Southside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas)

Southside High School
Location
4100 Gary St Fort Smith, Arkansas
Information
Type	Public
Established	1963
Superintendent	Benny Gooden
Principal	Wayne Haver
Faculty	110
Grades	10-12
Enrollment	Approx. 1,600
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Columbia Blue, Red
Athletics conference	7A West
Mascot	Johnny Reb
Information	(479) 646-7371
Website	Southside Home Page

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

The school was opened in 1963 and has had over 15,000 graduates. Since 1966, the school has been accredited by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. Southside was ranked 625th in Newsweek's Top 1,300 High Schools in the U.S. in 2008. In 2008, Southside was the recipient of "Best Practice School" by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. For the 2007-2008 school year, Southside received the Siemen's Award for Advanced Placement exam scores. Southside was in Newsweek's Top 1,000 High Schools in America for the 2009-2010 school year.

Principals and Administration

• Victor Stewart, 1963–1983
• Wayne Haver, 1983–present
• Travis Biggs, Assistant Principal
• Samantha Hall, Assistant Principal
• Steve Arnold, Assistant Principal

Building Construction

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

• 1968: 9-room wing
• 1973: 12-room wing
• 1977: 600-seat auditorium
• 1978: All-weather track
• 1981: Physical education facility
• 1988: New stadium
• 1988: 10-room wing for business and financial classes and a cafeteria addition
• 1997: Athletic complex (weight room, dressing room, training area, and office space)
• 1999: 12-classroom addition for science classes.
• 2000: Fine arts complex (band, orchestral, choral, drama, speech, and counseling facilities)
• 2008: Indoor athletic training facility
• 2008: A new bathroom addition underneath the stadium bleachers
• 2008: The remodeling of 2 of the bathrooms (1 male, 1 female)
• 2009: Re-constructed parking lots
• 2009: Landscaping including a Columbia blue sculpture
• 2011: Installation of artificial turf football field and overhaul of HVAC systems

Graduating Statistics

The first graduating class was the Class of 1966 with 24 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. Correction, the first graduating class actually had 282 students. in 1963/1964 the tenth grade was the highest class,in 1964/65 the eleventh grade was the highest class and the class of 1965/1966 became the first graduating senior class.

School of Excellence

• 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.
• Siemen's AP Award 2008
• National Science Bowl Regional Winner 2007-2008
• 2010 7A State Quiz Bowl Champions

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.

Advanced Placement Courses Offered

English Language; English Literature; Calculus AB; Calculus BC;

Spanish Language; US Govt./Politics; American History; World History;

German Language; Chemistry; European History; Physics B;

French Language; Biology; Psychology; Environmental Science

Latin (Vergil); Music Theory; Statistics; Computer Science

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.

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!

Mascot

Their mascot is the Rebels, more specifically Johnny Reb who is a Confederate soldier. The mascot has generated controversy along with the school's fight song, Dixie, due to the iconic association of the confederation with slavery. In mid-2000, Principal Wayne Haver banned the display of the Confederate flag at school and school events; many students had taken it to be the school flag due to Johnny Reb being a Confederate soldier. Talks of replacing Johnny Reb with a mustang have circulated, but as of 2010 this has not yet happened and Principal Wayne Haver has stated he plans to keep the mascot as long as he is principal. A wooden statue (carved in the 1970s by a group of students) of the mascot currently stands in the main hallway just past the front doors.

Rebel Football

The Rebels have won seven state championships in Arkansas' highest classification; all since 1983. Four of those titles came under longtime Southside head coach Barry Lunney Sr., who left the school after the 2004 season for conference rival Bentonville. Jeff Williams has since taken over the program and led the Rebels to their last title in his second year in 2006. In 2008 and in 2009, Southside made a surprising run to the championship game, but fell short to Bentonville in 2008 and Springdale Har-Ber in 2009.

Battle of Rogers Avenue Plaque

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. To date, Southside has gone on a huge winning streak, winning every Battle of Rogers Avenue plaque since 2006, including 2010's game at Southside 56-29. The game was filmed by NFL Network as part of their American Great Rivalries Program and will be aired on national television in January 2011.

Southside Rivalries

Northside Grizzlies
Bentonville Tigers
Rogers Mounties
Harber Wildcats
Fayetteville Purple Dogs

Southside State Titles

1983, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2006

Other Sports Titles

Confederate Volleyball

• 5A State Champions 1999
• 5A State Champions 2003
• 5A State Champions 2004
• 7A State Champions 2006
• 7A State Champions 2009

Rebel Bowling

• State Champs 2008
• State Champs 2009 Mens
• State champs 2010 Womens

Rebel Track

• State Champs 2009 [1st Track State title in Southside history]
• 2010 5A-6A-7A State Indoor Track Runner-Ups
• 2010 7A Boys State Track Champions
• 2011 7A Boys State Track Champions

External links

• Southside High School (Fort Smith, AR) website
• PublicSchoolReview.com Southside profile
• Fort Smith Public Schools
• Southside High School Counselors' Page
• Southside High School's Library Page
• The Southside High School Rebel Band
• Southside Football Fan Page