Morenci High School - Copper Cat Yearbook (Morenci, AZ)

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Memories of old and new Linger on my mind to stay Pride of old Morenci High. Victories and goals Speak of our accomplishments Morenci High-We stand proud. -Debbie Burt “Big Red,” the new activity bus, is admired by students and members of the administra- tion on its arrival in 1976. A new high school building, located in the Fairbanks area, is under construction. Accumulated graffiti adorns the walls of the old 6 mine. State championship banners on the gym wall proclaim just how far our athletic pro- gram has come in the past nine years. WILD CAT C □ U N 4 MORENCI HIGH SCHOOL ' MORENCI NISH SCHOOL T R Y 4 1 MORENCI HIGH SCHOOL I c I 4 | MORENCI HIGH SCHOOL V I97S-I977 0ALL WE’VE COME A LONG WAY-7

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 Representing the class of 1926, Mr. Frank Ruedas poses with senior, Nancy Na- varrete. Nancy is wearing a two-piece dress worn by Mr. Ruedas' wife, Elvira Arrieta Rue- das, when she attended Morenci High School in the 30’s. Well-known southwestern artist, Ted DeGrazia, is a 1932 graduate of M.H.S. WE’VE CC UIE A LONG WAT Things have really changed from those early days in the old brick building. The new $11 million facility, presently under construction, will be ready for the opening of school in 1982. Our present high school, completed in 1949 for the modest sum of $739,000 has served us well for 33 years. The building originally housed grades seven through twelve. Four additional classrooms were built in 1954, and the auditorium was added a year later. Due to rapidly increasing enrollments in the upper grades, the seventh grade classes were moved from the high school building in September of 1955 and placed in the Longfellow building. When Fairbanks Middle School was completed in 1971, the eighth grade classes were moved to the new facility located in the expanding townsite. Auto mechanics was added to the curriculum in 1972 and a prefabricated building was placed on the parking lot near the football field to house the equip- ment. The art department, originally located on the first floor of the high school, was moved to the Hum- bolt building in 1975. This year, however, it found its way back to its original location on the bottom floor. Morenci’s athletic program, along with its reputa- tion, has grown tremendously since those early days in the 1900’s when basketball was the only interscho- lastic sport played by the Wildcats. The first football team “hit the field” in 1927. Games were played on the present field which, up to that time, had served as a baseball field only. Morenci became one of the first schools in the state to hold night football games when lights were installed in 1935. Winning state championships, something which eluded the Cats for several decades, became a com- mon occurrence in the 70’s. State championships, along with numerous conference titles, were captured in both boys’ and girls’ basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, and boys’ tennis. Individual athletes also won state championships in wrestling, boys’ track, and boys’ tennis. We are proud of our achievements over the years and look forward to meeting future challenges as we anticipate leaving the “Hill” and moving into our new, modern facilities.

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