Shawnee Mission South High School

Shawnee Mission South High School
Home of the Raiders
Address
5800 West 107th Street Overland Park, Kansas, 66207 United States
Coordinates	38.9371758°N 94.6536056°W / 38.9371758; -94.6536056
Information
School type	Public, High School
Established	1966
School district	USD 512
CEEB Code	172772
Principal	Joe Gilhaus
Athletic Director	John Johnson
Grades	9–12
Gender	coed
Enrollment	1,559
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Green      Gold
Athletics	Class 6A District 1
Athletics conference	Sunflower
Mascot	Rocky, the Raider
Team name	Raiders
Rival	Shawnee Mission East High School
Newspaper	The Patriot
Communities served	Shawnee Mission
Website	School Website

Shawnee Mission South High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, USA, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is one of several public high schools located within Shawnee Mission, KS. Additionally, Shawnee Mission South is a two-time Blue Ribbon School. The school colors are green and gold and the school mascot is the Raider. The average annual enrollment is approximately 1,600 students, resulting in the struggle to maintain the 6A Classification. The school newspaper is called The Patriot.^{[citation needed]}

Shawnee Mission South was founded in 1966 in order to help educate the increasing number of students due to the emerging population of Shawnee Mission, KS. The school's mascot was chosen by the first graduating class of 1967. The Raider was chosen as a mascot because of the popular band Paul Revere and the Raiders.^{[citation needed]}

History

Shawnee Mission South High School was established in 1966 in order to help educate the increasing population of Shawnee Mission, KS. The school's mascot was chosen by the first graduating class of 1967.^{[citation needed]} The Raider was chosen as a mascot because of the popular band Paul Revere and the Raiders. Throughout its history, Shawnee Mission South has hosted several prominent concerts. The Who played a concert with The Buckinghams at Shawnee Mission South on November 17, 1967.^{[citation needed]} The concert was performed in the gymnasium that currently still stands. The Byrds appeared in concert in the school's gymnasium in March 1969. In 1983, Shawnee Mission South was named a Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor an American school can achieve.^{[citation needed]} In 1997, the school was named a Blue Ribbon School for the second time in the school's history. SMS hosted Brewer & Shipley and Danny Cox in the school cafeteria in 1976.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

Shawnee Mission South High School is a two-time Blue Ribbon School, occurring in 1983 and 1997. Beginning in the 2007-2008 school year, the Shawnee Mission School District adopted a new program, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), as the district's signature engineering program, offered at Shawnee Mission South High School. The classes for Lead the Way include Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Digital Electronics, Aerospace Engineering, and Engineering Design and Development. Another program unique to Shawnee Mission South is that of the Center for International Studies. The Center for International Studies (CIS) provides an intensive education in four languages: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. The program also provides students the opportunity to attend geopolitics classes rather than regular social studies courses. In 2005, South's Science Olympiad team made district news by winning the state of Kansas competition and advancing to the national level. As of January 22, 2012, the Shawnee Mission South Academic Decathlon team has won the Kansas State Academic Decathlon Competition and advanced to nationals for twelve years in a row.^{[citation needed]}

Extracurricular activities

The Raiders compete in the Sunflower League and are classified as a 6A school (despite the drop in enrollment), the largest classification in Kansas according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. Throughout its history, Shawnee Mission South has won several state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics.^{[citation needed]}

State championships

State Championships
Season	Sport	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Football	2	1973, 1975
	Soccer, Boys	2	1986, 1987
	Volleyball	2	1974, 1993
	Cross Country, Boys	6	1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1978, 2011
	Cross Country, Girls	2	1978, 1988
Winter	Swimming and Diving, Boys	5	1972, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1989
	Swimming and Diving, Girls	1	1976
	Gymnastics, Boys	3	1975, 1976, 1977
	Basketball, Boys	1	1990
	Indoor Track, Boys	3	1975, 1976, 1978
	Basketball, Girls	1	1995
Spring	Golf, Boys	4	1968, 1969, 1973, 1999
	Track & Field, Boys	6	1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 2008
	Baseball	4	1975, 1979, 1981, 1985
	Tennis, Boys	2	1986, 2000
	Tennis, Girls	3	1972, 1974, 1996
Total		47

Notable alumni

• Stephen Dolginoff, writer/composer of Thrill Me
• Tom Kane, voice actor of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Yoda, and The Wild Thornberrys
• Steve Little, football, All-American at Arkansas and first-round draft choice of the St Louis Cardinals, 1978
• Rodney Peete, former USC and NFL quarterback; sports television broadcaster
• Rob Riggle, actor/comedian on The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live

See also

• Shawnee Mission East High School
• Shawnee Mission North High School
• Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
• Shawnee Mission West High School

External links

• Official school website
• Kansas State Department Of Education, KSDE
• Kansas State High School Activities Association, KSHSAA

Maps

• 2011 Shawnee Mission School District - High School Boundary Map
• 2005 Kansas School District Boundary Map, KSDE
• 2010 Johnson County Map, KDOT