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Samuel F.B. Morse High School
Morse High School
Address
6905 Skyline Drive San Diego, California 92114 United States
Coordinates	32°42′00″N 117°02′53″W / 32.7°N 117.0480556°W / 32.7; -117.0480556
Information
Established	1962
School board	San Diego Unified School District
Principal	Cynthia Larkin
Staff	77.19 (FTE)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,675 (2022–23)
Student to teacher ratio	21.70
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Navy Blue, Gold, & White
Mascot	Tiger
Newspaper	The Morse Code
Yearbook	The Morse Key
Website	Morse High School
Samuel F.B. Morse High School

Samuel F. B. Morse High School is an urban public high school in the Skyline neighborhood of southeastern San Diego, California. It serves grades 9–12 in the American K-12 education system. Morse, which serves a predominantly socioeconomically-disadvantaged student population, has produced several notable athletes among its alumni.

History

Encanto Hill Farms

The area where Morse would eventually be built was once farmland owned and cultivated by the Ito family, called Encanto Hill Farms. The family grew acres of avocados, squash, string beans, and bell peppers. They were neighbors with four other Japanese families who also farmed. Development pressure and other factors led to the disappearance of Japanese American farmers south of Interstate 8

Opening

Named after the inventor Samuel Finley Breese Morse, Morse High first opened its doors in 1962 to 1,200 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The Skyline neighborhood was only recently established, and it would take years for the vacant lots to be developed. The principal of the school was Thomas E. Walt. In attendance for the school's dedication in 1962 was Leila Morse, the granddaughter of Samuel F.B. Morse.

Image and perceptions in the 1990s

Morse was not immune to the gang-violence that plagued Southeast San Diego throughout the 1980s and 1990s. A highly publicized execution-style double-homicide that occurred on Morse's front lawn in 1992, in addition to the school's campus serving as a geographical locus of several major gangs in the area (for which many of its students were members of or associated with), painted Morse in an entirely negative light.

A staff member noted these points in a 1992 interview, acknowledging the perception of the school, but also naming its reality:

When people hear the name ‘Morse High School,’ they immediately think of shooting, drug activity, violence — you name it. They don’t realize that this campus is a beautiful campus; it’s a sanctuary for these students. We don’t have scandals here, because the students respect this campus — it’s theirs. And it’s the only place they can go that is free for them. We don’t have problems on this campus, not the kind people think.

Academic controversy in the early 2000s

Amid criticism of the school's declining performance after its administrative shake-up in 2002, then-superintendent Carl Cohn brought in Todd Irving, a Co-Principal from East Palo Alto High School, as Co-Principal to assist Principal Rocio Weiss for the 2006–2007 school year. Following Rocio Weiss's departure as Co-Principal in 2008, Todd Irving retained his role as Principal of Morse High School. The current principal (2018) is Cynthia Larkin.

One of the few remaining in The Southeast

When Gompers High School was converted to a grade 6-12 charter school in 2007, Morse High School and the rebuilt Lincoln High School became the only remaining public senior high schools in Southeast San Diego.

Background

Morse High School for much of the 1990s and 2000s was the most populous high school in the San Diego Unified School District, peaking at 3,142 students in 2001, for a school originally designed to accommodate 1,800. Morse serves the racially and socioeconomically diverse communities of Alta Vista, Bay Terraces, Encanto, Jamacha-Lomita, Paradise Hills, and Skyline in Southeast San Diego. Morse historically had a substantial Black, Latino, and Filipino student population especially throughout the late-1980s through the mid-2000s. In 2006–2007, with an enrollment at 2,795, demographics from the California Department of Education show that 35% of the students were Filipino, followed by Hispanic-Latino (34%), Black (21%), and non-Hispanic White (4.0%). Nearly 70% of the student body was eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at the time. More current statistical data in 2019-2020 show some demographic shifts from the 2006-2007 data listed prior, where, out of a dramatically smaller 1,718 students, there was a slight increase in Latinos at 36%, followed by Filipinos at 35%, a substantial reduction in Black students at 12%, an increase in Two or more races at 8%, Asian students at 3%, Pacific Islander students at 2%, and a slight decrease in non-Hispanic White students at 2%. Students who qualify for free-reduced lunch has hovered around 80% of the school population over the past few years.

Academics

Academic Performance Index place the school in schoolwide API of 640 (growth) in 2007 from 648 (base) in 2006 where 800 is the targeted California state goal. As of 2006, Morse High School has an API Statewide Rank of 3 out of 10, and an API Similar Schools Rank of 6 out of 10.

Programs

Athletics

Morse offers a full range of athletic teams. These teams compete under the Morse Tigers team name against other schools in the district and in the surrounding area. Tryouts for the teams usually take place the previous semester. Morse High School is one of very few high schools to have produced two Olympic Gold Medalists (Arnie Robinson and Monique Henderson).

Notable alumni

• Archie Amerson, football, c/o 1993
• Dino Babers, football coach, c/o 1979
• Tommy Bennett, football, c/o 1991
• Quintin Berry, baseball, c/o 2003
• Marcus Brady, football c/o 1997
• Rashard Cook, football c/o 1995
• Terrell Davis, football, attended Morse but later transferred to Lincoln High School.
• David Dunn, football c/o 1990
• Rome dela Rosa, PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) c/o 2009
• Lonnie Ford, football c/o 1997
• Monique Henderson, track and field, Olympic gold medalist, c/o 2001
• Sam Horn, baseball c/o 1982
• Adam Jones, baseball c/o 2003
• Faizon Love, actor and comedian, c/o 1986
• Lincoln Kennedy, football, c/o 1988
• Cliff Levingston, basketball, c/o 1979
• Charles Lewis, c/o 1984, San Diego City Council member
• Pat Loika, podcaster
• Samuel Madden (MIT), professor of computer science at MIT, c/o 1994
• Brandon McCoy, professional basketball player
• Mark McLemore, baseball c/o 1982
• Rafael Peralta, Sergeant, USMC; Navy Cross recipient; casualty Iraq War c/o 1997
• Arnie Robinson, Olympic medalist in track and field
• Marcus Smith, football c/o 2003

Notable faculty

• Bob Mendoza, Breitbard Hall of Fame Coaching Legend, coached football, baseball and golf

References

1. ^ "Morse High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
2. "School History of Morse High School". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
3. ^ "History of Morse High School". San Diego Unified School District. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
4. "The Good Food District Historical Background and Current Needs" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-11-27.
5. "Killing of Two S.D. Teens May Be Linked to Gangs". Los Angeles Times. 1992-02-03. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
6. ^ "Fight a bad rep at Morse High School". San Diego Reader. 1992-07-30. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
7. Davis, Kelly. "WHO'S TO BLAME?: Morse High School needs help, but is removing its principal the answer?". San Diego CityBEAT. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
8. "Board Action Summary for July 11, 2006". San Diego Unified School District. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
9. Gemmell, Kevin. "Rah, rah, rah! Be true to your school now". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
10. "Faculty Staff Directory". Morse High School. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
11. "Schools overview". San Diego Unified School District. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
12. Gao, Helen (June 16, 2007). "Gompers High saying farewell to final class". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
13. Gao, Helen (September 2, 2007). "Rebirth of Lincoln High". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on 2011-05-19. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
14. ^ "Morse High School in San Diego". School Digger. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
15. "Morse High School Attendance Area 2007-2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-12-18. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
16. "2006-07 Selected School Level Data for Morse High School". Retrieved 2007-09-22.
17. "School board shifting federal money". Retrieved 2011-08-03.
18. "Student demographics". Great Schools. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
19. "2006-07 Accountability Progress Reporting". California Department of Education. August 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
20. "2006 Base API School Report - Morse Senior High". California Department of Education. July 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
21. "Morse Tigers". Morse High School Athletics. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
22. nmink@syracuse.com, Nate Mink (24 August 2019). "Timeline of Dino Babers' career". syracuse.
23. Stewart, Mark (January 1999). Terrell Davis: Toughing It Out. Lerner Publications. ISBN 9780761315148. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
24. "United States Olympic Committee - Henderson, Monique". United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
25. ^ "The Baseball Cube". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
26. ^ "Samuel F.B. Morse High School Yearbook 1982-San Diego California". Retrieved 2007-08-22.
27. "SoSH Wiki". 2006-09-21. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
28. "The Official Site of The Seattle Mariners". MLB. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
29. "Hope full of Love tonight". Retrieved 2020-06-29.
30. "San Diego Hall of Champions Breitbard Hall of Fame Nominees". Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
31. Rother, Caitlin. "Another tragedy for grieving family". Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
32. Fikes Jr., Robert. "The Black in Crimson and Black: A History and Profiles of African Americans at SDSU" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
33. "Coaching legends to receive honors". U-T San Diego.

External links

• School website

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