Superintendent Dr. Barbara Sargent resigned on April 1st, 2025, as her last day as Superintendent for West Morris High School District. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Sargent to ask a few questions before she took her leave. She has been working in New Jersey her whole career. And beginning in elementary and middle schools. She has also held various leadership positions in several school districts. Before coming to West Morris, she was Superintendent of Parsippany-Troy Hills. She has also held adjunct teaching positions at Drew University.
She spoke highly of her previous students and how the communications and challenges amongst the school were different compared to high schools. She also said she “really appreciated that we have a really great relationship with our sending [middle] schools. They hold articulation meetings with all of the K to 8 districts regularly.”
Dr. Sargent also sat down with students during their classes, and she was able to learn along with them. She said, “I knew that’s what I would experience coming here, but to be reminded of every day when I visit classrooms when I talk with students, I think just the quality of the faculty here is outstanding.” The teachers at West Morris design lesson plans that actively challenge the students to become the best they can be. West Morris does this in preparation for future years to come, whether in high school, college, or the workforce. Shadowing students also allowed Dr. Sargent to have connections with different students in their classes.
Dr. Sargent also stated, “One of the things that we [The Board of Education] set as a goal for ourselves [when I first began here], […] was to conduct a review of the International Baccalaureate program.” The IB Diploma and Career Programs are a future-ready program for students in grades 11-12 that builds their mindset and helps them gain skills and lessons to prepare them for college. IB programs help students to get into college knowing they have experience already by taking those classes. The program allows life lessons and critical thinking circumstances to be put to use in the real world. In reflecting on her time here, Dr. Sargent mentioned she has gone above and beyond to enhance communication consistently with students’ families.
In addition to the IB Diploma and Career Programs, the new senior English options were also something Dr. Sargent worked on with Mr. Geddes, Supervisor of Humanities. Instead of having a traditional full-year course in English, there were different options seniors could take that would count as the same while still honing key literary skills. West Morris now offers Public Speaking, Journalism, Film, Sports Literature, Pursuing Happiness, etc. She stated, “I think for senior students, it gives them a lot more opportunity to choose something unique to them. These electives can also help prepare them for incoming college admissions to potentially receive more knowledge on what they majored in depending on which electives they choose.”
She plans to continue to learn and enhance her skills by becoming a superintendent at a K-8 school in Maine, where she will also be closer to her family. Good Luck, Dr. Sargent. We appreciate your hard work at the Central and Mendham High Schools. We wish you the best in your endeavors!
