How Worcester Academy Leader is Honored by the School

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

Morse Field, Worcester Academy's new turf field.

The Worcester Academy Board of Trustees has announced that the school’s new field will be named in honor of longtime Head of School Dexter P. Morse and his wife, Barbara Morse.

The new field, which is lighted to support night games and features turf instead of grass, will be located off campus at the corner of Providence and Winthrop Streets in Worcester. The location is a mere two blocks from the school’s main campus.

It will be named “Morse Field” in honor of Morse’s contributions to Worcester Academy since taking over as Head of School in 1997. Morse will step down on July 1st after leading the school to a 15-year period of tremendous growth and financial stability.

"Dexter and Barbara Morse have demonstrated tremendous dedication to Worcester Academy and to the Worcester area community at large," Neil Isakson, Worcester Academy's Director of External Communications said. "Their combined accomplishments have helped make Worcester Academy one of the best urban day-boarding schools in the country. Naming the Academy's new turf field atop Union Hill in their honor is a fitting, and heartfelt, recognition of the contributions they have made over the past 15 years."

Since Morse took office in 1997, the size of Worcester Academy’s student body has more than doubled, as has the number of faculty and staff. While always an elite preparatory school, Morse’s reign has led the school to its greatest period of growth in over 100 years, and positioned it as one of the best urban day-boarding schools in the country.

During that time span, the school has also completed multiple impressive building renovations, such as Kingsley Laboratories and Warner Theater. It also constructed New Balance Fields and Rader Hall, the first academic building built on campus in a century.

Morse’s tenure also saw tremendous growth in athletics. Girls athletics, in particular, have strengthened under Morse’s watch. The girls soccer team at Worcester Academy has won championships in 2002, 2008, 2009, and 2011, and was named the top girls prep soccer program in the country by ESPN last year. The girls basketball and ski teams have also enjoyed tremendous success.

The new field is Worcester Academy’s most recently completed endeavor. The field has been built on 10 acres of the former St. Vincent Hospital property, portions of which were purchased during Morse’s tenure. The field is also intended to be a symbol of neighborhood renewal in the vicinity of the school, led by Worcester Academy’s investments in, and commitment to improving quality of life in Union Hill.