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The
following profiles were written by
Westonian
reporters Christian Sain, Elijah Mercer, Ruqaiyah
Muhammad, Natasia Racius, Shondraia Lawrence.
and in a few instances, the subjects
themselves.
Mr. Oliver,
math teacher,
attended Essex County College earning his
Associates’ degree in math, and he transferred to
Kean University graduating with his Bachelors’
degree. He worked part time at a mental facility
for adults. His plan was to work in an urban
environment.
Mr. Oliver was
born in Orange, NJ. He feels the need to save as
many youth as he possibly can and be able to share
the things that he never knew in high school. Mr.
Oliver enjoys tutoring math and watching movies.
He’s a homebody mostly. He enjoys playing chess and
interacting with his students. Mr. Oliver wishes
that more parents were involved in the school.
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After
previously teaching as a permanent substitute at
West Side,
Mr. Rouse
taught at Malcolm X
Shabbazz High School before returning here as a
Language Arts teacher this year. He is happy to be
back and feels West Side is a caring and safe
environment.
He was born
and raised in Newark and attended the College of New
Rochelle in New York. Mr. Rouse chose to be an
educator to fulfill a part of his vision for his
life. His other ambition is to continue his
education and become an administrator. Mr. Rouse is
the pastor of his church, and enjoys spending his
free time with his wife and kids.
In high school
he was on the football team, yearbook committee,
student council, brotherhood club and much more! Mr.
Rouse likes the West Side staff very much but wishes
the school building were bigger.
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Ms. Tention-Williams
taught health and phys.
ed. for six years at Central High School. Ms.
Williams feels that West Side is challenging. She
didn’t come here with any special expectations,
because she didn’t find out she was being
transferred until a week before she had to leave her
previous school.
Ms. Williams
was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and she was
raised in Columbus, Ohio and attended Benedict
College. She also attended Columbia South Carolina
and Ohio State Universities. Ms. Williams decided to
become an educator because she’s been a female
athlete since fourth grade; she enjoys sports and
she feels her students and activities help to keep
her young. Ms. Williams enjoys growing house plants
in the summer, and cooking special dishes. She
also enjoys making prom dresses. Ms. Williams likes
working with all the teachers in the Phys Ed
Department. She wishes the parking lot was in
better condition and that there was more than one
entrance and exit.
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Mr. Ladj
taught math
to 9th and 12th grade
students at Plainfield High School before coming to
West Side. He feels safe and enjoys working with the
staff here. Mr. Ladj’s goal is to help more West
Side students pass the HSPA. Mr. Ladj feels West
Side compares well to many other schools.
Mr. Ladj was
born and raised In Algeria, North Africa. He
attended Algeria University. He chose to become an
educator because it was his childhood dream to teach
and share his skills and knowledge with others. In
Algeria, he would play a game with staff members
where they would put test papers from each subject
from each teacher in a bowl and pick a test paper to
give to students to take.
Mr. Ladj loved
playing soccer, and enjoys reading in his free time.
One of the things Mr. Ladj likes most about West
Side are the
Words
of Wisdom because he loves
for the students to think and be open-minded about
life. Mr. Ladj dislikes the high percentages of
lateness from his students.
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Before
physical education teacher
Mr. Maurizio
came to West Side, he
student taught at Hurden Looker Elementary School
and also at Fair Lawn High School. He was born in
Trenton, NJ and grew up in Iselin, NJ. As a high
school student athlete, he played football,
wrestled, and ran track. Mr. Maurizio attended
Montclair State University and also played football
there.
Mr. Maurizio
enjoys being at West Side and once he became a coach
here, he didn’t want to teach anywhere else. Mr.
Maurizio strives to do the best he can every day.
West Side is a great high school in his perspective
and he takes advantage of everything here.
He decided to
become an educator because he loves teaching
children and teenagers. Teaching is the greatest
profession in his opinion. There are many hobbies
and special interests that Mr. Maurizio has such as
his love for coaching (football) and studying films
to find ways to make his athletes better. He thinks
everyday is another opportunity to work with and
help all students. The thing that bothers him the
most is the complete disrespect some of the students
show; however, the positive students overshadow the
negative ones.
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Mr. Rosenbaum
taught at East Orange and
Plainfield before coming to West Side. Mr.
Rosenbaum said he enjoys working at West Side,
especially for Mr. Brown. Mr. Rosenbaum already knew
what to expect before coming to West Side after
teaching for so many years, and West Side has met
his expectations.
Mr. Rosenbaum
was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and
attended Nyack and Rutgers Universities. He became
an educator because at one time he was an
accountant and good at numbers. Because of the
shortage of math teachers, he knew his skills were
needed.
Mr.
Rosenbaum’s hobbies and special interests outside of
school are playing golf, and watching sports. During
his free time he also enjoys listening to audio
books. Mr. Rosenbaum also participated in extra
curricular activities during school such as football
and swimming. He enjoys the teaching schedule he has
this semester and would like to change the behavior
of the late students who walk into his class and
disrupt his lessons.
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One time
substitute teacher
Ms. Greaves has finally gained her
tenure as a business teacher. Ms. Greaves was born
in North Carolina and raised in Newark, New Jersey.
She went to Rutgers University in Newark. Before
coming to West Side Ms. Greaves was an instructional
technology facilitator for another school district.
“I like
[being at West Side] because every day is a
challenge, you never know what to expect,” said Ms.
Greaves when asked how she feels about being at West
Side.
Ms. Greaves
loves sports. When she was in high school, she
participated in many extra-curricular activities
such as basketball, softball, cheerleading and the
drill team. Some of her interests and hobbies are
basketball and softball. She spends her free time
enjoying her friends and family. When asked what
she expected before coming to West Side, she
responded, “I expected to be able to give back to
my community by sharing what I have experienced.
West Side has taught me to bloom wherever I am
planted and that everyone has something to offer. I
always wanted to be a teacher and never thought I
would be able to do it, however, when I came to West
Side, I met a group of people who helped me to
strive,” stated Ms. Greaves. Besides the wonderful
work Ms. Greaves does as a teacher, she would like
to go back to being a business consultant with a
degree in teaching and learning.
When asked
what do you like most about West Side and what do
you like least about West Side, Ms Greaves
responded, “Honestly, I like the fact that we have a
diversity of black men that work with the youth
both young men and girls, role modeling behaviors
that will benefit them in the near future. What I
like least about West Side is the fact that we have
a great wealth of talent, ability, and skill that is
not supported because it is a well kept secret and
negative publicity.”
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Mr.
Wedeck
was born and raised in
Teaneck, New Jersey and he worked in business and
finance before becoming a math teacher at West Side
High School. Mr. Wedeck enjoys teaching and has
established some great relationships with both
students and staff.
Before
teaching at West Side, Mr. Wedeck was not sure what
to expect. He soon realized that teaching requires
a lot more than he expected. He also believes that
teachers should be better recognized and appreciated
within urban school districts. Wedeck decided to
become an educator because he believes that he has a
natural gift for teaching. He enjoys watching his
students learn.
Mr. Wedeck was
very active in sports when he was a student in high
school. He currently enjoys spending time with his
family and loves to study.
When asked
what he liked most about West Side, Mr. Wedeck
responded that the students and staff here are good
people. He believes that the teachers are doing the
best they can to provide a good education to our
students.
When asked
what he liked least about West Side, Mr. Wedeck
responded that he has a problem with students who do
not want to learn and who make it difficult for
those students who do want to learn.
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Before working
at West Side High School
Ms. Phillips did accounting
work at various companies. She worked at Maersk
Cargo Company; her job title was (IRA) Information
Research Analyst. Ms. Philips enjoys teaching
geometry here. Before Ms. Phillips started here she
heard so much negativity about this school, but the
faculty and students changed her whole
outlook on the Roughrider family in a positive way.
She was born
in Georgia and raised in Newark. Ms. Phillips
attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick. She
decided to become an educator because she likes
helping people and giving back to others. Ms.
Phillips plans on furthering her education. Ms.
Phillips likes doing creative things pertaining to
art. She likes to crochet, cook and read. In high
school she ran track and was the senior
representative. Ms. Phillips likes when students
improve when she teaches them geometry. She gets
pleasure when a student is willing to learn and
improve 100%. The thing Ms. Phillips likes least
about West Side is the disrespect some students have
for their peers.
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Chef "Jimbo" Crowley is the
chef for the culinary arts program here at West
Side. He’s been working here since February, 2007.
Chef Crowley says working here has been an eye
opening experience. He previously worked as the
Executive Chef at country clubs for over 20 years.
Chef Crowley belongs to the American Culinary
Federation, and is Chairman of the Board of the
Northern N.J. Chapter.
So far he
likes working here at West Side and considers
himself a Roughrider at heart even though he’s an
alumnus of Barringer High School. Chef Crowley looks
forward to teaching students more about fine
cuisine in the future.
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Mr.
Jones has been acting as
Band Director for the West Side High School marching
band since Ms. Kirk’s leave of absence and eventual
transfer. Before assuming this position, he was a
professional saxophonist in New York City. He said
when he first came it was hard at first to switch
from professional musician to music teacher, but he
got through it. Mr. Jones predicts that West Side’s
marching band will excel and continue to grow. He
also hopes that the football team’s success will
spark some interest in joining the band for the
upcoming season. Mr. Jones said that working here
has been very interesting so far and will hopefully
continue to be so.
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The Afro-Latin
Spanish teacher, Ms.
Borrero
was born in
Vieques, Puerto Rico and grew up on Riverside Drive
in New York City during the fiery Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s. Borrero was active in an
eclectic variety of activities in high school
including Aspira, a program that helps Puerto Rican
students prepare for and succeed in college,
serving as the president. She was also an active
member of the National Conference of Christians and
Jews which worked to resolve racial issues among
religious groups, and she served as a member of the
Panel of America which went around the country
talking about racial and ethnic differences. She was
also on the debate team.
Borrero has
spent most of her life in New York, attending City
University where she was a psychology major. One
of Borrero’s teachers, and probably one of the
biggest influences on Borrero’s life, was the
influential and potent Dr. Betty Shabazz.
“Discipline of yourself is always necessary before
[unleashing] the power God has given to you.”
Borrero remembers Shabazz saying.
Before coming
to West Side, Borrero taught elementary school in
East Orange and Spanish at Orange High School. Just
like experiences at her other schools, Borrero
expected a high school full of activity with
enthusiastic teenagers, even though sometimes West
Side can be a little too active for her taste.
“It’s a
challenge [teaching here at West Side]. The school
is trying hard to set standards to help the
development of its students. There are some
hard-headed kids here,” remarked Borrero. Ms.
Borrero dislikes the impudent, disrespectful and
indifferent attitudes of some students as well.
Despite these challenges, Borrero personally likes
the fairly comprehensive range of student programs
offered at West Side.
In her spare
time, Borrero plays tennis, golf, and loves to
garden. In fact, she is a member of the American
Begonia Association; she’s even won prizes for her
hibiscuses. Not only does Borrero love to plant,
but she’s a gourmet cook and a published writer.
This ‘chef’ enjoys spending time with her two
children who now live in Florida and loves visiting
St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and Milan where she
lived for a year. Caribbean and African history are
among Borrero’s many ardent passions because she
specifically enjoys the juxtaposition of African
presence in Latino culture.
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No one ever
doubted Language Arts teacher
Ms. Lafisah Laboo's potential to be an
influential teacher. As an alumna of West Side High
School, Ms. Laboo is continuing her relationship
with the school that “birthed” her and providing
educational nutrition to the school that once fed
her.
The
effervescent Laboo was born in East Orange, New
Jersey and raised in Newark where she attended West
Side High School. In high school, Laboo was
involved in an eclectic variety of extra-curricular
activities such as the National Honor Society, and
was president of both the student council and her
senior class,. She played basketball for one year
and volleyball and softball her entire high school
career, and was involved with an impressive list of
other activities. West Side was just the beginning
of her education, however. After high school the
ambitious Laboo embarked on her journey to college
at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Laboo double majored in African-American studies and
English education. “Temple exposed me to the needs
of Black people and how can I meet those needs,”
remarked Laboo.
At Temple,
Laboo was not only exposed to the nation around her,
but she was given an opportunity to travel abroad
when she was given the chance to travel to Ghana in
West Africa. Her trip to Africa allowed her to
augment the knowledge she had already assimilated
from college; she was able to further delve into the
history of Africa; and she was able to see the
African castles which ‘hit home’ for her. “Ghana
was monumental because I’ve never traveled outside
of the East Coast, let alone the United States. We
take so much for granted [in the United States] and
Newark,” she stated.
Based on a
teaching scholarship that Laboo received in high
school, she was designated to come back and teach at
a school in Newark. Laboo, however, had already
decided that she would return to West Side. A month
after Laboo graduated from Temple, she came here to
begin teaching. “I’m extremely excited about being
here at West Side; I feel like my heart is in the
right place. Teaching here, I already know and can
recognize the needs of the students. Yet, teachers
have to also be mothers, fathers, and counselors.
Even though there is a lot to bring change in the
school, I am committed to being a part of how hard
it is,” said Laboo.
Laboo’s
biggest influence to go into the education arena was
probably the teachers and educators who invested in
her and aided her throughout the process. “I want to
be a mother like the educators who aided me were to
me. I want to promote education and give Black
children a ticket to higher educational heights in
life,” she explained.
Although Laboo
loves being here, she still believes there is room
for improvement. “I wish that we, as teachers and
students, could be more of a collective unit. If we
collaborated, we’d get more done. Everyone wants to
be a separate entity and try to shine on their own.
Instead of trying to shine individually, I want to
see West Side shine as a whole,” remarked Laboo.
Despite that,
Laboo loves her students and loves challenging them
in ways she knows will be salutary to their college
experience because they bring their excitement to
her life. “The most challenging thing here at West
Side is not being able to put the students in my
pocket and take them home with me. I want to help
everyone; give the students better lives.”
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New
math teacher and Italian native
Mr. Arena was born in
Calabria, Italy, but was raised in Newark, New
Jersey where he attended Vailsburg High School now
known as Mount Vernon Annex. After high school,
Arena pursued a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics as
well as a regular teaching degree at Saint Bernard
College in Alabama.
Arena’s inspiration to be an educator stemmed from
his natural affinity for children and teaching.
Consequently, before coming to Roughrider territory,
Arena taught at Vailsburg High School, East Side
High School, and West Side Success Academy.
“I’m
happy to be here [at West Side] teaching higher
level math instead of teaching ninth graders,”
remarked Arena.
Even though Arena is excited to be
here at West Side, the most challenging aspect of
his teaching career is getting 11th
grade students academically inclined and serious
about the rigors and seriousness of the High School
Proficiency Assessment (HSPA). He believes students
need to be more conscientious in their preparation
for the exam since the school suffers from a paucity
of students who pass the math examination with
proficient scores. In addition, Mr. Arena stated
that the mounds of paperwork in regards to SRA
combined with teaching three blocks can be a little
more than stressful.
Nevertheless, Arena always has a remedy to alleviate
his mounting stress. For example, did you know that
Arena played basketball and soccer in high school
and college and coached the Vailsburg High School
boys’ soccer team for a whopping 16 years? Besides
coaching the high school soccer team, Arena has his
own “team” of children and continues his passion for
coaching soccer as the coach of his children’s
soccer team.
As
the interview drew to a close, Arena quickly
shuffled his mounds of papers again and ended with
this remark, “Thank you for the interview, but now
I must get back to my HSPA stuff and paperwork.”
Top
Mr. LeRon
Lee,
who is currently
acting as a science teacher, worked in the film
industry before teaching at West Side. He worked on
film projects such as the
David Chappelle Show
and various music
videos. He has also worked with director Spike
Lee. As a native of Newark and a graduate of Howard
University. Lee believes that his experience at
Howard has allowed him to establish friendships and
contacts with people from all over the world. It is
important to Mr. Lee that his students gain from the
experiences that he has gained. Other than making
films, Mr. Lee enjoys watching them!
As a
youngster, Mr. Lee enjoyed swimming. He actually
competed with the Newark Swim Team for 10 years.
When asked about his expectations of West Side, he
responded, “I expected my students to learn
something new each day.” However, he soon came to
realize that teaching at West Side would bring more
challenges than he originally expected. Because of
his optimistic outlook, however, he has the gift of
turning a challenging situation into an opportunity
for growth. Mr. Lee describes West Side as a place
where “there is never a dull moment, every day is a
new challenge.” Lee is most concerned with the
population of students who portray an image of
hopelessness. He states, “Students between the ages
of 15-17 are under the assumption that they have
their lives all figured out... I believe that this
is a part of my mission...to help guide them in
making the right decisions.”
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Mr.
Madden
is a new teacher
in the Business Department. He comes to West Side
with experience both in the business world and in
education. Having been a Senior Account Executive
in Sales and IT for AT&T for several years, he was
anxious to share his knowledge and experience with
the youth of the city. He spent four years at
Newark Vocational High School where he helped
prepare students for A+ certification and other
technical skills. Born in Newark, Mr. Madden
attended Seton Hall University.
He
finds that the administrators and staff at West Side
are organized, supportive, knowledgeable and kind.
He also feels students would achieve more and have
better attitudes toward education if there were more
parental involvement and a stronger establishment
of fundamental knowledge in the early grades.
In
his spare time Mr. Madden enjoys skiing, playing
golf, collecting clocks and traveling. He
especially enjoyed traveling to Ireland.
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