12 new faces of teachers & staff at West Essex

Valerie Romano may have been born on Friday the 13th, but there is nothing scary about her. Romano brought her years of experience and bubbly personality to the Fashion Illustration and Multimedia department here at West Essex and has big visions for the future.  Up until Romano’s freshman biology class she was certain her future would be in medicine. However, while sitting in the middle of a...

Once new sophomore English teacher John McCormack learns your name, he guarantees he won’t forget it.  McCormack, a graduate of The College of New Jersey, remembers sitting in a writing class his junior year of high school, imagining how he could express himself through writing as a career. After going down this path, McCormack has worked as a teacher ever since. Three teaching jobs later, he now ...

U.S. History teacher John Sorrentino is a “new” teacher who’s also returning to his roots;  unlike the other new staff members starting fresh at West Essex this year, Sorrentino already has experience working in these halls before. Three years ago, he replaced history teacher Abigail Martin, who was on maternity leave. The year after, he replaced middle school Social Studies teacher Allison ...

Karen Kinsey, the new school nurse, brings a new level of experience straight from the ER to the school in the hopes of helping students stay healthy. Kinsey has worked as a nurse for 24 years, but it was not until a few years ago when she left behind the busy schedule of being an ER nurse for her family.  Growing up with a mother who was a nurse, Kinsey quickly gained an interest in the medic...

The only thing Maria LaPadula likes more than the Italian language is her family. Whether it’s cooking for her children or walking her dog, she always makes sure to devote her time to the people she loves. LaPadula may be new to West Essex, but is certainly not new to being an Italian teacher. The woman has been in education for 20 years, and has taught Italian at various high schools in Bergen...

Change can be hard, especially when three of the biggest changes in your life are all happening at once. Robert Faggiani has gone through big changes this year, including his new PE/health teacher job at West Essex, his promotion to West Essex varsity Girls soccer head coach and becoming a father for the first time.  “ ‘Hectic’ is the word you can quote me on,” Faggiani said, “It’s a lot of ...

Kimberly Westervelt, the school’s new assistant principal, says she’s finally found a place to call “home” after 16 years of working in schools around New Jersey. West Essex’s reputation for academic excellence and a family-like community drew her in, quickly making her another one of the very proud members of the district. “This school has a really positive school climate,” Westervelt...

For some students, It’s hard to believe that teachers have a life beyond the classroom, but Albiona Vinca blows this stereotype out of the water. Outside of her small office in the special services wing, Vinca carries a large life on her petite shoulders. But it’s not her impressive bucket list of traveling the world and attending outdoor concerts that makes this new addition to West Essex inte...

After teaching at technical schools for 13 years, teacher Gary Colucci decided to start new here at West Essex High School. Always having a passion for history, he now teaches sophomore AP US History and CPA US History I. However, education is not his only interest, and Colucci has many hobbies outside of the classroom that don’t involve the Revolutionary War.      Although he is new to these halls, Colucci s...

Physical education and health teacher Kaitlyn Heun is an outgoing person. Although coming from a previous smaller school, Heun likes taking on big jobs. She is strong headed and excited to do her job. Originally from rival school Caldwell, Heun admits that the size and greatness of a school like West Essex is what she wanted. “It is crazy large; Caldwell is super tiny, so it's a big change, but othe...

The first thing you notice when you sit down in a chair in Taylor Lang’s office are the pictures of her dogs on display. She likes to keep home close while she’s away. Even though the image of home is so comfortable, Lang comes to West Essex every day to ensure every kid’s well being.  On a regular school day, anyone can catch Ms. Lang working the day away in her office by the math wing. Be...