Morgan Park High School

Morgan Park High School
Address
1744 W. Pryor Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60643 United States
Coordinates	41°41′32″N 87°39′55″W / 41.6922°N 87.6654°WCoordinates: 41°41′32″N 87°39′55″W / 41.6922°N 87.6654°W
Information
School type	Public Secondary
Opened	1916
School district	Chicago Public Schools
CEEB Code	141035[1]
Principal	Carolyn Dolores Epps
Grades	7–12
Gender	Coed
Enrollment	1,429 (2015–16)
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Forest Green      White
Song	EMPEHI, EMPEHI, we are loyal[2]
Athletics conference	Chicago Public League[3]
Mascot	Mustangs[3]
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
Yearbook	Empehi
Website	morganparkcps.org

Morgan Park High School is a public 4–year high school and academic center located in the Morgan Park neighborhood on the far–south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States at the intersection of 111th street and Vincennes Avenue (11100 South and 1700 West). Morgan Park opened its doors on its current site in 1916. Morgan Park is apart of the Chicago Public Schools district.

History

The school began in 1916 with 283 students. By the 1970s, the student population had grown to over 3,300, though the enrollment has decreased since then. In 1934, over two thousand Morgan Park students went on strike, protesting overcrowded conditions ^[5] and the presence of African-American students in school classes, leaving only one hundred and forty students in class. Parents had met with the school superintendent demanding that classes be kept segregated.^[6] Eventually the strike was settled and the white students returned to the integrated school. Segregation became an issue again in 1945 when students at the school circulated a petition to have a separate building built for black students.^[7] Frank Sinatra visited the area to support integration during the strike and encourage the students return to the school.^[8]

Academics

In 1983, Morgan Park High School instituted a World Language and International Baccalaureate Studies Program that also allows students to enroll from outside the school's attendance area. The addition of a 7th and 8th grade Academic Center component allows advanced level students to begin earning high school credits and to study languages before 9th grade. Morgan Park High School offers both the IB Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme, and has been an International Baccalaureate Organization member school since 1999.^[9] Morgan Park was one of 11 schools nationwide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning the 2006-2007 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Notable alumni

• Lee Bernet, former offensive tackle who played professionally for the American Football League's Denver Broncos (1965–66).^[10]
• Wayne Blackshear, forward for the Louisville Cardinals.
• James C. Bliss, inventor of the Optacon
• Da'Ron Brown, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Corbin Bryant, defensive end in the National Football League.^[11]
• Michael Colyar (1975), actor and comedian (House Party 3, Martin)
• Fred Evans, defensive tackle who played for the Minnesota Vikings.^[12]
• Hugh Gallarneau, former NFL halfback who played from 1941–1942 and 1945–1947 for the Chicago Bears, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.^[13]
• Frisman Jackson (1979), former wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.^[14]
• Mae Jemison (1973), physician and former NASA astronaut, and the first African-American woman in space.^[15]
• Trezelle Jenkins, former offensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1995 through 1997.^[16]
• Jeremih, recording artist and producer.^[17]
• Bob Kennedy, MLB player (Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Brooklyn Dodgers) and Chicago Cubs manager and general manager.
• Corey Mays, linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs.^[18]
• George Piktuzis, MLB player (Chicago Cubs).
• Jeremy Rifkin (1963), economist, writer and public speaker; Founder of Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET).^[19]
• Jacqueline B. Vaughn (1953), American teacher. First African-American and first woman to head the nation's third largest teachers union local, Chicago Teachers Union.
• Earl Washington, jazz pianist.
• Johnny Washington, pitcher for the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues.

References

1. "High School Code Search". College Board. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
2. "School Song". Morgan Park High School. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
3. "Chicago (Morgan Park)". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 31 December 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
4. "Institution Summary for Morgan Park High School". AdvancED profile. North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
5. "THREATEN LOSS OF CREDITS TO STRIKING PUPILS - 2,000 Protest Crowding at Morgan Park High". Chicago Tribune: 2. October 9, 1934.
6. "Chicago Pupils Strike.; Protesting Negro Attendance, 1,700 Quit Morgan Park High School.", The New York Times, October 9, 1934
7. Star, Jack (August 31, 1975). "SEPTEMBER, 1945: Chicago in 1945--a blend of "The Quiz Kids," war brides, racial discrimination, and a surging stock market". Chicago Tribune: h14.
8. "Interview of Holmes 'Daddy-O' Daylie", The HistoryMakers Video Oral History Archive, accessed July 15, 2009.
9. Morgan Park High School, International Baccalaureate Organization. Accessed August 30, 2007.
10. Lee Bernet, database Football. Accessed August 30, 2007.
11. Corbin Bryant at Pittsburgh Steelers website.
12. Fred Evans, Texas State University-San Marcos. Accessed August 30, 2007.
13. Hall of Famers: Hugh "Duke" Gallarneau. College Football Hall of Fame. Accessed August 30, 2007.
14. Frisman Jackson, database Football. Accessed August 30, 2007.
15. Haynes, Karima A. "Mae Jemison: coming in from outer space", Ebony (magazine), December 1992. Accessed September 6, 2007. "Perhaps the most moving tribute came during a homecoming rally at Morgan Park High School, where Jemison graduated in 1973"
16. Trezelle Jenkins, database Football. Accessed August 30, 2007.
17. Vaughn, Shamontiel L. (2009-05-22). "Triple threat: Chicago native Jeremih, the singer, rapper, musician". Chicago Defender. Real Times. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
18. .
19. Sweet, Lynn. "Denmark's museums are as varied as its herrings", Chicago Sun-Times, August 23, 1987. "While strolling, I heard activist Jeremy Rifkin (A former Chicagoan who attended Morgan Park High School) warn of the dangers of genetic engineering."