting of one timed run of free skiing on a steep, heavily moguled course, stressing technical turns, aerial maneuvers and speed. Internationally, the sport is contested at the FIS Freestyle Wor ...

at the

1992 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 64 , athletes = 1,801 (1313 men, 488 women) , events = 57 in 6 sports (12 disciplines) , opening = 8 February 1992 , closing = 23 February 1992 , opened_by = President François Mitterrand , cauldron ...

Administration

Core members of the school's administration are:District Administration
West Milford High School. Accessed January 20, 2022. * Matthew Strianse, Principal * Nicholas Pollaro, Assistant Principal * John Schutte, Assistant Principal

References

External links

West Milford High School

West Milford Township Public Schools
*
West Milford Township Public Schools

West Milford High School Model United Nations

{{Authority control West Milford, New Jersey 1962 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1962 Public high schools in Passaic County, New Jersey