Morse High School (Maine)


Morse High School in Bath, Maine, serves the communities of Bath, Phippsburg, Woolwich, Georgetown, and Arrowsic, Maine. The original school building, a gift to the city from Charles W. Morse, burned down March 24, 1928 and was later rebuilt in 1929. A large addition was made in 1969, and an expanded vocational center was added in 1996. The student/adult ratio at Morse is 15:1.
The school colors are blue and white.

New building project

There are now plans approved by the city council to build a new school at the Wing Farm site on the West Bath/Bath city line. The projected completion date is projected to be fall, 2020. The MHS Building Committee consists of 9 members including the Superintendent of the RSU1 school district, Patric Manuel, several members of the school board, and others from the community as well as people with business experience. The design for the building took in consideration from experts, school staff, and even students to help make decisions on everything from allocated space, to the furniture used.

Athletics

Morse students participate in many athletic and social clubs. The students take pride in the school's proud tradition of championships, including six state championships in boys' basketball, two state championships in baseball, five state championships in football, and one state championship in Boys' soccer in 1988. Morse's boys' swim team won the state championship in the 2005–2006 swim season. The girls' swim team has also enjoyed recent success, winning the 2009-2010 state championship after finishing runners-up or third for several years. Morse is a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.
The Morse football team has not been a contender since its last state championship in 1972. In 2006, Morse finished 3–5 and gained the 8th and final seed in the playoffs before suffering a 63–12 loss to unbeaten Gardiner in the quarter-finals. Morse was the surprise team of the 2007 season, when it defeated previously unbeaten Gardiner in week 7 and finished the season 7–1 as the second seed. Morse went on to its first post season victory since its '72 state championship season by beating Oak Hill High School of Wales, Maine, 35–6 in the quarter-finals. Morse faced their biggest challenge of the season in the semi-finals when the Shipbuilders played host to the defending Class B PTC Champion, Winslow. Winslow has been a perennial contender since it moved to Class B in 1989. Morse shocked the Pine Tree Conference by entering the locker room with a 22–12 lead at half time. In the second half, Winslow held Morse scoreless and was able to win the game 28–22. In 2008, the Shipbuilders avenged that loss with a 27–0 win over Winslow, and went on to win the PTC Championship allowing just 7 points in three playoff games. They went on to play Mountain Valley in the Maine Class B State Championship game. The school's first appearance in the football state championship game since 1972.

Montgomery Theatre

Montgomery Theatre is the site of several plays performed each year. It was originally built as part of the 1929 building after the fire that burned down the first school building. It was not until 1994 that the theatre was dedicated to J. Pat and Priscilla Montgomery. For the last time, Morse hosted the regional One Acts Festival in the Montgomery Theatre during the 2016-2017 school year.