Morse High School (Maine)

Morse High School

MorseHighSchool826
Think. Care. Act.
Address
826 High Street, Bath, Maine, 04011
Bath, Maine, Sagadahoc 04530
United States
Coordinates 43°54′51″N 69°49′12″W / 43.9141°N 69.8200°W / 43.9141; -69.8200Coordinates: 43°54′51″N 69°49′12″W / 43.9141°N 69.8200°W / 43.9141; -69.8200
Information
School type Public
Established 1904
Opened 1904
School district RSU #1
Superintendent Patrick Manuel
CEEB code 200070
Principal John B. Pinkerton
Faculty Roughly 80 (including Ed Techs, secretaries, etc.)
Grades 9–12
Age range 14-19
Enrolment 613
Number of students 640
 • Grade 9 166
 • Grade 10 145
 • Grade 11 154
 • Grade 12 161
Average class size 25
Hours in school day 7:40 am to 2:05 pm
Color(s)      Royal Blue and      white
Slogan 826 / The Blue and the White / Our House
Song The Blue and The White
Mascot The Shipbuilders Ship
Nickname Builders
Team name Shipbuilders
Newspaper The Morse Tribune, Kaleidoscope
Yearbook The Morse High School Yearbook (Also known as The Morse Clipper Yearbook)
Communities served Bath, Phippsburg, Woolwich, Georgetown, Arrowsic
Graduates Roughly 123 (80%)
Website mhs.rsu1.org/

Morse High School in Bath, Maine, brings in students from the communities of Bath, Phippsburg, Woolwich, Georgetown, and Arrowsic, Maine. The original school building, a gift to the city from Charles W. Morse, burned down March 24, 1928 and was later rebuilt in 1929. A large addition was made in 1969, and an expanded vocational center was added in 1996. The student/adult ratio at Morse is 15:1.

Morse's mascot is the Shipbuilder, a tribute to the Bath area's long shipbuilding tradition which is continued through the largest job opportunity in the area at Bath Iron Works, and extends all the way to 1607 on Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine. Bath Iron Works (BIW), has also made a lasting impact on the surrounding community, which is translated through the middle school and high school mascots. The school colors are blue and white.

Morse High School publishes a yearbook every year, formally called the Clipper or more commonly known as the Morse Yearbook.

New Building Project

There are now plans approved by the city council[1] to build a new school at the Wing Farm site on the West Bath/Bath city line. The projected completion date is projected to be fall, 2020.[2] The MHS Building Committee consists of 9 members including the Superintendent of the RSU1 school district, Patric Manuel, several members of the school board, and others from the community as well as people with business experience.[3] The design for the building took in consideration from experts, school staff, and even students to help make decisions on everything from allocated space, to the furniture used. [4]

Athletics

Morse students participate in many athletic and social clubs. The students take pride in the school's proud tradition of championships, including six state championships in boys' basketball (1956, '62, '63, '87, '88, and '89), two state championships in baseball (1953 and '88), five state championships in football (1968, '69, '70, '71, and '72), and one state championship in Boys' soccer in 1988. Morse's boys' swim team won the state championship in the 2005–2006 swim season. The girls' swim team has also enjoyed recent success, winning the 2009-2010 state championship after finishing runners-up or third for several years. Morse is a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.

The Morse football team has not been a contender since its last state championship in 1972. In 2006, Morse finished 3–5 and gained the 8th and final seed in the playoffs before suffering a 63–12 loss to unbeaten Gardiner in the quarter-finals. Morse was the surprise team of the 2007 season, when it defeated previously unbeaten Gardiner in week 7 and finished the season 7–1 as the second seed. Morse went on to its first post season victory since its '72 state championship season by beating Oak Hill High School of Wales, Maine, 35–6 in the quarter-finals. Morse faced their biggest challenge of the season in the semi-finals when the Shipbuilders played host to the defending Class B PTC Champion, Winslow. Winslow has been a perennial contender since it moved to Class B in 1989. Morse shocked the Pine Tree Conference by entering the locker room with a 22–12 lead at half time. In the second half, Winslow held Morse scoreless and was able to win the game 28–22. In 2008, the Shipbuilders avenged that loss with a 27–0 win over Winslow, and went on to win the PTC Championship allowing just 7 points in three playoff games. They went on to play Mountain Valley in the Maine Class B State Championship game. The school's first appearance in the football state championship game since 1972.

Morse High School offers a variety of sports throughout the school year...

Fall 

    - Soccer (Boys' & Girls')
    - Field Hockey (Co-ed) (Males may only compete at the Junior Varsity level)
    - Cross-Country (Co-ed)
    - Football (Co-ed)
    - Golf (Co-ed)

Winter 

    - Basketball (Boys' & Girls')
    - Wrestling (Co-ed)
    - Cheerleader (Co-ed)
    - Swimming (Co-ed)

Spring 

    - Baseball (Boys')
    - Softball (Girls')
    - Lacrosse (Boys' & Girls')
    - Tennis (Boys' & Girls')
    - Track & Field (Co-ed)

The Pit

The Pit is a historic part of Morse High School. Built in the style of a stadium, the room focuses around a relatively small basketball court often used for the Boy's PE class. The Pit is not used for spectator games anymore, as games open to the public have since been moved to the larger Bath Middle School gymnasium.[5] Each year, the school hosts a pep rally in The Pit, where classes compete to win the collective spirit week competition. This includes events such as a pie eating contest, and tug of war. In the four corners of the pit, there are four small hallways leading to stairwells or locker rooms. All but one of these entrances have been converted into storage spaces for mats, balls, etc. The pit is located underneath the Montgomery Theater at the school and students often use the pit as a common room before and after school. [6] The entrance to the school's fall out shelter is also located in one of the entrances to The Pit [7]

During the winter, Morse High School has a wrestling team. The pit is where the wrestling team holds their matches and practices.

The Arts

Home to the Montgomery Theatre, Morse High School has long had an active drama club, which took the district title in the One Act Play competition two years in a row in 2004 and 2005, and again in 2013.

Each November for more than 80 years, Morse has held the MOHIBA (Morse High Bazaar), a talent show where students can perform individually, or in acts with their class, club or team.

From 1977 to 1988 MHS students ran a 5 watt radio station whose call letters were changed to WMOS 98.3 "The Rock and Roll Clipper."

Morse has a symphonic band, several choral groups, and a jazz band which competes at local and regional festivals.

In 2015, Junior, Olivia Shipsey and Senior, Kimberly Crowley published a new school newspaper titled "Kaleidoscope." It is a newspaper of poetry, short stories and thoughts of students in Morse High School that wanted to contribute.

Montgomery Theatre

Montgomery Theatre is the site of several plays performed each year.[8] It was originally built as part of the 1929 building after the fire that burned down the first school building. it was not until 1994 that the theatre was dedicated to J. Pat and Priscilla Montgomery. For the last time, Morse will be hosting the regional One Acts Festival in the Montgomery Theatre during the 2016-2017 school year. [9]

Alumni Association

The Bath High School Alumni Association is one of the oldest in the country, and one of the highest returning alumni in the U.S. In 1891 a small group of graduates met to form the association. One hundred graduates attended the first Alumni Banquet on June 22, 1892. The objective of the B.H.S.A.A. (M.H.S.A.A.), according to the 1982 bylaws, is "to encourage sociability among the graduates and incidentally aid in promoting the welfare of Bath High School." (Bath High School now Morse)

Miscellanea

Old Morse High School c. 1905

Morse High is one of the few high schools in the state which does not have its own gym for basketball games, using Bath Middle School's instead. For many years, use of 'The Pit was made but is now a gym used now for phys ed, wrestling meets, and as a place to practice for other teams. Intramural Volleyball and Floor Hockey games are held here as well. The Pit is more than 80 years old and was voted the "Nicest gym in the state of Maine" when it was first opened in 1929. The pit caused many issues being dug out when the school was built due to a ledge under the foundation.

MTV's Made was filmed at Morse High School in the fall of 2004, starring Jackie Buck, a then sophomore wanting to "step out of her sister, Jenn Quintana's shadow" and have a part in the school's talent show, MOHIBA.

Extracurricular Activities

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theforecaster.net/bath-council-oks-land-sale-for-new-rsu-1-high-school/
  2. ↑ http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/28/news/midcoast/bath-area-school-board-votes-for-a-new-morse-high-school/
  3. ↑ https://sites.google.com/a/rsu1.org/morse-building-project/home
  4. ↑ https://sites.google.com/a/rsu1.org/morse-building-project/committees/design-committee
  5. ↑ http://www.rsu1.org/userfiles/-5/my%20files/morse%20high%20school%20report.pdf?id=538356
  6. ↑ http://www.rsu1.org/school_home.aspx?schoolID=1
  7. ↑ Fallout Shelter signs leading to the pit
  8. ↑ http://www.rsu1.org/userfiles/-5/my%20files/montgomery%20seats.pdf?id=538777
  9. ↑ The dedication plaque on the door to the theatre

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maine/districts/rsu-01---lkrsu/morse-high-school-8956

Sources

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