Southside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas)

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An empty history classroom at Southside

Southside High School is one of two high schools in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the other being Northside High School.

The school was opened in 1963 and has had over 10,000 graduates. Since 1966, the school has been accreditated by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.

1 Principals and Administration
2 Building Construction
3 Graduating Statistics
4 School of Excellence
5 Mission statement
6 Alma Mater
7 Mascot
8 Rebel Football
- 8.1 Battle Of Rogers Avenue Plaque
9 External links

[edit] Principals and Administration

Victor E. Stewart, 1963-1983
Wayne Haver, 1983-Present
Dr. James Cox, Assistant Principal
Chandler Doss, Assistant Principal
David Watkins, Assistant Principal

[edit] Building Construction

The building originally consisted of 44 classrooms in total and was continually expanded beginning in 1968:

1968-Nine room wing
1973-Twelve room wing
1977-Six-hundred seat auditorium
1978-All weather track
1981-Physical education facility
1988-New stadium
1992-Ten room wing for business and financial classes and a cafeteria addition
1997-Athletic complex (weight room, dressing room, training area, and office space)
1999-Twelve classroom addition for science classes.
2000-Fine arts complex (band, orchestral, choral, drama, speech, and counseling facilities)

[edit] Graduating Statistics

The first graduating class was the Class of 1966 with 282 graduates. In the Class of 2004 there were 417 graduates. The Class of 1978 was the largest graduating class with 503 graduates. Southside had its 10,000th graduate in the Class of 1991 and its 15,000th graduate in the Class of 2003.

[edit] School of Excellence

Southside was recognized as a "School of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Education three times.

In 1982-83 Southside received its first "School of Excellence" recognition.
In 1986-87, the first year any previously selected school was eligible to be renominated, Southside was one of only four schools nationally to be selected to repeat as a "School of Excellence."
Southside was recognized as a "School of Excellence" in May, 2000, for the third time.

The school flies three flags for "Excellence in Education" presented by previous Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton at ceremonies held in Washington, D.C.

[edit] Mission statement

It is the mission of Southside High School to provide an educational program that enables our students to learn, achieve, succeed and become proficient in reading, writing and math.

Southside High School is dedicated to providing quality and equitable educational opportunities for all students that will help them in realizing their academic potential, become productive citizens, and prepare for their futures.

[edit] Alma Mater

Southside High we hail you 
and hold your honor high.
Never will we fail you; 
your glory cannot die.

Your colors we'll remember, 
the white, the red the blue!
Your memories live forever. 
Our youthful hearts are true

Like a torch in the night, 
With a beam strong and bright
We will stand til we die
To proclaim You're the best
SOUTHSIDE HIGH!

[edit] Mascot

Their mascot is the Rebels, more specifically Johnny Reb, a confederate soldier. A wooden statue (carved in the 1970s by group of students) of the mascot stands in the main hallway to this day. The mascot has generated controversy due to its iconic association with the historical confederation in apparel, which many perceive to be racist or blatantly anti-American. Talks of replacing it with a mustang have circulated, but as of 2006 this has not yet happened and Principal Wayne Haver has stated he plans to keep the mascot as long as he is principal.

[edit] Rebel Football

The Rebels have won six Arkansas state titles, four of which came under long time head coach Barry Lunney, the last of which was in 2002 with an upset victory over rival Springdale. Lunney who left in 2005 for Bentonville was replaced by former El Dorado head coach Jeff Williams, who in his first year put the Rebels into a position to make a run for the state title once again, falling just short to cross town rival Northside in their annual battle. In 2006, Southside defeated Northside 24-10 to make the state playoffs the first year of the new 7A classification.

In the early 1960s when Fort Smith High School was separated into two schools, what formed was one of the premier rivalries in the state of Arkansas. Because the town is divided down the middle by Rogers Avenue and the fact that Southside sits on one side of Rogers and Northside on the other, the game has become known as the "Battle of Rogers Avenue". This game has become a huge event locally in the city of Fort Smith and the surrounding area (usually drawing around 10,000 people to the event), even elevating to the level of shutting down some local schools and businesses on the day of the game. The games usually end up with a quite close score at the end.