Morgan Park High School
Encyclopedia
Morgan Park High School (known as Empehi), located in Chicago, Illinois, at the intersection of 111th street and Vincennes Avenue (11100 South and 1700 West) is a public high school that opened its doors on its present site in 1916, as part of the Chicago Public Schools
. It presently educates around 1,700 student
s in grades 7-12.
From its beginning, the Morgan Park High School student body has been multi-racial and multi-cultural. However, in the years between the wars, this caused some problems. On September 22, 1928 the transfer of twenty-five African-American
pupils from Morgan Park to Fenger High School caused a student strike, at Fenger High, which the police had to quell. In 1934, 1,700 students went strike, protesting the presence of African-Americans in school classes, leaving only 58 students in school. Parents had met with the school superintendent demanding that classes be kept segregated.
Eventually the strike was settled and the white students returned to the integrated school. Frank Sinatra
visited the area to support integration during the strike and encourage the students return to the school.
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.
Morgan Park was one of 11 schools nation-wide 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
.
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
. It presently educates around 1,700 student
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s in grades 7-12.
Facilities
An addition was built in 1925, providing the school with a gymnasium, auditorium and swimming pool. Expansion continued with the completion of a major addition in 1965. In 1983, the campus was greatly enlarged with the addition of tennis courts, a football field, running track, baseball field, soccer field, outdoor basketball courts, student driving range and faculty parking.History
Starting with 283 pupils in 1916, the school grew over the years to more than 3,300 in 1975, when overcrowding, even with the use of branch facilities for freshman, finally resulted in a court-ordered enrollment plan designed to reduce the student population while preserving an integrated student body. The present student enrollment is a stable 2,200.From its beginning, the Morgan Park High School student body has been multi-racial and multi-cultural. However, in the years between the wars, this caused some problems. On September 22, 1928 the transfer of twenty-five African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
pupils from Morgan Park to Fenger High School caused a student strike, at Fenger High, which the police had to quell. In 1934, 1,700 students went strike, protesting the presence of African-Americans in school classes, leaving only 58 students in school. Parents had met with the school superintendent demanding that classes be kept segregated.
Eventually the strike was settled and the white students returned to the integrated school. Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
visited the area to support integration during the strike and encourage the students return to the school.
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
IB Middle Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme is an educational programme intended for students aged approximately 11 to 16 . Thus, in the United States the programme is often taught throughout the middle school years and the first two years of high school...
and the IB Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
, and has been an International Baccalaureate Organization
International Baccalaureate Organization
The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...
member school since 1999.
Morgan Park was one of 11 schools nation-wide selected by the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
for inclusion in the EXCELerator
EXCELerator
' is a school improvement model developed with the College Board. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to fund a five-year pilot project with a $16 million grant...
School Improvement Model program beginning the 2006-2007 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
.
Notable Alumni
- Lee BernetLee BernetLee Bernet is a former American college and professional football player. An offensive tackle, he played college football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and played professionally for the American Football League's Denver Broncos in 1965 and 1966.Bernet played high school football at...
is a former offensive tackle who played professionally for the American Football LeagueAmerican Football LeagueThe American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1965–66). - Fred EvansFred Evans (American football)Frederick H. Evans is an American football defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
is a defensive tackle who currently plays for the Minnesota VikingsMinnesota VikingsThe Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. - Hugh GallarneauHugh GallarneauHugh H. "Duke" Gallarneau was an NFL halfback from 1941–1942 and 1945–1947 for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Stanford, where he was an All-American.-College career:...
is a former NFL halfbackRunning backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
who played from 1941–1942 and 1945–1947 for the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. - Frisman JacksonFrisman JacksonFrisman Jackson is a former American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League...
(1979) is a former wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Mae JemisonMae JemisonMae Carol Jemison is an American physician and NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992.-Early years:...
(1973) is a physician and former NASA astronaut, and the first African-American woman in space. - Trezelle JenkinsTrezelle JenkinsTrezelle Samuel Jenkins is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1995 through 1997....
is a former offensive tackle who played for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
from 1995 through 1997. - JeremihJeremihJeremiah Felton who performs under the mononym Jeremih , is an American recording artist and producer signed to Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's debut single, "Birthday Sex" , peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100...
is a recording artist and producer. - Corey MaysCorey MaysCorey Lemard Mays is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Notre Dame...
played at linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. - Jeremy RifkinJeremy RifkinJeremy Rifkin is an American economist, writer, public speaker, political advisor and activist. He is the founder and president of the Foundation On Economic Trends...
(1963) is an economist, writer and public speaker; Founder of Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET). - Earl Washington (musician)Earl Washington (musician)Earl "The Ghost" Washington was a jazz pianist.-Early life:Washington grew up with his brothers and sisters, in the small community of Morgan Park, on Chicago’s far southwest side. He graduated from Morgan Park High School, as did his siblings...
is a jazz pianistJazz pianoJazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
. - Johnny WashingtonJohnny WashingtonJohnny Washington played for the Chicago American Giants and the Houston Eagles in baseball's Negro League.Washington was born in Chicago and attended that city's Morgan Park High School, graduating in 1949....
was a pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Chicago American GiantsChicago American GiantsChicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team, owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Foster. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball...
of the Negro LeaguesNegro league baseballThe Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
.