Morris Knolls High School

Morris Knolls High School (MKHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Denville Township and most of Rockaway Township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as one of the two secondary schools of the Morris Hills Regional High School District.[6] The school is located in Denville but has a Rockaway mailing address. The other high school in the district is Morris Hills High School.

Morris Knolls High School
"Home Of The Golden Eagles"
Address
50 Knoll Drive

Rockaway
,
Morris County
,
New Jersey
07866

United States
Coordinates40.88595°N 74.507841°W / 40.88595; -74.507841
Information
School typePublic high school
Opened1964
StatusOpen
School districtMorris Hills Regional High School District
CEEB code311321
NCES School ID341074004354[1]
PrincipalRyan MacNaughton
Faculty129.5 FTEs[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,388 (as of 2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio10.7:1[1]
Hours in school day7
Color(s)  Green and
  Gold[2]
AthleticsVarsity
Athletics conferenceNorthwest Jersey Athletic Conference (general)
North Jersey Super Football Conference (football)
Team nameGolden Eagles[2]
RivalRandolph, Morris Hills
PublicationSpectrum (literary magazine)[3]
NewspaperThe Quill[4]
YearbookTalon[5]
Communities servedRockaway Township
Rockaway
Denville
Websitewww.mhrd.org/mkhs

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,388 students and 129.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.7:1. There were 84 students (6.1% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 22 (1.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

As a part of the Morris Hills Regional School District's (MHRD) magnet program, Morris Knolls was approved as an International Baccalaureate (IB) world school.[7] The IB Diploma Program at Morris Knolls (MKIB) serves more than 80 students.

As of 2018, Morris Knolls is host to The Academy of Performing Arts, a magnet school for Morris County Vocational School District and the Morris County School of Technology (MCVTS).[8]

Awards and recognition

The school was the 64th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[9] The school had been ranked 79th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 79th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[10] The magazine ranked the school 88th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[11] The school was also ranked 71st in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[12] Schooldigger.com ranked the school tied for 120th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 34 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (86.4%) and language arts literacy (94.2%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[13]

For the 1996-97 school year, Morris Knolls High School was named a "Star School" by the New Jersey Department of Education, the highest honor awarded by the state.[14]

Athletics
The Morris Knolls football field and track

The Morris Knolls High School Golden Eagles[2] participate in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris, Sussex and Warren countyies, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[15][16] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the Iron Hills Conference.[17] With 1,100 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[18] The football team competes in the Freedom Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[19][20] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 895 to 1,296 students.[21]

The school participates as the host school and lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Morris Hills High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[22]

The baseball team has won the Morris County Tournament three times, tied for the fourth-most in tournament history, winning in 1973, 1988 and 1989.[23]

The field hockey team won the North II Group IV state sectional title in 1976 and 1997, the North I Group IV title in 1999, 2000 and 2008, and won the Group IV state championship in 1997.[24] The 1997 team finished the season with a 16-4-5 record after finishing the season by winning the Group IV title with a 1-0 overtime victory against Cherokee High School in the championship game.[25]

The softball team won the Group IV state championship in 1980 (defeating Edison High School in the tournament final) and 2010 (vs. Eastern Regional High School).[26] The 1980 team won the Group IV state title with a 5-4 victory against Edison in the championship game at Mercer County Park.[27]

The football team has won state sectional championships in 1994 (North II, Group III), 1995 (North II, Group IV), 1996 (North II, Group III) and 2005 (North I, Group IV).[28] The 1994 team finished the season with a 9-2 record after winning the North II Group III state sectional title with a 21-14 win against West Essex High School on a touchdown scored in the final minute of the championship game at Giants Stadium.[29] The team won the North II Group III title in 1996 with a 36-20 win against Malcolm X Shabazz High School in the sectional championship game at Giants Stadium.[30] The team went undefeated in 2005, winning every game including its defeat of Montclair High School in the North I, Group IV state sectional championship game.[31][32] The team has been coached for over 40 years by Bill Regan Jr., who also works as a gym teacher. Morris Knolls has run the Houston split back Veer offense for Regan's entire tenure as a head coach. In October 2007 Regan joined his father, Bill Regan Sr., who was a coach at the nearby Delbarton School, as one of four coaches in Morris County history to attain 200 career wins. As a homecoming event, the Knolls football team plays against Morris Hills in an annual rivalry game at the beginning of every school year. The teams have played each other since 1972, with Morris Knolls winning 15 of the 25 games through the 2017 season. NJ.com listed the rivalry as 26th best in their 2007 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football".[33]

In 1999, the football program suffered from a sophomore hazing scandal that was exposed in a several article series in the Daily Record and The Star-Ledger.[34]

The ice hockey team won the Public School championship in 2005 and won the Public A title in 2014, 2019 and 2020 (as co-op with Morris Hills).[35] The team also reached the state semifinals in 1996 losing to Brick Township, and again in 2007, losing to rival Randolph.[36]

The wrestling team won the North I Group IV state championship in 2006.[37]

Morris Knolls' boys' and girls' lacrosse teams were established in 2006. Both teams played as JV level teams in 2006, and varsity for 2007. In its first established varsity year, the boys team finished with an 8-9 record (including post season games). The boys team made it into the second round of the County Playoff Tournament before losing to local powerhouse, Delbarton School and the state tournament losing to Vernon Township High School in the first round.

In 2018, the Morris Knolls boys soccer team started with a record of 0-4 and went on to win the North I Group IV state championship, and ended the season with a 17-10-1 season record. The team won their first sectional title in almost 50 years when they defeated top-ranked Montclair High School by a score of 3-2 in double overtime in the tournament final.[38]

In the 2018-2019 season, the boys indoor track and field team won the Morris County Championship as well as the NJSIAA North I Group III sectional championship.

Marching band

The Morris Knolls Marching Band is a competition ensemble that participates in the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) circuit.

In 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2013, the Morris Knolls Marching Band won the USSBA Group 3 Open state championships. In 2008, the band was recognized as the all-Northeast champion.[39]

Three years later, at the 2006 USSBA National Championships at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, Morris Knolls High School placed fourth in their group and the colorguard was recognized as Best Color Guard National Championship title in Class III.[40]

During the 2007 season, the Morris Knolls Marching Band won the title of state champions in their group of 3 Open at the USSBA NJ state championships. The band also received the caption awards of Best Percussion, Best Colorguard, Best Effect, and Best Visual at this state competition. The same year, at the USSBA National Championships, Morris Knolls placed second in their group, also winning Best Colorguard and Best Percussion. The MKMB percussion was titled Grand National Champions, receiving the highest score out of all percussion ensembles at the competition, which included over 70 bands.

In the 2010 season, the Morris Knolls Marching Band won second place at the USSBA National Championships with a score of 95.838 in Group 2 Open, winning the caption for Best Color Guard.[41]

Student government
The new school sign: A project sponsored by the Student Government Association in conjunction with the Class of 2008 and the Interact Club.

The Student Government Association (SGA) of Morris Knolls is comprised of five elected Senior officers, and six elected representatives from each class. Members of the SGA organize school wide events to promote school spirit, and interact regularly with the Administration regarding school activities and improvements.

Each class has four elected officers; President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. These four officers organize individual class events such as fundraisers, and prom for the Juniors and Seniors.

Administration

The school's principal is Ryan MacNaughton. His core administration team includes three assistant principals.[42]

Notable alumni

Senior pranks

Throughout the past twenty years there have been many students who have attempted to pull a Senior prank, some of which that have made local news. In 2002 a few students put three chickens in the school marked one, two, and four. This was done to keep the administration busy looking for the third chicken, but in reality it never existed. In 2007 the senior and junior class started a huge food fight which caused approximately $2,780 in damage to ceiling tiles, tables, and televisions. The class of 2009's prank made the news on News 12 New Jersey and various local newspapers after students placed a dead deer in the senior bathroom with a sign on the carcass which said 'The class of 2009, the last class to make you say Oh!'".[52]

In 2010, after seniors from Morris Knolls released farm animals into the school's ceilings, an animal control person fell off of the ladder and tried suing the students for $1 million. All animals were safely removed from the ceilings, but the students were apprehended before classes started and brought up on charges ranging from burglary and conspiracy to animal cruelty.[53]

References
  1. School data for Morris Knolls High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 1, 2022.
  2. Morris Knolls High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Literary Publication (Spectrum), Morris Knolls High School. Accessed March 26, 2022.
  4. Newspaper (Quill), Morris Knolls High School. Accessed March 26, 2022.
  5. Yearbook (Talon), Morris Knolls High School. Accessed March 26, 2022.
  6. Program of Studies 2017-2018 - About Our School District, Morris Hills Regional District. Accessed January 2, 2017. "Morris Hills High School receives students from Wharton, the southernmost portion of Rockaway Township, which includes Rockaway Road to East Blackwell Street, north across Route #46, including Rockaway Gardens, both sides of Swede Mine Road to the boundary, Sunnyhill Road, the upper portion of Daniel Street to the intersection of Robert Street, and the White Meadow Lake portion of Rockaway Township; Rockaway Borough north of Route #46 as well as within the area of Rockaway Road, the Trailer Park behind the Boro Plaza (west of the railroad track) south of Route #46. Morris Knolls High School receives students from Denville, all of Rockaway Township with the exception of White Meadow Lake and the area described above in the southern part of Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough south of Route #46 with the exception of the area of Rockaway Road and the Trailer Park behind the Boro Plaza (west of the railroad track) south of Route #46."
  7. Morris Knolls High School, International Baccalaureate. Accessed January 2, 2017.
  8. Nixon, Ferlanda. "Ribbon-Cutting at the Academy for the Performing Arts at Morris Knolls High School", TAP into Denville, September 18, 2018. Accessed January 23, 2021. "Teachers, administrators, students and parents gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Morris Knolls High School on Sept. 14 to unveil a state-of-the-art dance studio at the nascent Academy for the Performing Arts (APA). APA is a new partnership between Morris Knolls High School and the Morris County School of Technology that offers students comprehensive academics combined with career and technical education classes in dance, vocal music and theater."
  9. Staff. "Top Schools Alphabetical List 2014", New Jersey Monthly, September 2, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2014.
  10. Staff. "The Top New Jersey High Schools: Alphabetical", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2012.
  11. Staff. "2010 Top High Schools", New Jersey Monthly, August 16, 2010. Accessed February 1, 2011.
  12. "Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank", New Jersey Monthly, September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008.
  13. School Overview; Click on "Rankings" for 2003-11 HSPA results, Schooldigger.com. Accessed March 12, 2012.
  14. New Jersey Department of Education Star School Award recipient detail 1996-97 school year, Morris Knolls High School, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 29, 2006.
  15. Home Page, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Accessed August 27, 2020. "The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference prides itself on being one of New Jersey's premier high school conferences and is comprised of 39 high schools located in Northwest New Jersey."
  16. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  17. Home Page, Iron Hills Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive, as of April 24, 2006. Accessed November 20, 2014.
  18. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  19. Cooper, Darren. "Here's what we know about the new Super Football Conference 2020 schedule", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference (SFC) is a 112-team group, the largest high school football-only conference in America, and is comprised of teams from five different counties."
  20. Cooper, Darren. "NJ football: Super Football Conference revised schedules for 2020 regular season", The Record, July 23, 2020. Accessed March 22, 2021. "The Super Football Conference has 112 teams that will play across 20 divisions."
  21. NJSIAA Football Public School Classifications 2022–2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  22. NJSIAA Winter Cooperative Sports Programs, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed December 1, 2020.
  23. "The history of the Morris County Baseball Tournament (Throwback Photos)", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 11, 2019, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2020.
  24. History of NJSIAA Field Hockey Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  25. "Titles tell tales; Colvin revives Knolls", Daily Record, December 9, 1997. Accessed January 2, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "With Colvin, a second-year coach, providing encouragement, Morris Knolls (16-4-5) did play on turf again. The Golden Eagles captured the Group IV championship by shocking the state's top team, Cherokee, 2-1 in overtime at the College of New Jersey."
  26. NJSIAA Softball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  27. "Morris Knolls wins", Courier-Post, June 18, 1980. Accessed March 14, 2021. "Winning pitcher Kathy Johnson helped her own cause, driving in one run and scoring another in a three-run sixth as Morris Knolls captured the state Group 4 softball championship with a 5-4 win over Edison at Mercer County Park here yesterday."
  28. NJSIAA Football History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  29. Battaglino, Mike. "Regan Jr. calls the right pitch; Knolls wins on Cervona TD at 0:27", Daily Record, December 3, 1994. Accessed January 24, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Cervona's 2-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds remaining in the game gave Morris Knolls a 21-14 victory over West Essex and the school's first state sectional football championship. Cervona's run came on a fourth-and-two play with his team trailing 14-13 in the North Jersey Section 2, Group III finale last night at Giants Stadium.... Morris Knolls (9-2) dominated the first half, outgaining West Essex 178-94 and taking the lead on touchdown runs by quarterback Mike Talmadge and Cervona."
  30. Haley, John. "Franklin 'special' in win", Asbury Park Press, December 9, 1996. Accessed December 1, 2020. "Morris Knolls 36, Shabazz 20: Bryan Pojanowski ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns Sunday to lead Morris Knolls to a 36-20 win over Shabazz and capture the North Jersey Section 2, Group III championship at Giants Stadium."
  31. 2005 Football - North I, Group IV, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 9, 2006.
  32. Lanni, Pat. "Morris Knolls football honors its 1995, 2005 state championship teams", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 14, 2015, updated August 24, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2020. "The 1995 team was celebrating the 20th anniversary of its 16-7 win over Montclair while the 2005 team was celebrating its 10-year anniversary of its state title as well as its undefeated season."
  33. Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "26-Morris Hills vs. Morris Knolls: These sister schools have an intense history, even if it's been somewhat sporadic. Their first meeting came back in 1972 and they've met 24 times since, but they've also had layoffs in the series, including a lengthy gap between 1988 and 2002.... All-time series: Morris Knolls leads, 15-10"
  34. "High school throws flag on hazing by gridders". The Star-Ledger. September 2, 1999. p. 25. When it comes to hazing on the Morris Knolls High School football team, former players and students say the only difference between previous years and the current season is that this time the participants got caught.... Last week, school officials acknowledged that some of the varsity team's younger players had been pelted with mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, dog food and eggs, while others were struck with plastic whiffle ball bats as part of an initiation ritual. The incident, which took place in a Rockaway Township home, involved eight or nine juniors and seniors who were initiating about 15 sophomores, said Robert Woodruff, an attorney representing Golden Eagles head coach Bill Regan Jr.... The Golden Eagles were forced to forfeit their opening game against Morristown, scheduled for Sept. 18.... James McNasby, superintendent of the Morris Hills district, which includes Morris Knolls, said yesterday 15 to 20 students had been disciplined for the hazing incident.
  35. NJSIAA Ice Hockey State Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  36. "Tomensky's five goals help Morris Knolls advance to Public semis". Daily Record. March 10, 2007.
  37. NJSIAA Wrestling Team Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2021.
  38. Roland, Casey. "Amid controversy, Morris Knolls stuns No. 2 Montclair to win N1G4, then chaos", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 8, 2018, updated August 23, 2019. Accessed December 28, 2019. "Morris Knolls continued its incredible hot streak Thursday, though this time doing so in controversial fashion. With less than five minutes remaining in the second overtime period of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 title game in Montclair, Morris Knolls senior forward Tommy Scalici hit the ground inside the box after making contact with a defender.... Once the dust settled, Scalici stepped up and tucked the penalty kick inside the right post, giving 14th-seeded Morris Knolls a 3-2 victory over top-seeded and previously undefeated Montclair, No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, to earn the program's first sectional title since 1969."
  39. The History of Morris Knolls HS 1964 - 2015, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed November 15, 2015. "The band has won the NJ state championship during the 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2013 seasons. The band won an all Northeast Championship during the 2008 season."
  40. USSBA National Championship Titles, United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) press release dated November 14, 2006
  41. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 1 AT ANNAPOLIS, MD, United States Scholastic Band Association. Accessed May 19, 2011.
  42. MK Administration, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed January 22, 2022.
  43. Lange, Randy. "Crushing Halt To Jets Career: Broken Neck KOs Benfatti", The Record, April 8, 1997. Accessed August 2, 2007. "Benfatti hides his turmoil well behind a calm demeanor that has been his trademark at Morris Knolls High School, at Penn State, and as a third-round draft pick of the Jets in 1994."
  44. Lou Benfatti Archived June 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Morris Knolls High School. Accessed August 2, 2007.
  45. Farrell, Paul. "Neal Casal Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", Heavy.com, August 28, 2019. Accessed September 23, 2019. "Casal was a native of Rockaway, New Jersey, where he graduated from Morris Knolls High School."
  46. Staff. "Denville Native Poised to Be a 2017 NFL Draftee", Tap Into Denville, April 25, 2017. Accessed April 30, 2017. "Former Morris Knolls High School offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor's unique approach to learning American football is about to pay off in a big way.... The Denville native stands at 6'4", 332 pounds."
  47. Seegers, Sandy. "Enjoying life inside ropes", Daily Record, August 27, 2008. Accessed February 1, 2011. ""Soon Fyfe, known as MaryBeth Bentley during her days at Morris Knolls High School, was in the ring."
  48. Schillaci, Sarah. "Kevin Jonas set to marry Denville woman during Long Island ceremony", The Star-Ledger, April 1, 2019, updated December 18, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2020. "Deleasa, a 2005 graduate of Morris Knolls High School, reportedly will wear a strapless Vera Wang gown."
  49. District Hall of Fame 2011 Honorees, Morris Hills Regional High School District. Accessed September 15, 2018. "Vickie Paynter Finney, Honored Morris Knolls Alumna: A 1989 graduate of Morris Knolls High School, Vickie was the state tennis singles champion semifinalist in her junior year, and All County first team all 4 years, All State 3 years and High School All American in her junior and senior years."
  50. Cooper, Chet. "Laura San Giacomo interview by Chet Cooper", Ability Magazine. Accessed February 1, 2011.
  51. Westhoven, William. "Steampunk songstress conquers cancer, breaks new CD", Daily Record, May 7, 2016. Accessed July 1, 2019. "She began to explore songwriting about five years ago, leading to a reunion with her former Morris Knolls and Drew classmate, Charlie Zeleny, who had become an in-demand drummer and music producer also well-known for a series of instructional and performance videos on YouTube."
  52. Staff. "Police say senior prank behind dead deer found in Morris Knolls High School bathroom", The Star-Ledger, June 19, 2009. Accessed December 14, 2011.
  53. Lockwood, Jim. "Morris Knolls High School seniors charged for school prank are barred from graduation", The Star-Ledger, June 10, 2010. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Six Morris Knolls High School seniors charged in connection with a prank of breaking into school to let loose rabbits, chickens, roosters and mice have been suspended and are barred from graduation, the school superintendent said."
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