| Muscatine High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| 2705 Cedar Street Muscatine, Iowa, USA |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Established | 1868 |
| Oversight | Muscatine Community School District |
| Principal | Robert Weaton |
| Enrollment | Approximately 1,700 |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Muskies |
| Website | [1] |
Muscatine High School is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Muscatine, Iowa. The school is part of the Muscatine Community School District, and has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students in grades nine through twelve.
Located at 2705 Cedar Street in Muscatine(approximately one mile east of U.S. Highway 61), Muscatine High School draws students from the city and adjacent rural areas.
Sports teams are known as the Muskies. Sports programs include football, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, basketball, soccer, track and field, baseball, and softball.
The drama department presents a fall play and a spring musical every year.
A recent addition and renovation project has added numerous amenities such as a renovated cafeteria and student center, a new band room, new classrooms and labs, and a new main office complex. Muscatine High School also boasts a day care center for the children of the students.
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Muscatine High School participates in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, and athletic teams are known as the Muskies. School colors are purple and gold.
The school fields athletic teams in 21 sports, including:
The school also has a cheerleading squad and a competitive dance team.
Muscatine is classified as a 4A school (Iowa's largest 48 schools), according to the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union; in sports where there are fewer divisions, the Muskies are always in the largest class (e.g., Class 3A for wrestling, boys soccer, and Class 2A for golf, tennis and girls soccer). The school is a member of the 10-team Mississippi Athletic Conference (known to locals as the MAC), which comprises schools from the Iowa Quad Cities, and also Burlington and Clinton high schools.
Throughout the school's history, Muscatine has enjoyed great success in many of its sports, earning many MAC conference titles and producing all-state athletes who have enjoyed success at the collegiate level and in their careers.
To date, Muscatine's most successful teams have been in softball, where several athletes have gone on to outstanding careers at NCAA Division I schools. Muskie softball teams have been to the IGHSAU-sponsored state tournament 11 times between 1980 and 2009.
Prior to the late 1990s, Muscatine struggled to field competitive football teams. During a stretch during the 1970s, the Muskies lost 44 consecutive football games, starting with the second game of the 1973 season and ending with the 1978 season opener against Ottumwa.[2]
It wasn't until years later that Muscatine had a winning season, when the 1997 team went 8-1; the Muskies won the MAC title outright, finished the regular season ranked 5th in the state, and received the school's first-ever playoff berth. The 2003 Muskies, boasting several all-state athletes, advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs before losing to eventual state runner-up Cedar Rapids Washington.[3]
One-time Muskie Ben Barkema was selected as an undrafted free agent for the Cleveland Browns after the 2008 NFL Draft.
The Muskies are now under the command of head coach Jake Mueller, who is in his first season at the helm. He is known for his trademark "pistol" offensive formation and calm demeanor on the sidelines. The 2010 Team went 6-4, and advanced to the Second Round Playoffs, but lost 42-21 to Cedar Falls (it should be noted that Coach Mueller is a Cedar Falls graduate).
The show choirs at the high school also have had much success in the past few years under the direction of Nick Oswald. In 2009, the Muscatine High School varsity show choir "River City Rhythm" made the finals at every show choir competition in which they competed across Iowa. In 2010, they did the same and captured "Best Vocals", "Best Choreography", "Best Band" and their first "Grand Championship" finish in 19 years of existence at the Keokuk High School show choir invitational.
In 2011 the Muscatine Boys' Swim Team won the school's first state championship in 51 years.
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