E.A. Murchison Middle School (MMS) is a public middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 located in the city of Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

History

The school is named for Eugene A. Murchison (1873-1964) in recognition of his contributions to the school district and community. Murchison was a member of the AISD School Board from 1919 to 1943, becoming its President in 1926; he also taught a Sunday school

Sunday school

Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...

 for 45 years, was Scoutmaster of Austin's Boy Scout Troop 2, and worked as a Travis County probation officer

Probation officer

Parole officers and probation officers play a role in criminal justice systems by supervising offenders released from incarceration or sentenced to non-custodial sanctions such as community service...

. In addition to having the school named after him, Murchison received the Austin School Board's Citation for Service Award and the Texas Heritage Foundation's Distinguished Service Medal.

List of Principals

• Dennis E. Cowan - 1967-1972
• Ronald D. Beauford - 1972-1973
• Lloyd Treadwell - 1973-1975
• Joe Stepan - 1975-1980
• J.M. Richard - 1980-1981
• Selena Cash - 1981-1985
• Isabel Cortez - 1985-1993
• Leroy Davis - 1993-1996
• Lynda Redler - 1996-2004
• Donna Houser - 2004-2007
• Kimiko Cartwright - 2007-present

Academics

Murchison is one of two middle schools in the Austin Independent School District

Austin Independent School District

Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...

 to have the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, which it has hosted since 2002.

Extracurriculars

• Band
• Choir
• Orchestra
• Dance/Cheerleading
• Newspaper/Yearbook
• National Junior Honor Society
• Keyboarding
• Foreign Languages - Spanish/French/German/Chinese
• Visual Arts
• Junior Police Academy
• Theater
• Theater Productions

Feeder Patterns

Students come to Murchison from the following elementary schools:

• Will Davis Elementary School
• Summitt Elementary School
• Hill Elementary School
• Doss Elementary School

Students from Murchison generally go on to attend nderson High School (Austin, Texas)|L.C. Anderson High School], although some will go to the magnet program at ASA (Austin, Texas) |Liberal Arts and Science Academy].