Westfield High School Principal Dr. Derrick Nelson Dies

WESTFIELD, NJ - The Westfield community is reeling over the death of Westfield High School Principal Derrick Nelson. According to Westfield Superintendent Margaret Dolan, Nelson died Sunday night.

"It is with profound sadness and great difficulty that I announce Westfield High School principal Dr. Derrick Nelson died last night," Dolan said. "Dr. Nelson touched us all with his kindness, compassion, integrity, and endlessly positive attitude. We hold him and his family in our hearts as we grieve this loss together and I know you join me in granting his family the privacy they have requested."

Dolan said that counseling will be available starting Tuesday.

"We understand how distressing this news is to students, staff, and parents. Beginning tomorrow, April 9, at 8 a.m., counseling will be available at Westfield High School for students," Dolan said.

Dolan also noted the district website also has a number of resources available for coping with loss, including Coping with the Death of a Friend and The Do’s and Don’ts of Talking with a Child about Death.

Nelson was appointed as Westfield High School Principal Feb. 7, 2017 in a unanimous vote by the Westfield Board of Education. Nelson had been serving as Acting Principal of Westfield High School since August 2016 and held the position of Assistant Principal at the school since July 2012. He began his administrative role in the Westfield Public Schools as Assistant Principal of Roosevelt Intermediate School in 2010.

Before arriving in Westfield, Nelson served as assistant principal in two public schools in Orange, serving students from kindergarten through middle school level. He began his career in education in 2002 as a teacher in the Plainfield public schools.

Earning a Doctorate in Education Administration from Seton Hall University, Nelson also received a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Saint Peter's College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Delaware State University.

Beyond his career as an educator, Nelson was a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army Reserves. He was deployed with the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command to Afghanistan during the summer of 2013. He went on to be Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) with the 411th Chemical Company in Edison.

Temple Emanu-El's Rabbi Doug Sagal was quick to post a message about Nelson in the wake of his death, calling it both tragic and untimely.

"Dr. Nelson was a great friend to the Temple Emanu-El community and most recently stood with us during our vigil after Pittsburgh," Sagal said. "In addition to being an outstanding educator, Dr. Nelson proudly served our nation in uniform and continued to serve on active reserve. Please know your clergy are available if we can be of assistance to students or their families during this difficult time."

This is a developing story and Patch will be updating it and posting service arrangements when they are made available.

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