Selma High School
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Selma High School Selma NC 27576 is a public secondary school in Selma, Alabama, USA, the only public high school in the Selma City School System.
History
Selma High School was formed in 1970 in response to court-ordered integration, merging the former white A.G. Parrish High School and the former black R.B. Hudson High School. The school was housed in the building of Parrish High, which was constructed in 1939. R.B. Hudson's building was converted to Westside Junior High School, was renamed Selma Middle CHAT Academy and, in 2012, became known as R.B. Hudson Middle School. The high school building was demolished in 2011[1] and replaced with a new building that opened in August 2012; the former main entrance has been preserved as one wall of the media center.[2]
In 1990, Selma High received national attention for a series of protests addressing the school's tracking procedures, which based students' class choices on "ability grouping" tracks. Ethnic minority students formed a larger percentage of the lower tracks, while the most advanced curriculum had primarily white students. In 1990, a group of students, led by Rose Sanders, a local activist and the wife of the local state senator, led protests at the high school against this policy and the dismissal of the system's first black superintendent, Norward Roussell. At one point Governor Roy Hunt Guy Hunt ordered the National Guard and state troopers to the high school.[1] The protests were successful in removing the tracking programs at Selma High and in drawing larger attention to the racial disparities in these programs.[3][4] The protests, however, had the negative result of increasing segregation in the school system, since many white parents withdrew their children to attend county or private schools. As of April 2011[update], Selma High had only five white students, and enrollment had shrunk from approximately 1,500 to below 1,000.[1]
Athletics
Selma High's sports teams compete in the Alabama High School Athletics Association's 6A classification. As of 2014, the school fielded teams in American football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, track and field, volleyball and softball.
The school won the 1946 AA, 1947 AA (as A.G. Parrish High), 1977 4A, and 1994 6A state boys' basketball championship,[5] as well as golf championships in 1949 and 1950 (as A.G. Parrish High).[6] The school holds the record for most consecutive victories in basketball (73, including playoff games and 88 regular season games) and most state tournament appearances.
Alumni
 | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (December 2013) |
Notable alumni of Selma High School, and its two predecessors, include:
- Ralph "Shug" Jordan, former Auburn University football coach (attended Parrish High)[1]
- Terry Leach, former MLB player (New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox)
- William Lehman (Florida politician)
- Jai Miller, former MLB outfielder (Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles) and current Safety at the University of Alabama
- Ben Obomanu, wide receiver for the Auburn Tigers and Seattle Seahawks[1][7]
- James Perkins, Jr., first African-American mayor of Selma.[1][8]
- Terri Sewell, U.S. Congressperson for Alabama's 7th District[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Selma hopes new high school can bridge divides". Alabama.com. Alabama Media Group. Associated Press. April 14, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ "New Selma High School unveiled to community". Selma Times-Journal. August 8, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Smothers, Ronald (February 11, 1990). "25 Years Later, Racial Tensions Revive in Selma". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Matthews, Christina (1991). "Selma: What Has Changed?". Southern Changes. 13 (4): 12–15. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Basketball Past State Champions (Boys), Alabama High School Athletic Association, retrieved 2009-07-03
- ^ Golf Past State Champions - Boys, Alabama High School Athletic Association, retrieved 2009-07-03
- ^ "Obomanu discusses life in lockout". Selma Times-Journal. May 21, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (October 22, 2000). "To Mayor, It's Selma's Statue of Limitations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.