Southfield High School

Southfeld Senior High School
"Where Blue Jays Soar"
Type	Public school
Principal	Michael Horn
Students	1600
Grades	9-12
Location	24675 Lahser Road, Southfield, Michigan, United States
District	Southfield Public Schools
Colors	Blue and Grey
Mascot	Bluejays
Yearbook	'Blue and Grey'
Newspaper	The Southfield Jay
Website	Southfield High School website

Southfield Senior High School (often referred to as Southfield High) is a senior high school located in Southfield, Michigan. Founded in 1953, Southfield High is the oldest of three high schools in the district operated by Southfield Public Schools. The other high schools in the district are Southfield-Lathrup High School, and the University High School Academy, a program which is located in the building of Southfield High School.

Curriculum

Academy Learning

Southfield High is home to two of the Academies serving the Southfield Public Schools district, specifically the Engineering & Manufacturing Sciences Academy and the Global Business & Information Technology Academy. Both academies have separate entry requirements from the mainstream curriculum.

Engineering and Manufacturing Sciences Academy

Courses offered:

• Engineering Tech
• Drafting
• CAD/Adv CAD
• Engineering Design
• Electronics & Robotics

Global Business and Information Technology Academy

Courses offered:

Advanced Placement Options

Southfield High offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in several different subjects including:

• United States History
• United States Government & Politics
• Biology
• Calculus
• Chemistry
• English Language and Composition
• English Literature and Composition

Summer Reading Program

Beginning the summer of 2005, all Southfield High students were required to read books from a preselected list over the summer. Honors and AP students received more books to summer read than other students.

Dress Code

Beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, a new dress code was instituted at the high school level, finalizing the process of bringing all of the Southfield Public Schools district under a dress code policy. All members of the Southfield School Board supported the measure and voted aye, except for Trustee Karen Miller. Ms. Miller voted no because she didn't feel that there was enough input from students in the development of the dress code. For the 2006-2007 school year, the dress code was tightened further so that it required all students to tuck in their shirts.

As of 2010, the dress code has become easier to follow for the female population. Males are still made to tuck in shirts and wear belts, while the female population is often found wearing leggings and not having the dress code enforced on them.

Campus

The campus is divided into several distinct zones called "houses", two of which are connected by glass hallways.[1]

O House

O House, a large two story building, is the oldest of the campus buildings. In addition to its many classrooms, O House contains administrative offices, the radio station, main auditorium, cafeteria, gymnasium, and swimming pool.

The letter "O" in O House is thought to stand for Original, because this building was originally the only building on the Southfield High Campus. Colloquially, however, the O is said to be an abbreviation for "old."

A House

Built in the 1960s, A House, while also a two story building, is considerably smaller than O House. It holds the Blue Jay Cafe, a model restaurant for those in Culinary Arts classes, as well as the majority of the English department classrooms.

During the 2006 - 2007 academic year, A House was closed for renovation.

B, C, and D House

Built in the 1980s, B and C House are also two story buildings that contain classrooms.

In March 2006, D House opened as a new two story building adjacent to and connected with A House. This building was able to hold students and teachers relocated from parts of O House closed for renovation.

Recent renovations in A, B, C, and D House mean that the buildings are air conditioned, with updated facilities including flat panel television screens in each classroom, as well as combination DVD/VCR players.

Extracurricular activities

• Newspaper - The Southfield Jay

This newspaper has had several awards bestowed upon it for journalistic talent, including three George H. Gallup Awards from Quill and Scroll. Over the past 10 years they have accumulated more than 60 awards.

• Yearbook - Blue and Gray
• Radio - WSHJ 88.3
• Business Professionals of America
• Project Manhood
• Project Womanhood
• Scholar's Plus
• Sold Out for Christ

A group of members united in religion.

• Southfield High School Marching Band "The Best Band in the Land"
• Principal's Council
• Poetry Club
• Rotary Club
• Robotics Club
  • FIRST ROBOTICS Robotics - TechnoJays (Team #94)
    • FIRST is an acronym for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
    • The TechnoJays are the 2008 Buckeye Regional Finalists, having finished second overall
  • OCCRA Oakland County Competitive Robotics Association

Participates in OCCRA and FIRST Robotics competitions.

• Intermural Sports

Golf

Tennis

Football

Freshman Football

Junior Varsity Football

Varsity Football

Basketball

Freshman Boys Basketball

Boys Junior Varsity Basketball

Boys Varsity Basketball

Freshman Girls Basketball

Girls Junior Varsity Basketball

Girls Varsity Basketball

Track and Field

Cross Country

Track and Field

Swimming Hockey Cheerleading

Notable alumni

• Dominique Barnes (c/o 2007), football player, Wide Receiver for the Detroit Lions
• Ted Simmons, Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals. The athletic field (baseball diamond) of Southfield High School is dedicated to Ted.
• Rick Titsworth aka Rick Worthy (c/o 1985), television actor [2]
• Torin Dorn (c/o 1986), football player for North Carolina at cornerback, National Football League Draft, selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the 4th round
• Debbie Schlussel (c/o 1986), attorney and political commentator.
• Gabriel Watson (c/o 2002), football player, Michigan DT, NFL Draft, selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 4th round
• Ira Newble (c/o 1993), forward for the National Basketball Association Los Angeles Lakers
• Karriem Riggins, jazz drummer and former member of the Ray Brown Trio
• Spencer Overton (c/o 1986), law professor, voting rights expert, and author

Notable events

On November 22, 1967, The Who performed in concert along with local bands The Unrelated Segments ("Where You Gonna Go"), and the Amboy Dukes ("Journey To The Center Of The Mind"), with Ted Nugent featured very prominently as a member of the group .

External links

• Southfield High School Official Website
• Student Dress Code
• Dress code extended to Southfield high schools. Detroit News (July 8, 2005)