MURPHY HIGH SCHOOL

'S. S. Murphy High School', located in Mobile, Alabama, is a public high school operated by the Mobile County Public School System.

Contents

History

Academics

Dress code

Athletics

School creed

Alma Mater

Feeder patterns

External links

See also

History

In 1922, the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) began to plan for the construction of a new high school that would serve the entire county, as the facilities of Barton Academy were becoming overcrowded with soldiers returning from World War I. In 1923, the Mobile County School Board acquired 38 acres from the Carlen family for a site for their proposed high school complex, with room for a student body from 8th to 11th grade. The cornerstone of the school was laid on December 14, 1925, and on April 26, 1926, Mobile High School, later known as Murphy High School, opened. Construction costs totaled $850,000 for the first six buildings with an additional $200,000 spent on the gymnasium and the Olympic-size pool installed in 1930, leading to the local designation of the school as the "million-dollar high school".
The school was first known as Mobile High School, but two years after its opening the school's name was changed to Murphy High School in honor of Samuel Silenus Murphy, MCPSS superintendent from 1900-1926. While still called Mobile High School, the yearbook was called the "Mobile High Annual". At the change of the name to Murphy High School, the workers did not want to change the name of the yearbook. They agreed to shorten the name to "Mohian," or a shortened version of 'Mo'bile 'Hi'gh 'An'nual.
Murphy was selected in 1987 as a Presidential Model School by the U.S. Department of Education and was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1982. In 1994, Redbook Magazine named Murphy one of the top high schools in America. For the 2007-2008 school year, Murphy has an enrollment of 2613 students, making it the largest in Alabama. The ACT also selected Murphy as one of the top ten high schools in America.

Academics

Murphy attracts students from all over Mobile County. It has extensive offering of courses, including 14 courses of Advanced Placement and the International Baccalaureate program. Students at Murphy consistently score above the national average on SAT and ACT tests. Earning over $6.5 million in scholarships annually, an average of 65% of Murphy's seniors attend four-year colleges, and approximately 20% attend two-year colleges, including vocational training. From 1990-2003, Murphy had 24 National Merit semi-finalists, and 28 commended students. Nine students earned National Achievement Recognition. Murphy also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
With block-scheduled classes, instituted in the school year of 1997-1998, students spend 96 minutes per class and earn one credit for each class per semester.
Thomas Hinkle, India Jessica Moore, Brenton Howard, Brian Crawford, Hunter Todd

Dress code

The MCPSS requires all schools to have a school uniform policy. [1]. Shirts allowed include light blue oxford shirts and navy blue tennis shirts. Shirts must not have a manufacturer logo. Trousers must be khaki. Students are not permitted to wear corduroy or denim material. Skirts are allowed but must be plaid.

Athletics

Murphy plays in Class 6A's region 1. The mascot for athletic teams is a Panther. The 2006 Varsity Football team, coached by Ronn Lee, finished 9-3, with losses to Foley, rival McGill-Toolen, and a 2nd round playoff loss to Opelika. The roster of the 2006 Varsity/JV team can be found Here

School creed

Let me remember that, if I am really to live, I must live my own life.

For when I pretend to be someone else, to claim someone else's ideas and knowledge, I am not actually living at all.

Let me be constantly broadening the horizons of my own understanding, my own knowledge, my own beliefs;
striving to be, when each day dies, better than the morning found me.

Let me learn to be a giver in this school fellowship and not one who takes and only takes.

Let me seek to share my knowledge, my zeal, and my faith through service to those about me.

Let the light of my enthusiasm and friendship so shine that others may be guided aright.

Let me find my task and ever have the courage and persistence to do it.

Let me keep my standards on a plane that will be a credit to my home, an honor to my school, a strength to myself, and an influence for my Creator.

And, o'er all else, in the living of these high school days—let my life be a true expression of what "I" believe.

Alma Mater

Stan Mitchell president of the student council in 1944 started a drive for an Alma Mater and received many songs written by Murphy students. Weezie Durant explained the good points of song number one at a student assembly, claiming the words of the song described perfectly the spirit and beauty of Murphy. Song number one later became the Alma Mater, and it was revealed that the song was written by Stanley McLain. On May 11, 1945 the students voted to select the Alma Mater as their own.

In days of old, when Spaniards bold, were sailing Mobile Bay,

A dream was born one early morn. That dream’s come true today.

Now colleges and high schools too may have traditions old.

But none can boast the glorious birth of Murphy’s Blue and Gold.



They built a shrine to knowledge fine, they called it Murphy High.

A soul was there, a soul so fair, whose spirit shall never die.

They took the blue of deepest hue, the blue of southern sky.

They took the gold from the sun so old, the colors of Murphy High.

Feeder patterns

The following middle schools feed into Murphy High School [2]:
Portions of the attendance boundary:

★ Burns Middle School

★ Calloway-Smith Middle School

★ Denton Middle School

★ Eanes Middle School

★ Hillsdale Middle School

★ Pillans Middle School

★ Scarborough Middle School

★ Washington Middle School
In addition, many students that attended the system's magnet middle schools, mostly Phillips Preparatory, go on to attend Murphy, rather than LeFlore.

External links

★ Murphy High School

★ Murphy High School Alumni Association

See also

★ List of International Baccalaureate Schools