- Morristown High School
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Morristown High School Location 50 Early Street
Morristown, NJ 07960Information Type Public high school Established 1869 School district Morris School District Principal Linda D. Murphy Vice principal Mike Bruchac Faculty 108 (on FTE basis)[1] Grades 9 - 12 Enrollment 1,496 (as of 2009-10)[1] Student to teacher ratio 13.85[1] Color(s) Maroon & White Athletics conference Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Nickname Colonials Publication The Cobbonian Website School website Morristown High School (or MHS) is a four-year public high school serving students in grades 9 - 12 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.[2] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools since 1952.[3]
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,496 students and 108 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.85.[1]
Contents
Awards and recognition
The school was the 66th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 322 schools statewide, in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2010 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 78th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[4]
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.[5]
Athletics
The Morristown High School Colonials 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.[6]
The Morristown baseball team won the Group III state championship in 2006 with wins over Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan and Ocean Township High School by 3-1 and 11-7 respectively. They finished the season ranked third out of more than 300 high schools in the state by the Star Ledger's Top 20.[7]
The football team won the Section II Group III title in 1997, 1998, and 1999. These wins were the school's first ever "3-peat" consecutive wins. The team had also won state titles in 1974, 1993, and 2010.[8]
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.
The cornerstone of the current MHS building was laid on September 9, 1916. Classes at the current building began on September 4, 1918.
M.H.S. currently receives students from Frelinghuysen Middle School, Morris Plains Borough School, and several private and parochial middle schools.
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.
Administration
Core members of the school's administration are:[9]
- Linda Murphy, Principal
- Mike Bruchac, Vice Principal
Notables
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
- Craig Newmark (born 1952, class of 1971), creator of the web community craigslist.[10]
- Gene Shalit (born 1926), book and movie critic.[11]
- Rick Sofield (born 1956, class of 1975), former Major League Baseball first-round draft pick & outfielder for the Minnesota Twins 1979-1981 [12]
- Lexington Steele (born 1969, class of 1987), Adult film star, and three time AVN Male Performer of the Year Award winner
- Ben Weinman 1994, guitarist for The Dillinger Escape Plan
Faculty
- John Chironna, former head football coach at the University of Rhode Island, was a teacher and head football coach at Morristown and mentored Charlie Weis.
- Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918), poet and author, taught at Morristown High School 1908-1909.[11]
- Charlie Weis (born 1956), former head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, was an assistant football coach and English teacher from 1980-1985.[13]He was also the school's fencing coach for the 1984-85 season.
References
- ^ a b c d Morristown High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 31, 2011.
- ^ Morristown High School 2010 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2011. "Comprised of 1491 ethnically diverse students, speaking more than 19 different languages, the educational program serves the students entrusted to the school by its communities: Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains."
- ^ Morristown High School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools. Accessed September 11, 2011.
- ^ 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.
- ^ League Memberships – 2011-2012, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed September 11, 2011.
- ^ 2006 Baseball - Public Semis/Finals, NJSIAA. Accessed May 20, 2007.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Administrative Team, Morristown High School. Accessed May 31, 2011.
- ^ "Web guru hails from Morristown", Daily Record (Morristown), June 26, 2004.
- ^ a b 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."
- ^ 1975 Baseball Draft Results - Round #1, accessed December 31, 2006
- ^ 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."
External links
- Morristown High School
- Morris School District
- Marching Colonials
- Morristown High School's 2009–10 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- Data for the Morris School District, National Center for Education Statistics
Coordinates: 40°48′06″N 74°29′09″W / 40.801682°N 74.48572°W
Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJSIAA) Academy of Saint Elizabeth • Boonton • Butler • Chatham • Delbarton • Dover • Hackettstown • Hanover Park • High Point • Hopatcong • Jefferson Township • Kinnelon • Kittatinny • Lenape Valley • Madison • Montville Township • Morris Catholic • Morris Hills • Morris Knolls • Morris Tech • Morristown • Morristown-Beard • Mount Olive • Mountain Lakes • Newton • Parsippany • Parsippany Hills • Pequannock Township • Pope John XXIII • Randolph • Roxbury • Sparta • Sussex Tech • Vernon Township • Villa Walsh • Walkill Valley • West Morris Central • West Morris Mendham • Whippany Park
Categories:- Educational institutions established in 1869
- High schools in Morris County, New Jersey
- Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools
- Morristown, New Jersey
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