Morris Knolls High School (MKHS) is a four-year comprehensive

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

serving students in

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

through

twelfth grade Twelfth grade, 12th grade, senior year, or grade 12 is the final year of secondary school in most of North America. In other regions, it may also be referred to as class 12 or Year 13. In most countries, students are usually between the ages of 17 ...

s from Denville Township and most of

Rockaway Township Rockaway Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 25,341, reflecting an increase of 1,185 (+4.9%) from the 24,156 counted in the 2010 Census. Rockaw ...

in Morris County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States, operating as one of the two secondary schools of the

Morris Hills Regional High School District The Morris Hills Regional District is a comprehensive regional public school district that consists of two four-year public high schools serving four suburban communities in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The district serves the resi ...

. 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 Hills High School is a comprehensive regional four-year public high school located in the borough of Rockaway, in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as one of the two secondary s ...

. 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 Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

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.School data for Morris Knolls High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 1, 2022. As a part of the Morris Hills Regional School District's (MHRD) magnet program, Morris Knolls was approved as an

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

(IB) world school. 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 The Morris County Vocational School District is a countywide public school district that provides vocational and technical education to public high school students in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The district is headquartered in D ...

and the

Morris County School of Technology The Morris County School of Technology (MCVTS or MCST) is a vocational magnet public high school located in Denville Township, in Morris County, United States, operating as part of the Morris County Vocational School District. This school prep ...

(MCVTS).

Awards and recognition

The school was the 64th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in ''

New Jersey Monthly ''New Jersey Monthly'' is an American monthly magazine featuring issues of possible interest to residents of New Jersey. The magazine was started in 1976. It is based in Morristown. In addition to articles of general interest, the publication fe ...

'' magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology. 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. The magazine ranked the school 88th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was also ranked 71st in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state."Top New Jersey High Schools 2008: By Rank"
''

'', September 2008, posted August 7, 2008. Accessed August 19, 2008. 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 The High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA, pronounced "hess-pah" (/ˈhɛspə/) or sometimes just "H-S-P-A") was a standardized test that was administered by the New Jersey Department of Education to all New Jersey public high school students in ...

(HSPA). For the 1996-97 school year, Morris Knolls High School was named a "Star School" by the

New Jersey Department of Education The New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) administers state and federal aid programs affecting more than 1.4 million public and non-public elementary and secondary school children in the state of New Jersey. The department is headquartered ...

, the highest honor awarded by the state.

Athletics

The Morris Knolls High School Golden EaglesMorris Knolls High School

New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports. State championsh ...

. Accessed October 20, 2020. participate in the

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference The Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) is a sports league that includes 39 public and private high schools from Morris County, Sussex County and Warren County, New Jersey, that operates under the auspices of the New Jersey State Intersch ...

, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Morris,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

and

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

countyies, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the

(NJSIAA). Prior to the NJSIAA's 2010 realignment, the school had competed in the

Iron Hills Conference The Iron Hills Conference was an athletic conference of twenty high schools located in Essex County, Morris County and Union County in New Jersey, United States. The Iron division was often regarded as one of the most competitive in the state. ...

. 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. The football team competes in the Freedom Blue division of the

North Jersey Super Football Conference The North Jersey Super Football Conference is a football-only athletic league of high schools in New Jersey. The 115-team league was formed in 2016. History The NJSFC consists of nearly all of the football playing members of four conferences that w ...

, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league. The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group IV North for football for 2018–2020. The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with

. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year. 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. 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. 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. 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). The 1980 team won the Group IV state title with a 5-4 victory against Edison in the championship game at

Mercer County Park The Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park is a recreational park located in Mercer County, New Jersey – mostly within West Windsor Township, but also with small western sections extending into Hamilton and Lawrence Townships. Originally and sti ...

. 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). 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 Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...

. 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

. 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. 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 The Veer is an option running play often associated with option offenses in American football, made famous at the collegiate level by Bill Yeoman's Houston Cougars. It is currently run primarily on the high school level, with some usage at t ...

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 Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

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". In 1999, the football program suffered from a sophomore

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

scandal that was exposed in a several article series in the '' Daily Record'' and ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

''. 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). The team also reached the state semifinals in 1996 losing to Brick Township, and again in 2007, losing to rival

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...

. The wrestling team won the North I Group IV state championship in 2006. 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 Vernon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive high school, comprehensive state school, public Secondary education in the United States, high school located in Vernon Township, New Jersey, Vernon Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, ...

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. 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.''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." Three years later, at the 2006 USSBA National Championships at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, Morris Knolls High School placed fourth in their group and the colorguard was recognized as Best Color Guard National Championship title in Class III. 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.

Student government

The

Student Government A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

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 School spirit is the sense of identity and community shared by members of an educational institution. This can apply to any type of school, from elementary schools to universities. Members of a school can manifest spirit in the exhibition of sc ...

, 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.MK Administration
Morris Knolls High School. Accessed January 22, 2022.

Notable alumni

* Lou Benfatti (born 1971), former

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

(1994–1996). *

Neal Casal Neal Graeme Casal (November 2, 1968 – August 26, 2019) ...

(1968-2019), guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for his work with Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals as well as playing with Willie Nelson and members of the Grateful Dead . *

Jermaine Eluemunor Jermaine Eluemunor ( ; born 13 December 1994) is an American football offensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M and high school football for Morris Knolls High Scho ...

(born 1994),

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

for the Las Vegas Raiders. *

Lexie Fyfe Mary Beth Bentley (born May 30, 1969), better known by her ring name Lexie Fyfe, is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled in various independent wrestling promotions, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She is a one-time NWA Wo ...

(born 1969), professional wrestler. *

Danielle Jonas Danielle Jonas (; born September 18, 1986) is an American reality television personality, actress, and the founder of the jewelry company Danielle Jonas Co. She is best known for starring on ''Married to Jonas'' alongside her husband, musician a ...

(born 1986),

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

personality Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, mos ...

, known for starring on '' Married to Jonas'' with her husband, Kevin Jonas, which ran between 2012 and 2013. * Vickie Paynter (born 1971, class of 1989), former professional tennis player. * Laura San Giacomo (born 1962), actress best known for playing the roles of Kit De Luca in ''

Pretty Woman ''Pretty Woman'' is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), La ...

'' and

Maya Gallo ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive pr ...

on '' Just Shoot Me!''. *

Charlie Zeleny Charlie Zeleny, also known as Charlie Z, is an American session drummer, music director and solo artist. He was also a member of the progressive metal bands Blotted Science and Behold the Arctopus, has played in a duo with keyboardist Jordan Ru ...

, session drummer, music director and solo artist.

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!'". 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.Lockwood, Jim
"Morris Knolls High School seniors charged for school prank are barred from graduation"
''

'', 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."

References

External links

Morris Knolls High School

Morris Hills Regional High School District
*
School Data for the Morris Hills Regional High School District

{{Authority control Denville Township, New Jersey Rockaway Township, New Jersey 1964 establishments in New Jersey Educational institutions established in 1964 Magnet schools in New Jersey Public high schools in Morris County, New Jersey