Morgantown High School

Morgantown High School
The auditorium entrance of Morgantown High School
Address
Map
109 Wilson Avenue

Morgantown
,
West Virginia
26501

United States
Coordinates39°37′27″N 79°57′23″W / 39.62417°N 79.95639°W / 39.62417; -79.95639
Information
TypePublic high school
Established1883
School districtMonongalia County School District
SuperintendentEddie Campbell
PrincipalPaul Mihalko
Teaching staff102.50 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,824 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio17.80[1]
Campus typeSmall city[2]
Color(s)Red and blue   
Athletics conferenceOhio Valley Athletic Conference
Team nameMohigans
RivalUniversity High School
Websitemohigans.mono.k12.wv.us

Morgantown High School is a public high school in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. It is one of three secondary schools in the Monongalia County School District. Athletic teams compete as the Morgantown Mohigans in the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission as a member of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.

In addition to sections of Morgantown, it serves Star City.[3][4]

Background

The institution has existed since 1883, and has operated on its current campus since 1927. Students largely come from one of the three feeder schools, South Middle School, Suncrest Middle School, or St. Francis de Sales Central Catholic. As of the 2023-2024 school year, it had an enrollment of 1,824 students, the largest in the state of West Virginia.[5][6]

Among the school's student activities are over 20 varsity sports.

Morgantown High offers 23 Advanced Placement classes.[citation needed]

Fine arts

The Morgantown High School Red & Blue Marching Band has performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2009, the 2013 Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California, and the 2014 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C. In December 2016, the band represented West Virginia in the 75th Anniversary Commemoration Parade of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Athletics

Morgantown High School is the home of the Mohigans, the name of a non-existent Native American tribe whose name is a combination of the words "Morgantown (MO) High (HIG) Annual (AN)", the name of the school's original yearbook, originally created by an ancestor of Puderbaugh's (a prominent family in Morgantown). The Native American mascot and logo were adopted because of the close relation to the name Mohican, an actual Native American tribe.[7]

In July 2020, a petition was launched to change the school mascot, logo, and majorette uniforms that include a variation of a traditional Native American headdress, on the grounds that it is an outdated caricature of Native American people. Counter-petitions, demanding the caricature remain, as well as petitions to change the MHS mascot to the Mothman, were also launched.[8]

Rivalry

Morgantown High School and University High School have had a football rivalry known as the "MoHawk Bowl" since 1947. Morgantown leads the series 58-13-3, and has won 3 in a row. [citation needed]

State championships

Morgantown High School's athletic programs are well represented at the state level. MHS has produced over 60 West Virginia State Championships in multiple sports.[9][10]

State championships State runners-up
Sport Year(s) Year(s)
Boys' cross country 1959, 1960, 1985, 1989, 2016, 2017, 2019 1984
Girls' cross country 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021 2001, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Football 1927, 1983, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 1971, 1998
Golf 1976 1974, 2005
Girls' soccer 2011, 2019 2001
Boys' basketball 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024 1956, 2021
Girls' basketball 1977, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2023 1983, 1989, 2003, 2006, 2022, 2024
Boys' swimming 2002, 2003
Girls' swimming 2007, 2011, 2012 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022
Boys' tennis 1996, 1997
Girls' tennis 2019
Boys' track 1940
Girls' track 2000, 2012, 2017 2013, 2018, 2021, 2024
Boys' lacrosse 1998, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2023 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011,
Girls' lacrosse 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2017 1998, 2012, 2015
Volleyball 2023 2024

Awards and recognition

Morgantown High School has been highly ranked in school rankings. According to Niche, in 2023 it was ranked the top public high school in West Virginia[11] and was ranked the second best high school in West Virginia in 2024 by US News and World Report.[12]

Morgantown High School appears in the video game Fallout 76, set in West Virginia.[13][14][15]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ a b c "Morgantown High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  2. ^ "Morgantown High School in Morgantown, WV". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Zoning Map." Star City. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Morgantown HS Overall Zone Archived 2018-11-16 at the Wayback Machine" and "Morgantown HS with Star City Archived 2018-11-16 at the Wayback Machine." – Derived from the Monongalia County School District Mapping program. Monongalia County Schools. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.
  5. ^ "Search for Public Schools - Morgantown High School (540093000786)". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  6. ^ "Search for Public Schools - West Virginia - Search Results". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  7. ^ "Morgantown High School - Mohigan Facts - The Mohigan". Archived from the original on 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  8. ^ "Petition created to change Morgantown High School's mascot from Mohigans". WBOY.com. 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  9. ^ "WVSSAC".
  10. ^ "WV Lacrosse".
  11. ^ "2023 Best Public High Schools in West Virginia". Niche. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  12. ^ "Best High Schools in West Virginia". Retrieved 2024-12-26.
  13. ^ "Explore Morgantown High School". Niche. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  14. ^ Morgantown High School - Fallout 76 Wiki Guide - IGN, retrieved 2020-09-17
  15. ^ Gorski, Sam; Rather, Joey (May 3, 2024). "What Fallout 76 gets right, and wrong, about West Virginia". WBOY. Retrieved August 9, 2024.