Morristown High School
Morristown High School (MHS) is a four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from three communities in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Morris School District. The school serves students from Morristown and Morris Township, along with students from Morris Plains, who attend the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Morris Plains Schools.[3][4] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1952.[5]
Morristown High School | |
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Location | |
Morristown High School Morristown High School Morristown High School | |
United States | |
Coordinates | 40.801682°N 74.48572°W |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1869 |
School district | Morris School District |
NCES School ID | 3410810[1] |
Principal | Mark Manning |
Faculty | 131.5 FTEs[1] |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,793 (as of 2017-18)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 13.6:1[1] |
Color(s) | Maroon and white[2] |
Athletics conference | Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference |
Team name | Colonials[2] |
Rivals | Randolph High School Delbarton School Mendham High School |
Publication | The Cobbonian |
Radio station | WJSV 90.5 |
Website | School website |
As of the 2017-18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,793 students and 131.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.6:1. There were 384 students (21.4% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 89 (5.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
MHS receives students from Frelinghuysen Middle School, Morris Plains Borough School, and several private and parochial middle schools.
History
Morristown High School was opened on December 13, 1869 on Maple Avenue, four years after Morristown had seceded from Morris Township. It accepted students from both the town and the township. The first graduates were the class of 1874, consisting of eight students, five girls and three boys.
Morristown High School played its first football game on September 28, 1901, against Port Oram (now Wharton) high school.
The cornerstone of the current MHS building was laid on September 9, 1916. Classes at the current building began on September 4, 1918.
In May 1974, the Harding Township School District was given permission by the State Commissioner of Education to end their sending / receiving relationship with the Morris School District and begin sending their students to Madison High School starting with the 1975-76 school year, ruling that the withdrawal of the mostly white students from Harding Township would not "cause a disproportionate change in the racial composition of Morristown High School".[6][7]
In 2005, Linda D. Murphy, an assistant principal at Morristown High School, was promoted to principal of Morristown High School, becoming the first Morristown High School graduate (Class of 1972) to fill the position.
In 2009, year-round rotating block schedule replaced the semester-based block scheduling.
In 2013, A/B block scheduling replaced the year-round rotating block schedule.
In 2018, Homeroom was abolished in exchange for a later starting time.
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 116th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[8] The school had been ranked 75th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 66th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[9] The magazine ranked the school 78th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[10]
In the 2011 "Ranking America's High Schools" issue by The Washington Post, the school was ranked 69th in New Jersey and 2,029th nationwide.[11]
Academics
Morristown High School provides 285 courses (Honors and AP) to its students. Out of the 285 courses, 28 are offered as AP courses and range from AP Calculus BC to AP Music Theory. College Prep level courses are also offered to students as a step down from Honors level courses. AP tests along with SAT and ACT exams are conducted onsite. [12]
Morristown High School also offers "STEM Academy," an enrichment program for students grades 9-12. STEM Academy offers pathways in Biomedicine, Engineering, Architecture, Environmental Sustainability, Research Science, Computer Science, Mathematics and General STEM.[13]
Athletics
The Morristown High School Colonials[2] participate in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, an athletic conference made up of high schools located in Morris County, Sussex County and Warren County in New Jersey, operating under the auspices of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[14] With 1,325 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North I, Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,090 to 2,568 students in that grade range.[15] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed as part of the Iron Hills Conference, which was made up of public and private high schools in Essex County, Morris County and Union County.[16]
The football team won the North II Group III title in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. The team had also won state titles in 1974 in North II, Group IV, and in both 1993 and 2010 in North II Group III.[17][18]
The boys' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 1987 and 1988, and won the Group III title in 2010.[19]
The field hockey team won the North II Group IV state sectional championship in 1987, 1989 and 1991, won the North I Group IV title in 2002, and won the North I Group III title in 2005 and 2006.[20]
The baseball team won the Group III state championship in 1993 (defeating Steinert High School in the tournament final) and 2006 (vs. Ocean Township High School).[21] The team won the Group III state championship in 2006 with wins over Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in the semifinals and Ocean Township High School in the finals, by scores of 3-1 and 11-7, respectively. They finished the season ranked third in the state in The Star Ledger's Top 20.[22]
The hockey team won the Public B state championship in 2014, beating Ramsey High School by a score of 1-0 in the tournament final, with the game-winning goal scored with less than a minute left in the game to break a scoreless tie and earn Morristown the program's first championship.[23] In 2016, the team won their second title, this time in the Public A division, against Randolph High School by a final score of 2-0.[24][25]
There are currently two certified athletic trainers providing sports medicine coverage to all levels of athletics for all three seasons.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:[26]
- Mark Manning, Principal
- Michael Lockman, Assistant Principal
- Vincent Marchese, Assistant Principal
- John Pallino, Assistant Principal
- Marietta Scorsune, Assistant Principal
Notable people
Alumni
- James J. Barry Jr. (born 1946, class of 1964), Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and member of the New Jersey General Assembly
- Scott Blumstein (born 1992, class of 2010), winner of the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event for $8,150,000.[27]
- John T. Cunningham (1915-2012, class of 1932), journalist, writer, and historian who published numerous works related to the history of his native state, New Jersey.[28]
- Christina Epps (born 1991, class of 2009), track and field athlete specializing in the triple jump; member of US 2016 Olympic Team[29]
- Daniel Kleitman (born 1934, class of 1950), professor of applied mathematics at MIT.[30]
- Connor Lade (born 1989, class of 2008), professional soccer player for the New York Red Bulls[31]
- Bob McCann (1964-1971), former professional basketball player who played for five teams in the NBA.[32]
- Craig Newmark (born 1952, class of 1971), creator of the web community Craigslist.[33]
- Tim O'Connor (born 1976, class of 1995), professional skateboarder[34]
- John Panelli (1926-2012), American football player who played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Cardinals.[35]
- Dan Quinn (born 1970, class of 1989), Atlanta Falcons head coach[36]
- Gene Shalit (born 1926), book and movie critic[37]
- Rick Sofield (born 1956, class of 1975), former Major League Baseball first-round draft pick; outfielder for the Minnesota Twins[38][39]
- Lexington Steele (born 1969, stage name of Clifton Britt), adult film star.[40]
- Jahmar Thorpe (born 1984), professional basketball player for the Iwate Big Bulls in Japan.[41]
- William Treanor (born 1957, class of 1975), attorney and legal scholar; dean of Georgetown University Law Center[42]
- Ben Weinman (born 1975), musician who was a founding member of The Dillinger Escape Plan and current member of Suicidal Tendencies.
- Stephen B. Wiley (1929-2015, class of 1947), attorney, poet, businessman, civic leader and politician who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1973 to 1978.[43]
Faculty
- John Chironna (1928-2010), former head football coach at the University of Rhode Island; teacher and head football coach at Morristown; mentored Charlie Weis[44]
- William Flynn (c. 1896-1958), football coach who was head coach at Morristown from 1934 until his death.[45]
- Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918), poet and author; taught at Morristown High School, 1908-1909[37]
- Charlie Weis (born 1956), former head football coach at the University of Notre Dame; assistant football coach and English teacher, 1980-1985[46] He was also the school's fencing coach for the 1984-85 season.
References
- School data for Morristown High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed November 1, 2019.
- Morristown High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 15, 2015.
- Morristown High School 2016-17 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed February 16, 2018. "Comprised of 1,810 ethnically diverse students speaking more than 20 different languages, the educational program serves the students entrusted to the school by its communities: Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains."
- Morris Plains Borough School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 30, 2016. "Borough School continues its collaboration with the Morris School District,strengthening and supporting the send-receive relationship between the two districts. As Borough students graduate from eighth grade and enroll in Morristown High School, it is important for them to have all of the same opportunities to connect with curriculum requirements that their high school classmates had as students in the Morris School District."
- Morristown High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools, backed up by the Internet Archive as of April 24, 2012. Accessed March 26, 2015.
- "Commissioner Reverses Plan for Morris Schools", The New York Times, May 2, 1974. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Contending that it would not significantly 'cause a disproportionate change in the racial composition of Morristown High School,' the state's Acting Commissioner of Education, Edward W. Kilpatrick today allowed Harding Township to send its high school students to. Madison High School rather than to Morristown after June 1975.... In 1971, during the time the regionalization of the Morris districts was pending before the Commissioner, Harding Township, an affluent semirural town of three‐acre‐minimum residential zones, petitioned the county superintendent to allow sending of high school pupils to the smaller Madison High School with a much smaller black population. Subsequently, Harding began to send its ninth graders to Madison despite objections from Morristown."
- Staff. "Morristown High School Closed After Racial Fight", The New York Times, May 7, 1974. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Morristown High School has about 400 black students, most of them from Morristown. Most of the high school student from Morris Township, Morris Plain: and Harding Township are white. Morristown and Morris Township were forced to merge their school systems two years ago to advance racial integration. Last week Harding Township was given permission by the State Education Commissioner to withdraw its students from Morristown High and send them to Madison High."
- Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
- Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed December 2, 2012.
- Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed May 31, 2011.
- Mathews, Jay. "The High School Challenge 2011: Morristown High School", The Washington Post. Accessed September 11, 2011.
- "Program Of Study MHS 2018-19" (PDF). Morris School District.
- "STEM Academy at Morristown High School".
- League & Conference Affiliations 2016-2017 Archived 2012-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 10, 2017.
- General Public School Classifications 2015-2016, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, as of December 15, 2015. Accessed December 12, 2016.
- Home Page, Iron Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed December 3, 2014.
- Glickson, Grant. "High School Football; Second Straight Title for Morristown", The New York Times, December 6, 1998. Accessed June 25, 2008. "First, the Morristown Colonials (11-0) defeated Westfield (9-3) by 37-14 in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 final.... The Colonials, now 7-0 in playoff action, claimed their first two state titles in 1974 and 1993.
- Goldberg, Jeff. NJSIAA Football Playoff Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 19, 2015.
- History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 3, 2017.
- History of the NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 3, 2017.
- History of the NJSIAA Baseball Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed January 3, 2017.
- 2006 Baseball - Public Semis/Finals, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 20, 2007.
- Hachey, Chris. "Ice hockey: Morristown wins first state title in program history", The Star-Ledger, March 9, 2014. Accessed December 30, 2014. "Begley scored the game-winning goal off assists from Cam Szary and Jakob DeFares with 33.8 seconds left in the third period to lift Morristown, No. 20 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, over No. 5 Ramsey, 1-0, to win the NJSIAA/New Jersey Devils Public B tournament title at the Prudential Center last night in Newark. The championship is the first in Morristown's history on its third straight trip to the finals."
- Coughlin, Kevin. "MHS wins second hockey title, with 2-0 win against Randolph", MorristownGreen.com, March 7, 2016. Accessed April 4, 2016.
- Gurnis, Mike. "Morristown ice hockey claims second state title in three years with 2-0 win over Randolph in Public A final", NJ Advance Media, March 7, 2016. Accessed April 4, 2016. "The disappointment of last season was erased on Monday, when top-seeded Morristown, No. 8 in the NJ.com Top 20, brought home its second state title in three seasons with a 2-0 win over second-seeded and No. 15 Randolph in the NJSIAA/Devils Public A final at Prudential Center."
- Administrative Team, Morristown High School. Accessed January 22, 2020.
- Coughlin, Kevin. "Morristown High grad Scott Blumstein wins $8M poker prize", Morristown Green, July 23, 2017. Accessed June 30, 2019. "Morristown High School graduate Scott Blumstein ('10) has eight million new reasons to be glad he pursued poker as his profession."
- James, George. "In Person; The New Jersey Chronicles", The New York Times, May 10, 1998. Accessed June 30, 2019. "When John was 5, the family moved to Brookside, near Morristown. After graduating from Morristown High School in 1932, he attended a free junior college, and later was able to save enough money to transfer to Drew University."
- Lambert, Jim. "Morristown High grad Christina Epps is the No. 1 triple jumper in the U.S.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 21, 2015. Accessed July 9, 2016. "It should come as no surprise that an athlete that hails from Morris County is the current No. 1 women's triple jumper in the United States. But you may be surprised to find out that it's Christina Epps, a 2009 graduate of Morristown High School."
- Peck, G. W. (2002). "Kleitman and Combinatorics: A Celebration". Discrete Mathematics. 257 (2–3): 194. doi:10.1016/S0012-365X(02)00595-2. MR 1935723. (article available on Douglas West's web page, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign).
- Staff. "Living a Dream; Ex-St. John's defender signs with Red Bulls" Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, Big Apple Soccer, December 5, 2011. Accessed July 18, 2012. "Lade attended Morristown High School and was a three-time first team All-Conference, All-State and All-County selection."
- Bob McCann, Basketball-Reference. Accessed June 30, 2019. "High School: Morristown in Morristown, New Jersey"
- Bangiola, Paul M. "An interview with Craigslist founder: Morristown native Craig Newmark", Morristown Green, September 15, 2008. Accessed July 18, 2012. "MorristownGreen.com was able to land an up close and personal interview with Craig Newmark, the founder of "Craigslist," who is a native of Morristown and a Morristown High School alumnus. (class of 1971)."
- Seman, Rob. "Morristown bans rides on the sidewalks", Daily Record (Morristown), September 13, 2006. Accessed March 18, 2013. "Councilman John Cryan said that Morristown High School alumnus and professional skateboarder Tim O'Connor has pledged his support for a skateboard park."
- via Associated Press. "John Panelli, standout at Morristown High, Notre Dame and NFL, dies at 85", NJ.com, March 4, 2012. Accessed March 15, 2018. "Ex-Notre Dame running back and NFL player John Panelli, a standout fullback at Morristown High School in the 1940s, has died.... Panelli, an All-State selection at Morristown High and a nominee of The Star-Ledger’s New Jersey High School All-Century team, went on to play fullback and linebacker for Notre Dame’s 1946 and 1947 national championship teams, averaging 7.5 yards a carry his senior year."
- Bonasera, Paul. "Quinn coaching winners on the field and off in Morris Twp.", Daily Record (Morristown), December 10, 2008. Accessed February 27, 2013. "Dan, the youngest of six children, was captain of the Morristown High School football team."
- Staff. "Morris History Includes Rich, Famous", Daily Record (Morristown), June 23, 2002. Accessed September 11, 2011. "Gene Shalit film critic on NBCTV's Today show got his start writing a humor column called 'The Korn Krib' for the Morristown High School newspaper."
- Kuty, Brendan. "Gallery of Honor", Daily Record (Morristown), December 19, 2007. Accessed July 18, 2012. "Rick Sofield is no stranger to the spotlight. But in front of a small crowd in the Morristown High School gymnasium, the former major league baseball player had a tough time maintaining his composure. Sofield, who graduated in 1975, was selected first team all-state by the Associated Press in football and baseball in his senior season and rejected a football scholarship to the University of Michigan to play professional baseball."
- 1975 Baseball Draft Results - Round #1, The Baseball Cube. Accessed December 31, 2006.
- "The Top 10 Porn Stars From New Jersey", WCHR-FM, November 1, 2016. Accessed November 9, 2017. "Lexington Steele - The first three-time AVN Male Performer of the Year, Lex was born in NJ and went to Morristown High School."
- Jahmar Thorpe Archived 2018-02-17 at the Wayback Machine, Houston Cougars men's basketball. Accessed February 16, 2018. "Attended Morristown High School.... Born September 2, 1984, in Morristown, N.J."
- Tran, Kim. "Morristown Natives Enter High School Wall of Fame; One was also inducted into the MHS Teachers' Corner.", Morristown Patch, May 4, 2013. Accessed July 28, 2014. "MHS Wall of Fame Inductees:... William Treanor, Class of '75—ascribed the virtue of Ambition (presented by Sophomore Camille Bourland)"
- Sullivan, Joseph F. "Politics: Wiley's Campaign For The Nomination Focuses On 'Drift'", The New York Times, March 24, 1985. Accessed June 30, 2019. "Mr. Wiley was born in Morristown on June 21, 1929, and graduated from Morristown High School."
- Staff. "How to Build a Winner; New Jersey Sports", The New York Times, November 19, 1974. Accessed July 18, 2012. "It took sometime and much hard work, but John Chironna seems to have met the challenge he envisioned when he became head football coach at Morristown High eight years ago. Chironna had spent 10 years as a successful head coach at the University of Rhode Island, but was taking over with younger athletes at a school that had won only one game in two seasons."
- Staff. "William K. Flynn", The New York Times, October 10, 1958. Accessed June 30, 2019. "William K. Flynn of 185 Speedwell Avenue, football coach at Morristown High School since 1934, died last night in Morristown Memorial Hospital."
- Thamel, Pete. "Weis Made His Luck on Way to the Irish", The New York Times, December 19, 2004. Accessed September 16, 2008. "After graduating in 1978, Weis decided to become a coach and teacher. He returned to New Jersey and taught at Boonton High School, then at nearby Morristown High, where he found his first football mentor, Morristown Coach John Chironna."