Mortimer Jordan High School is a public high school located in Kimberly, Alabama. It is a part of the Jefferson County Board of Education.

The school was named after Captain Mortimer Harvie Jordan, a war hero who lost his life in World War I. He was a soldier, officer and physician. As commanding officer of Company K, 167th infantry, 42nd "Rainbow Division" Alabama Army National Guard, he was mortally wounded while leading his sector in battle. He died of his wounds in 1918 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Student profile

Enrollment in grades 9-12 for the 2012-13 school year is 757 students. Approximately 98% of students are White, 1% are African-American, and 1% are other races/ethnicities. Roughly 29% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

MJHS has a graduation rate of 95%.^[2] Approximately 87% of its students meet or exceed proficiency standards in mathematics, while 92% meet or exceed standards in reading. The average ACT score for MJHS students is 24 and the average SAT composite is 1640.^[3]

History

Beginning

Mortimer Jordan High School opened its doors in the fall of 1920 at its original campus in Morris, Alabama with a mere ninety students enrolled. Two students, Ms. Sudie Counts Rogers and Ms. Eileen Jenkins Lovelady, graduated that year. The first principal, Ms. Minnie Holliman, and three female teachers completed the faculty. In 1928, a student, Ms. Mabel Creel graduated valedictorian at the age of 13. She was the youngest to graduate with such high honors.

Principals

1920- Minnie Holliman (first principal)

1921- T.J. Jordan

1922- J.H. Sams

1924- Gordon G. Ford

1925- J.W. Vann

1939- Jewell Hall

1941- George Dewey Harris

1953- J.O. Suddeth

1965- William E. Burkett

1968- Jimmie A. Trotter

2000- Byron Campbell

2009- Barbara Snider

2014- Craig Kanaday

Since its establishment, Mortimer Jordan High School has had thirteen principles. Craig Kanaday is the current principal of MJHS.^[4]

Improvements

The original facility was located in Morris, with the property directly adjacent to the city limits of Kimberly. This site was occupied until the end of the 2010-11 school year.

The original building of five rooms soon became inadequate and a frame building of eight rooms was added. The first water system for the school was installed during the early 1930s. Alabama By-Product Corporation in Majestic donated the pump and water filter to the school using Turkey Creek as the water source. A teacher and some students installed the system, and water fountains were placed outside the building. Between the years of 1937 and 1941 indoor plumbing and restrooms were installed.

The "old gym" was built by the WPA during 1936 and 1937, around the same time the lunchroom program was established. The first Miss Mortimer Jordan, now Miss Torch, was elected in 1937. Stage curtains were purchased for the gym stage with the proceeds from the pageant.

During the early 1950s, a then up-to-date football and athletic field was constructed. Restrooms in the football stadium were added in 1962.

During the 1960s, Gardendale High School was established south of Morris in Gardendale. Until that time, students in the Gardendale area attended Mortimer Jordan High School. Gardendale based students were phased out in the mid-to-late 1960s. MJ senior high school students from Gardendale were allowed to finish senior high school at Mortimer Jordan if they desired or could transfer to Gardendale. Many chose to finish at MJ. Buses to MJ ran routes through Gardendale for several years concurrent with buses to Gardendale until the phase out was completed in 1968-69.

In its last incarnation at the Morris site, the school consisted of a multi-complex that included two gymnasiums, academic classrooms, and a lunchroom. A music department (band and choir), homemaking department, business education department, and student counseling service were added.

A brand new Mortimer Jordan High School was built on Bone Dry Road, approximately four miles from the old site. It opened in the fall of 2011. The new site, one of a series of new high schools built during the period by the Jefferson County Schools, consists of classroom buildings, an athletics field house, and two fields for football, baseball and softball. A competition and a practice gymnasium, as well as greatly enlarged practice facilities for wrestling, are also included.

The original site in Morris was converted into the William E. Burkett Center for handicapped students; the W.E.B.C. moved from its original location near Fultondale to the original MJHS campus at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year.

Athletics

The athletic department fields 11 boys and 10 girls sports, which all compete in the (6A) classification of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA). Boys sports offered are basketball, baseball, bowling, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, football, wrestling, tennis, golf, and soccer. Girls sports offered are basketball, softball, bowling, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, volleyball, tennis, golf, and soccer. MJ Athletics has traditional rivalries with Corner and Gardendale High Schools. Mortimer Jordan holds a total of six team state championship titles.^[5]

Football: Mortimer Jordan High’s football team competes in Region 5 of Class 6A along with A.H. Parker, Gardendale, Minor, Mountain Brook, Jackson-Olin, and Woodlawn High Schools.^[6]Mortimer Jordan’s football team was first organized in 1922 and has an all-time record of 429-520-31.^[7] The team is coached by Dustan Goode who holds an 80-41 record.^[8] Goode has led the Blue Devils to 8 playoff appearances, the most in school history for head football coaches.^[9]The longest serving head football coach in school history was Greg Watts. Watts served from 1999-2012 and compiled a record of 79-71.^[10]MJ has long-running football rivalries with Corner and Gardendale High Schools, leading the series 45-20-0 over Corner High and trailing 8-30-0 to Gardendale. Jordan currently holds six region championships: in 1984, 1995, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Jordan reached its first playoff appearance in 1973 and secured its first playoff win in 1984.^[7]Since, MJHS has had 21 playoff appearances. The football program was the 5A runner-up in 2015, playing in its first AHSAA Super 7 appearance at Bryant-Denny Stadium.^[11]

Basketball: Mortimer Jordan’s boys basketball team competes in Area 12 of Class 6A along with Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley.^[6]The Mortimer Jordan basketball team was first organized in 1928. The longest serving head boys basketball coach in school history is Josh Golden. Golden has served from 2017-present and holds a 95-109 record.^[12]Jordan’s basketball team holds eight area championships: in 1984, 1987, 1988, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.^[13] MJ boys basketball holds three district championships: in 1932, 1938, and 1944. The team also made it to the Elite 8 playoff round in 1929 and 1944. MJHS basketball gained its first AHSAA state championship title in 1928.^[13]

Baseball: Mortimer Jordan’s baseball team competes in Area 12 of Class 6A along with Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley High.^[14]The longest serving head baseball coach in school history is Shayne Carnes. Carnes has served from 2007-present and holds a 462-243 record.^[15]Jordan’s baseball team holds 14 area championships: in 1985, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2023.^[16]MJHS baseball has had numerous playoff appearances, making it to the Elite 8 in 2001 and 2003 and the Final Four in 1984, 2002, and 2018.^[16]

Wrestling: Mortimer Jordan’s wrestling team competes in Section 2 of Class 6A along with 19 other schools.^[14]Jordan’s wrestling team has had many individual state titles and placed runner-up in the 2022 Duals Tournament. The wrestling program won its first AHSAA state championship with the 2022 5A-6A title.^[17]

Boys Tennis: Mortimer Jordan’s boys tennis team competes in Section 6 of Class 6A along with Cullman, Gadsden City, Gardendale, and Pinson Valley High.^[14]The tennis team was first organized in 2016. MJHS boys tennis holds six county championships: in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The team has won two sectional championships in 2016 and 2022. Jordan boys tennis has had three team state tournament appearances: in 2016, 2021, and 2022.

Softball: Mortimer Jordan’s softball team competes in Area 13 of Class 6A along with Cullman and Pinson Valley.^[6]The team is coached by Shawn Maze who holds a 189-158-6 record.^[18] Jordan’s softball team currently holds 10 area championships: in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.^[18]MJHS softball has had numerous playoff appearances, making it to the Elite 8 in 1998, 2005, 2006, 2018, and 2022 and the Final Four in 1997, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2019, and 2021.^[18]The softball team won the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 5A State Championship in 2008 and 2009, setting a state record in 2009 for most consecutive games won. That streak carried over into the 2010 season, and ended at 59 games when Jordan lost to Angelo Rodriguez High School of Fairfield, California in the ESPN RISE/Nike Fastest to First Tournament in Huntington Beach, California on March 25, 2010. (The team later finished second in the 2010 5A championship, upset by Athens High twice on the final day.) Jordan also won the 2011 championship, only the fourth team in state history to win a title after losing their opening game in the double-elimination tournament. The softball program won its first state championship with the 1999 4A-5A title. The team currently holds four AHSAA state championships: in 1999, 2008, 2009, and 2011.^[19]It also has five second-place finishes.^[20]

Girls Basketball: Mortimer Jordan’s girls basketball team competes in Area 12 of Class 6A along with Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley.^[14]The longest serving head girls basketball coach in school history is Kelly Robinson. Robinson has served from 2017-present and holds a 154-56 record.^[21]Jordan’s girls basketball currently holds eight area championships: in 2004, 2008, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.^[21] The team has had numerous playoff appearances, making it to the Elite 8 round in 2017 and 2022.

Volleyball: Mortimer Jordan’s volleyball team competes in Area 12 of Class 6A along with Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley. The volleyball team was first organized in 1976. The MJHS volleyball team holds two area championships in 2017 and 2023.^[22]

Girls Soccer: Mortimer Jordan’s girls soccer competes in Area 12 of Class 6A along with Clay-Chalkville and Pinson Valley.^[14] The girls soccer team was first organized in 2015. MJ girls soccer holds two area championships in 2021 and 2023.^[23]The team has had seven playoff appearances: in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.^[24]

Girls Tennis: Mortimer Jordan’s girls tennis team competes in Section 6 of Class 6A along with Center Point, Clay-Chalkville, Cullman, Gadsden City, Gardendale, and Pinson Valley. Jordan’s girls tennis team was first organized in 2016. MJHS girl’s tennis holds two county championships in 2018 and 2019. The team has had one state tournament appearance in 2022.

Mortimer Jordan High School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Alabama Department of Education.

Notable alumni

• Spencer Brown- 2017 Graduate, American football running back
• Pat Buttram, actor
• Devlin Hodges, professional quarterback
• Haylie McCleney- 2012 Graduate, US softball Olympian^[25]
• Peter Tom Willis, professional football player

References

External links

• Mortimer Jordan High School Website

33°45′29″N 86°48′41″W / 33.75817°N 86.81126°W / 33.75817; -86.81126