Archbishop Murphy High School

Infobox School
name = Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School


imagesize =
type = Private
president = Bob Graby
principal = Kris Brynildsen-Smith
free_label = Colors
Mascot
free_text = Black, Red and White
Wildcat
location = 12911 39th Ave. S.E., Everett, WA 98208
information = 425-379-6363
website = [http://www.archbishopmurphyhs.org archbishopmurphyhs.org]

Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School is a co-educational Catholic college-preparatory school located in Everett, Washington, in the Archdiocese of Seattle.

Background

Founded as Holy Cross High School in 1988, Archbishop Murphy High School serves students grades 9-12; enrollment has increased from 23 students in 1988 to approximately 500 for Fall 2006. The school was re-named in 1999 after Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy, who died in 1997 and donated a large sum of money to aid in the construction of the school's current campus in South Everett. Archbishop Murphy High School takes the mission of "inspiring and developing Christian leaders through five basic themes":

**Developing spirituality in the Catholic tradition,
**Providing challenging college preparatory academic experiences and enriching extracurricular programs,
**Respecting the dignity of each individual,
**Fostering commitment to community service, and,
**Supporting families as the primary educators in the character formation of their children.

AMHS has had five national merit finalists and one national merit scholar, two boys soccer state championship teams, two state back-to-back football championship teams, and more than a million dollars in scholarships offered to graduating seniors consistently each year from a variety of schools.

Students also provide more than 1,000 hours of community service each year and are involved in a host of activities including publishing a yearbook, newspaper and literary magazine, singing in the choir, performing in a wonderful spring musical, and as performers in the instrumental ensemble.

Archbishop Murphy High School consists of young men and women of varying ethnic and religious backgrounds. For the 2004-05 school year there were 368 students: 77% Catholic, 11% Minority. 90% participate in sports or other extracurricular activities. Average class size is 20; overall student/faculty ratio is 16:1. There are 32 faculty members, 13 of which have advanced degrees.

The school's mascot is the wildcat, who is at every game to cheer on the cats to victory.

A third building, Heath Hall, was completed in the Fall of 2007, adding to the two other permanent facilities there, the main building and Grace Hall. The portables will eventually be removed in the place of parking as the association's development plan is executed. With time, a new football field and press box will be added as well as another egress to aid in the traffic problems the South Everett area faces.

chool History

1981

A group of parents met to discuss the idea of a Catholic secondary school for Snohomish County.

1982

Became legally incorporated in the State of Washington as Northsound Association for Catholic Education.

1987

The Board of Trustees purchased 22+ acres in south Everett for future home of Holy Cross High School.

1988

Holy Cross High School opened its doors in September to 15 freshmen and 8 sophomores in the former Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School in Everett.

1991

The first nine seniors graduated from Holy Cross High School and one was named a National Merit finalist.

1993

A second National Merit finalist was named. Boys’ Soccer was third in State.

1994

Holy Cross Boys’ A/B Soccer Team won the State Championship. Girls’ Soccer went to State.

1995

A chapter of the National Honor Society was established. The first fully staged musical by the Performing Arts Department was presented at the historic Everett Theater.

1996

A feasibility study was conducted to determine the level of support within Snohomish County to build a new campus. Everett Rotary began recognizing Holy Cross students as "Student of the Month."

1997

Phase I of the Capital Campaign to build a new facility launched.

1998

The senior class graduated with students earning approximately $500,000 in scholarships.

Spanish 103 was recognized as a University of Washington extension class. Construction began on the new property at 12911 39th Ave. SE, Everett. Girls’ Soccer was second in State. Girls’ Golf went to State.

1999

The school opened its doors on October 4, 1999 in a brand new facility/location and changed its name from Holy Cross High School to Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy High School, in honor of the late Seattle Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy. A Priest Minister was added to the faculty. Girls’ Softball went to State.

2000

Instrumental Music and Football were added. Boys’ Golf was third in State.

2001

Girls’ Basketball makes school history and goes to the State Championships.

2002

The largest class, with 60 graduates, was awarded more than $1.2 million in college scholarships. Football won the state championship for division A. Cross Country was added as a varsity sport. Girls' soccer placed third in state and girls' fastpitch softball placed second.

2003

A second permanent building was added with cafeteria and additional classroom space. Three National Merit Finalists were named. Football won the state championship for division A. Boys' soccer won the state championship for division A. Girls' soccer, cross country, girls' and boys' basketball and wrestling all went to state tournaments.

2004

78 graduates were awarded more than $2 million in college scholarships. National Merit Scholar named. Math team placed first in two categories at Washington State Math Council state competition. Moved up to 2A by joining the Cascade Conference league. The baseball team won the state championship for division A. Softball, golf and track all went to state tournaments.

Football placed third in state, girls' soccer placed second in state, volleyball made its first ever trip to districts and cross country sent three runners to state.

2006

The girls soccer team won the state championship (the school's first state championship as a 2A school). The school's wikipedia article was created in October.

2007

Archbishop Murphy High School moves to the "President Principal" administrative model for academic year 2007-2008. A Third campus building is added to accommodate growth.

2008

Board of trustees recommends moving school to B-1 status

Academics

The course of study at Archbishop Murphy High School is designed to prepare students to enter a college or university. A total of 24 credits are required to graduate from Archbishop Murphy High School. Students take six classes each semester. Class periods are 50-55 minutes in length on a regular day. Academic credits are assigned each semester for each course in which a passing grade is earned. A passing grade in a yearlong course earns one credit, while passing a semester long course generates one-half credit.

*Students are required to take one semester of Health and two semesters of PE. Although one semester of PE can be substituted for two seasons of participation of a sport.

ports

Archbishop Murphy has the following sports:

**Cross Country (est. 2001)
**Track and Field (est. 1989)
**Football (est. 2000)
**Volleyball (est. 1990)
**Soccer (est. 1989, girls: est. 1994)
**Wrestling (est. 2003)
**Basketball (est. 1989)
**Golf (est. 1998)
**Softball (est. 1996)
**Baseball (est. 1994)
**Swimming (est. 2008)

Since 2004, Archbishop Murphy has been classified as a 2A school by the WIAA.

College Credit Courses

The following courses can generate college credit:

**Matteo Ricci Program through Seattle University -10 credits
**Spanish 103/104 program - University of Washington - 5 credits
**French 103 - University of Washington - 5 credits
**Advanced Placement Calculus
**Advanced Placement Physics
**Advanced Placement Computer Science
**Advanced Placement Chemistry
**Advanced Placement Statistics
**Advanced Placement Biology

Clubs

Archbishop Murphy has the following clubs:
**Art Club
**Math Club
**Hi-Q Team
**Band and Choir
**Mock Trial Team
**Spanish Club
**Chess Club
**Campus ministry
**French Club
**Cheer Squad
**Chapter of National Honors Society
**Journalism
**Yearbook
**"Mad Sad Glad" Drama Club
**BBQ Club

The Math team is the most successful academic team in Archbishop Murphy, consistently placing in the top three teams at state math competitions.fact|date=November 2007

Mock Trial Team

The AMHS Mock Trial Team, established in 2005, has garnered recognition as one of the most active and successful clubs at the school. Mock Trial allows students to participate in a true-to-life courtroom drama. Teams of attorneys and witnesses prepare a fictitious case for trial and compete at district levels in front of real judges in actual courtrooms. “Juries" of attorneys rate the teams for their presentation, while the presiding judges rule on the motions, objections, and ultimately the merits. Participants develop critical thinking and analytical skills, learn the art of oral advocacy, and gain a respect for the role of law and the judiciary.

50 students participate as members of the AMHS mock trial team each year. The school placed 5th in the Washington State Mock Trial Competition in 2007 [ [http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=908 Washington Courts ] ] and 6th in 2008. [ [http://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/?fa=newsinfo.internetdetail&newsid=1104 Washington Courts ] ] In 2008, the team qualified for the first national meet in school history, advancing to the American Mock Trial Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In the News

Archbishop Murphy was recently the topic of a Rick Reilly article in the November 26, 2007 issue of "Sports Illustrated". The topic of this piece was on the ruling by the WIAA to kick their football team out of the state playoffs for an expired physical exam. Rick Reilly showed his support of the players and disgust for the WIAA in this article.

References

External links

* [http://www.archbishopmurphyhs.org/ Archbishop Murphy High School] - official site
* [http://www.archbishopmurphyhs.org/moodle/ Moodle site (for information on courses)]