Mark Morris High School was built in 1957 and named after Samuel Mark Morris, one of the founders of Longview. Initially the school housed both junior and senior high school students, as well as some elementary classes. The first student body president was Joel Lanphear. As the student population in the district grew, a new junior high school was built and the elementary students were moved into other buildings. Mark Morris eventually became a three year high school and remained so until the end of the 70’s. In 1979 the Longview School District made the change from a Junior High/High School concept to Middle School/High School. Ninth grade has been a part of high school since that time.
The Mark Morris program has been characterized by a goal to serve all students equally well in the educational process. The dedication brochure states, “The essential objectives of this program are that it be: The richest possible program for all youth of the involved ages whether they are college bound or not.” The success of this philosophy is evidenced by the large number of successful young people who have gone through the educational experience offered at Mark Morris. Mark Morris underwent a major remodel in the late eighties, resulting in a beautiful “new” facility in which this philosophy continues to thrive.
