Morse High School (Maine)

Morse High School
Address
826 High Street
Bath, Maine, 04530
United States
Coordinates 43°54′51″N 69°49′12″W / 43.9141°N 69.8200°WCoordinates: 43°54′51″N 69°49′12″W / 43.9141°N 69.8200°W
Information
Motto Think, Care, Act
Established 1904
School district RSU #1
Superintendent Patrick Manuel
Principal John Pinkerton
Asst. Principal Jay Lemont, Holly Feeny
Faculty 52
Grades 9–12
Enrolment 640
Number of students 640
 • Grade 9 162
 • Grade 10 148
 • Grade 11 155
 • Grade 12 175
Color(s)      Blue and      white
Song The Blue and The White
Mascot the Shipbuilders
Newspaper The Morse Tribune
Yearbook The Clipper
Communities served Bath, West Bath, Phippsburg, Woolwich, Georgetown, Arrowsic
Website mhs.rsu1.org/

Morse High School in Bath, Maine, brings in students from the communities of Bath, West 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. As of December 2011, Morse's population is 640 students; 96% Caucasian, 2% African American, 1% Hispanic/Latino, .8% Asian, .5% American Indian/Alaska Native. The student/teacher ratio at Morse is 14:1.

Morse's mascot is the Shipbuilder, a tribute to the Bath area's long shipbuilding tradition which extends all the way to 1607 on Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine. The school colors are blue and white.

Morse High School publishes a yearbook every year, called the Clipper.

Rivalry

Morse High School has a long-time rivalry with the neighboring town, Brunswick High School, dating from the early 1900s. The Morse/Brunswick rivalry is one of the oldest in the state.

School Song

"The Blue and the White"

The Blue and the White,
Colors ever dear to me,
Banner of Morse High, the flag of victory.
Rah, rah, rah!
Blue and the White
When we hear the battle cry,
We'll fight for the glory of
The Blue and White of Old Morse High!
M-O-R-S-E M-O-R-S-E
Blue! White
Blue and White, get in and fight for old Morse High!

The Blue and the White,
Colors ever dear to me,
Banner of Morse High, the flag of victory.
Rah, rah, rah!
Blue and the White
When we hear the battle cry,
We'll fight for the glory of
The Blue and White of Old Morse High!
Morse![1]

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 boy's 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 boy's swim team won the state championship in the 2005–2006 swim season. The girl's 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.

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.

Alumni Association

The Bath High School Alumni Association is one of the oldest in the country. In 1891 a small group of graduates met to form the association. One hundred graduates attended first Alumni Banquet on June 22, 1892. The Alumni Banquet on June 10, 2011 was the 120th such banquet. The objective of the B.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."

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, instead using Bath Middle School's gym, though, for many years, it did make use of 'The Pit': a gym used now for phys ed, wrestling meets, and as a place to practice for other teams. 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. ↑ Morse High School Student & Parent Handbook 2008 - 2009

Sources

Morse High School was filmed briefly in the video "Where's My Mind" by the Pixies.

External links