Ms. Jennifer Dahl began teaching at West Orange High School in 2006. Since her teaching debut 23 years ago in the Bronx, she has taught English at four different schools in The New York-New Jersey area. At each, her support for her students has been unwavering and endearing. 

Dahl has been the advisor of The Pioneer since 2013.  During her time at the publication, Dahl has seen several of her students launch professional careers in journalism, one working at the New York Times and another broadcasting live for CBS News. Dahl also teaches Newspaper classes at WOHS. As the advisor of the student publication, Dahl's main role is to provide student journalists with a platform to share their voices in a safe and empowering forum. 

With her Master's degree in  Multicultural Education, Dahl approaches teaching with the goal of shaping students to be “responsible global citizens.” With this goal in mind, her curriculum often includes culturally diverse reading selections, which stimulate group discussions and encourage students to learn from each other and the world around them as well as through what they read.

In her classroom, Dahl acknowledges the variety of skill sets and interests her students possess. By providing resources like audiobooks for students with different reading and comprehension speeds and selecting reading material her students will be drawn to, Dahl hopes to reinstill a love of learning in her students. 

Outside of the classroom, Dahl spends her time with her two sons, her parents, and the family’s Chihuahua, Harley. She can often be found cheering her sons on at their hockey games. When she’s not teaching or spending time with family, Dahl enjoys crocheting, crafting, and reading. Whether it be her favorite book, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” or The Pioneer, Dahl loves a good story. Dahl also plays in a competitive dart league in her free time and was recently elected to her local Board of Education this fall.