Debbie and Phil met in Morristown High School. Dating our senior year of 78/79. We were prom dates in 1979. After graduation, we tried to stay together, but distance in colleges, split us up for years. In the late 1980's we found each other again and got married in 1992. Having both moved away from Morristown, we were able to shift our jobs and lived back in Morristown from 1992 to 2001. We have two daughters (30 and 27). Since then we have lived in Chicago, Zurich, Switzerland, back to Chicago, time again in Morris, and have now spent the past 8 years in London, England.

Dylan and I (Gabrielle) started dating in June of 2013 - right as Dylan was graduating from MHS and headed off to Auburn University for college! Our first date was at what *used to be* Drip Coffee, right on the Green. We dated from June to September of 2013. In September, Dylan and I decided to go our separate ways, as a long distance relationship was becoming difficult to manage. We lost contact for almost 3 years. I went to college at the University of Miami beginning in the Fall of 2014, and Dylan continued his studies at Auburn.

Dana and I were in homeroom together in our MHS sophomore year. Dana was sitting several seats to the front of the room. I was new in the school and did not know too many other students. Dana caught my eye over several weeks and so I got to know the boy sitting to my right, Rob Pitts. I said to him, "See that girl sitting up there, I'm going to marry her.” He said “that's interesting because that's my girlfriend. He went on to say he wanted to break up with her so he would introduce me to her. I became friends with all her friends and we started going out later in our sophomore year. We continued going out through high school and college. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2024 and will celebrate our 51st in February.

I met Jay in sophomore year of high school when we sat next to each other in homeroom. At the time it was room #303. We were just friends but I always liked Jay. We didn't date in high school but after we graduated I got a job selling insurance. I called Jay up to see if he needed insurance. He said no but asked if would I like to meet and go out to a movie. We did and the rest is history! We married in 1982 and had 40 wonderful years together until Jay sadly passed away just after our 50th high school reunion and our anniversary in Nov. 2022. I decided after his death and my retirement from the Morris School District where I was the MHS librarian for almost 25 yrs to move to Houston Tx to be closer to my daughter Erica (also an MHS grad class of 2009).

Andrew and Sandra met in marching band at MHS in 2004. Andrew played in the drumline and Sandra was in the color guard. They began dating in March 2005 and married in March 2014. They purchased a home in Dover later in 2014, where Sandra has served on the town council since 2019. Andrew is currently the Assistant Nurse Manager at Morristown Medical Center’s Wound Healing Center, and Sandra is the Lead Anesthesiology Technician at Overlook Medical Center in Summit. They have two boys, Lucas and Oliver.

Some say it was kismet, some say destiny, either way it was a chance encounter that I would not soon forget! Truthfully though our story first began when we met at Freylinghuysen where we sat next to each other in 8th grade Algebra. We were casual acquaintances, but dare I say the writing was on the wall...or more appropriately, the yearbook! I had signed his yearbook "looking forward to getting to know you better!" Isn't that crazy? Looking back I do believe that is just what I did!

The Morris School District attracts many alumni after graduation to not only call Morristown home again with their families, but to also pursue their careers. Morristown High School (MHS) alumni Allie Ferrara, Class of 2015, and Casey Flynn, Class of 2008, came back “home” to teach, coach, and carry on their family legacies as proud Colonials.  We caught up with them to hear about some of their memories as student-athletes and what inspired them to return to MHS and the District.

This article originally appeared in the 2020-2021 issue of The District

In June 2021, the first Estelle Walker Hinkins Scholarship was awarded to a Morristown High School student. The Bethel Church of Morristown established this scholarship to honor Mother Estelle Walker Hinkins, who graduated from Morristown High School in 1897 with honors and distinction of class prophet, making her the first African American woman to do so.

Morristown High School ’15 Alum, AJ Sankofa, is an Executive Chef, Founder and Owner of ESO Artisanal Pasta. AJ was part of the early college challenger program when he spent his last semester taking 12 credits at County College of Morris. Six years later, we were able to catch up with AJ to learn more about his remarkable career and memories of Morristown High School.

Nestor Bedoya, Morristown High School Class of 2000, was directly impacted by the statewide curfew and stay-at-home order in March limiting bars and restaurants to open only for delivery and take-out due to the COVID-19 virus. As Co-Owner of Chef Fredy’s Table in Morristown, the fine dining restaurant did little to no take-out business prior to the pandemic. Nonetheless, as he saw the influx of needs at Morristown Medical Center, two or three times a week he started putting no-charge meal trays together for those in the hospital seeing the greatest number of patients.

Melissa Spiotta, Morristown High school alum class of 1985, felt compelled to help amidst the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in Northern New Jersey. She had been tapped to help fellow resident, Jeff Haag, manage the Morristown Order Out Twice a Week Stimulus Plan Facebook group and as they worked to help the restaurants, she realized there were other needs in the community and there wasn’t a central place for people to connect around them.  

This article originally appeared in the SPRING 2019 issue of The District.

Kendall Rogers, Morristown High School class of 2017, is a junior at Bowdoin College.  As a religion major and member of Bowdoin's men's lacrosse team, he no longer lives in Morristown.  However, Kendall's Morris School District (MSD) upbringing lives on in him, particularly the MSD goal that "Graduates of the Morris School District will be equipped to live a principled and productive life where they see their connections and responsibilities to local and global communities."

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2019 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alums Joe Goryeb ‘75, Rick Goryeb ‘78 and Lynne Goryeb Porfido ‘84 built a successful family business, Champion Mortgage, with their parents, Joe and Marguerite.  They have continued to “champion” family, children, and community for decades.    We were able to catch up recently with the three siblings and hear about some of their memories of Morristown High School.

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2018 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alum Jill Abramovitz is a Broadway Actress, writer and singer. We were able to catch up with Jill to learn more about her fabulous career and memories of Morristown High.

MEF:    Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

JA:  After graduating Morristown High School, I attended the University of Pennsylvania and got a liberal arts degree. Lots of people in my business go to conservatories (more focused arts training), which is a great option, but I chose a different route.

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2018 issue of The District.

Morristown High School Alum Jami Wintz McKeon, Class of 1974, is the Chair of the largest law firm in the world run by a woman.  We were able to catch up with Jami to learn more about her fabulous career and memories of Morristown High

MEF:  Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

JWM:  I graduated Morristown High School in 1974 and the rest is fairly linear.  I went to the Pennsylvania State University, studying political science and then graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1981.  I went right on to Morgan Lewis after that.  So I basically have had two jobs in my life - a lifeguard for Morris County and an attorney for Morgan Lewis. 

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2017 issue of The District.

This summer, Morristown High School Alum Scott Blumstein, Class of 2010, dominated and won the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, NV, winning over $8 million.  We were able to catch up with Scott to learn more about his experience

MEF:   Tell us a little bit about your journey since high school?

SB:  After I graduated Morristown High School, I attended Temple University in Philadelphia for four years.  I had a good college experience and majored in accounting.   

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2017 issue of The District.

Craig Newmark is the founder of craigslist and the Craig Newmark Foundation. He graduated from Morristown High School in 1971.

Craig Newmark is a self-described nerd, Web pioneer, speaker, philanthropist, and advocate of technology for the public good.  In 2012 he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. In 2013 he was named “Nerd-in-Residence” by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Center for Innovation in recognition of his volunteer work with the department to enhance services to veterans. In 2016 he created the Craig Newmark Foundation.

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2016 issue of The District.

In each issue we are pleased to connect with one of Morristown High School’s esteemed alumni.  We caught up recently with Christina Epps, MHS Class of ’09.

After graduating Morristown High School in 2009, Christina attended Coppin State University where she participated on the volleyball and track and field teams.  Both at Morristown High School and Coppin State, she earned many honors and recognitions for her achievements.   This past summer, Christina traveled to Rio, Brazil as a member of the 2016 USA Olympic Team.

This interview originally appeared in the SPRING 2016 issue of The District.

We are pleased to circle back with our Morristown High School (MHS) esteemed alumni and catch up. We recently caught up with two brothers who both have had wonderful careers - Donald Pollock, MHS ’47 and Stewart Pollock, MHS ’50. This is not surprising as their respective classmates both selected them “Most Likely To Succeed” for the MHS Yearbook, the Cobbonian.

This interview originally appeared in the FALL 2015 issue of The District.

We are pleased to connect with one of Morristown High School’s esteemed alumni. This summer we caught up with Dan Quinn, MHS class of ’89.

After graduating from Morristown High School in 1989, Dan attended college at Salisbury (Md.) University where he was a four-year letter winner and co-captain of the football team. He also lettered in track and  held the school’s record in the hammer throw. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with plans to teach and fulfill his career aspirations to be a coach. His first coaching job was at William and Mary where he coached the defensive line followed by a season at Virginia Military Institute. He went to Hofstra where he spent four years coaching the  defensive line and then became defensive coordinator in 2000.

Following his tenure at Hofstra, Quinn began his NFL coaching career where he had success with the San Francisco 49ers, the Miami Dolphins, the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks. Under Quinn’s leadership, the Seahawks had the League’s top defensive unit in 2013 and won Super Bowl XLVIII.

Today, Dan is the Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons.