J. Sterling Morton High School West
Encyclopedia
J. Sterling Morton West High School (Morton West or JSM for short) is a four-year public high school in Berwyn
, Illinois. It is a part of J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
. Opened in 1958, it is the newer of the two large high schools in the district, the other being J. Sterling Morton High School East
.
600,000 bond issue needed for construction.
In 1943, the issue of adding a second school again was raised, with a proposal to build it on the site of Gage Farm in Berwyn. While the issue was raised, it was realized that any planning would need to wait until after the war. In 1953, a US$5.9 million bond issue was approved by voters for construction of a new school and athletic fields in Berwyn.
As late as March 1958, the school board set Ridgeland Avenue as the attendance boundary for the schools, sending 45% of then Morton students to the new school. The opening of the new school also brought an end to three decades of split shift attendance.
One early logistics problem with the new school was the requirement for some students to cross the Illinois Central Railroad
tracks near the school. City of Berwyn worked with the railroad to create a pedestrian underpass to accommodate students who would need to cross the tracks.
Since the building opened, two student additions were added in the 1990s. W-wing was added to the south of the building and D-wing to the north.
In 1995, a Hispanic student, in an attempt to make a political statement against "slavery, Japanese internment during World War II and other forms of discrimination that stain U.S. history", burned an American flag at his home, and brought the remains to school for friends to view in his locker. Some white students took exception to this and began to yell and threaten him. Racial tensions began to mount over a few days prompting the school to confiscate the remains of the flag. Several white students mounted a mass recital of the Pledge of Allegiance
in the student cafeteria, though were muted by the school officials. The United States Department of Justice
sent conciliation specialists to the school, and the key students involved formed a Conflict Resolution Committee. The student apologized for burning the flag because he had offended those whom he did not wish to, and the Conflict Resolution Committee remained a part of the school to deal with other problems.
Morton West became the subject of national news coverage in late 2007. On November 1, 2007, twenty five students staged a sit-in
in the student cafeteria to protest the presence of military recruiters
who occasionally visit the school. The school suspended the students, and then moved for their expulsion, citing the students had been a disruption to the school day. The students challenged this assertion, and many of them and their parents protested outside the school on November 6. On November 7, several students and parents protested at a school board meeting, requesting not only that the expulsions be overturned, but that students be given an opportunity to express themselves freely. The superintendent countered with a statement stating that students could have chosen to protest after school and outside school, but instead chose to disrupt the school day, which was the sole motivation for the punishments. Police officers who had responded to the scene confirmed that the students were peaceful, and had moved to a side hallway when asked to by school officials to avoid a high traffic area. Three students were suspended for one year, pending alternative school placement, one for two years pending alternative school placement, and a fifth was suspended for two years, and was not to receive any further services from the district. Of the 27 speakers who spoke in the public forum (not all of which were speaking about the expulsion issue), at least 12 spoke directly out against the board decision, and none in favor of it. Rainbow/PUSH
became involved, siding with the students. By November 13, the expulsions had been retracted, and all but four students were allowed to return to class (who were allowed to return after their suspensions had ended.
score of 17.8. 77.6% of the senior class graduated. Proviso East did not make Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act
. Neither the school overall, nor two of its three student subgroups met expectations in reading or mathematics. The school is listed as being in its fifth year of academic watch.
(IHSA) as Berwyn-Cicero (Morton). Teams are stylized as the Mustangs
, with school colors of maroon and green. From 1958—85, Morton West had its own athletic program. Teams were stylized as the Falcon
s, and school colors were green and white.
, though other destinations the band has traveled to is St. Louis and New Jersey
/ New York City
.
Berwyn, Illinois
Berwyn is a city in Cook County, Illinois, co-existent with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,016.-Demographics:...
, Illinois. It is a part of J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 is a school district headquartered in Cicero, Illinois, United States. The district serves the city of Berwyn, the town of Cicero, and the villages of Forest View, Lyons, McCook, and Stickney...
. Opened in 1958, it is the newer of the two large high schools in the district, the other being J. Sterling Morton High School East
J. Sterling Morton High School East
J. Sterling Morton High School East is a public secondary school located in Cicero, Illinois. Morton East is one of three schools in J. Sterling Morton High School District 201. Morton East is a sophomore through senior building, with future students attending the J. Sterling Morton Freshman...
.
History
As early as 1926, District 201 had plans to open a second high school in Berwyn, going as far as to purchase the property needed. However, after years of trying to convince voters of a need, voters narrowly defeated the US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
600,000 bond issue needed for construction.
In 1943, the issue of adding a second school again was raised, with a proposal to build it on the site of Gage Farm in Berwyn. While the issue was raised, it was realized that any planning would need to wait until after the war. In 1953, a US$5.9 million bond issue was approved by voters for construction of a new school and athletic fields in Berwyn.
As late as March 1958, the school board set Ridgeland Avenue as the attendance boundary for the schools, sending 45% of then Morton students to the new school. The opening of the new school also brought an end to three decades of split shift attendance.
One early logistics problem with the new school was the requirement for some students to cross the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
tracks near the school. City of Berwyn worked with the railroad to create a pedestrian underpass to accommodate students who would need to cross the tracks.
Since the building opened, two student additions were added in the 1990s. W-wing was added to the south of the building and D-wing to the north.
In 1995, a Hispanic student, in an attempt to make a political statement against "slavery, Japanese internment during World War II and other forms of discrimination that stain U.S. history", burned an American flag at his home, and brought the remains to school for friends to view in his locker. Some white students took exception to this and began to yell and threaten him. Racial tensions began to mount over a few days prompting the school to confiscate the remains of the flag. Several white students mounted a mass recital of the Pledge of Allegiance
Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of loyalty to the federal flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942...
in the student cafeteria, though were muted by the school officials. The United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
sent conciliation specialists to the school, and the key students involved formed a Conflict Resolution Committee. The student apologized for burning the flag because he had offended those whom he did not wish to, and the Conflict Resolution Committee remained a part of the school to deal with other problems.
Morton West became the subject of national news coverage in late 2007. On November 1, 2007, twenty five students staged a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
in the student cafeteria to protest the presence of military recruiters
Military recruitment
Military recruitment is the act of requesting people, usually male adults, to join a military voluntarily. Involuntary military recruitment is known as conscription. Many countries that have abolished conscription use military recruiters to persuade people to join, often at an early age. To...
who occasionally visit the school. The school suspended the students, and then moved for their expulsion, citing the students had been a disruption to the school day. The students challenged this assertion, and many of them and their parents protested outside the school on November 6. On November 7, several students and parents protested at a school board meeting, requesting not only that the expulsions be overturned, but that students be given an opportunity to express themselves freely. The superintendent countered with a statement stating that students could have chosen to protest after school and outside school, but instead chose to disrupt the school day, which was the sole motivation for the punishments. Police officers who had responded to the scene confirmed that the students were peaceful, and had moved to a side hallway when asked to by school officials to avoid a high traffic area. Three students were suspended for one year, pending alternative school placement, one for two years pending alternative school placement, and a fifth was suspended for two years, and was not to receive any further services from the district. Of the 27 speakers who spoke in the public forum (not all of which were speaking about the expulsion issue), at least 12 spoke directly out against the board decision, and none in favor of it. Rainbow/PUSH
Rainbow/PUSH
Rainbow/PUSH is a non-profit organization formed as a merger of two non-profit organizations — Operation PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition — founded by Jesse Jackson. The organizations pursue social justice, civil rights and political activism.In December 1971, Jackson resigned from...
became involved, siding with the students. By November 13, the expulsions had been retracted, and all but four students were allowed to return to class (who were allowed to return after their suspensions had ended.
Academics
Morton West's class of 2008 had an average composite ACTACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of 17.8. 77.6% of the senior class graduated. Proviso East did not make Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
(AYP) on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprises the state assessments used to fulfill the federal No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. Neither the school overall, nor two of its three student subgroups met expectations in reading or mathematics. The school is listed as being in its fifth year of academic watch.
Athletics
Since 1986, Morton West and Morton East have operated a unified athletics program, recognized by the Illinois High School AssociationIllinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA) as Berwyn-Cicero (Morton). Teams are stylized as the Mustangs
Mustang (horse)
A Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the North American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but there is intense debate over terminology...
, with school colors of maroon and green. From 1958—85, Morton West had its own athletic program. Teams were stylized as the Falcon
Falcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
s, and school colors were green and white.
Band
Morton West has had success with its band program throughout its history! Today the band consists of over one hundred members. The band performs at the first four to five home football games of the year before holding concerts in October, December, March, and May (the band also plays at select home basketball games). Every May the band travels to another state to participate in a band contest. They usually perform in Sandusky, OhioSandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, though other destinations the band has traveled to is St. Louis and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
/ New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Notable alumni
- Jim PeterikJim PeterikJim Peterik is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the band Survivor and as vocalist and songwriter of the hit song "Vehicle" by The Ides of March...
is a guitarist, songwriter, and singer known for his work with the bands The Ides of March and SurvivorSurvivor (band)Survivor is an American rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. The band achieved its greatest success in the 1980s with its AOR sound, which garnered many charting singles, especially in the United States. The band is best known for its double platinum-certified 1982 hit "Eye of the Tiger", the theme...
. - Jerry WainwrightJerry WainwrightJerry Wainwright is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach at Fresno State University, he was most recently the head coach of the DePaul University Blue Demons. Following his mid-season firing in 2010, Wainwright left college basketball to promote charity causes in North...
coached the mens basketball team at DePaul UniversityDePaul Blue Demons men's basketballThe DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois...
from 2005 to 2010. - Scott Childers is a Chicago area radio personality and author of "Chicago's WLS Radio," a history of WLS-AM Radio.