South Salem High School
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| Motto | "A Tradition of Excellence" | |
|---|---|---|
| Established | 1954 | |
| Type of institution | Public 4-year | |
| Principal | David Phelps | |
| Enrollment | 1,946 (as of October, 2006) | |
| Location | Salem, Oregon, United States | |
| Colors | Columbia Blue and Scarlet Red | |
| Mascot | Saxons | |
| Information | 503-399-3252 | |
| Website | http://south.salkeiz.k12.or.us/office/index.htm | |
South Salem High School was the second public high school built in Salem, Oregon, in 1954, at which time the former Salem High School was renamed North Salem High School. It is in the Salem-Keizer Public School District, and competes in the Central Valley Conference of the Oregon School Activities Association.
South Salem offers the International Baccalaureate program in the 11th and 12th grades, as well as a preparatory Honors program for 9th and 10th grades.
An important tradition and icon to South is the awarding of roses. South's first principal commended positive actions with roses and condemned unfavorable actions with dandelions. A stained glass window of a red rose is near the entrance to the building as a reminder of this custom.
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[edit] Academics
Average SAT scores: 565 verbal, 563 math.
[edit] Athletics
[edit] State Championships
| Sport | Year |
|---|---|
| Football (Tie) | 1954 |
| Track - Boys | 1959 |
| Cross Country | 1960 |
| Golf | 1964 |
| Tennis - Girls | 1969 |
| Football | 1971 |
| Basketball - Girls | 1976 |
| Golf - Boys | 1990 |
| Baseball | 1990 |
| Basketball - Boys | 1996 |
| Basketball - Boys | 2004 |
[edit] Music
Every year since 2005, South Salem High School's entire music department has been nationally recognized by the Grammy Foundation as a "Grammy Signature Gold School." This is awarded only to the top seven schools in the nation.
South Salem's Wind Ensemble has placed first at the OSAA State Band Contest every year since 2003[1]. South Salem has won ten times since the contest began in 1987, more than any other school in Oregon.
Currently, the choir program at South is under the direction of Carol Stenson. The band program is led by Mary Lou Boderman. The orchestra program is directed by Brandon Correa.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Notable alumni
- Actor Jon Heder, class of 1996.
- Supermodel Darla Baker, attended 2003-2005.
- North Salem High School principal John Honey, class of 1980.
[edit] Past principals
| Principal | Years |
|---|---|
| Carl "Pappy" Aschenbrenner | 1954-1972 |
| Wes Ediger | 1972-1981 |
| Dan Johnson | 1981-1990 |
| George Dyer | 1990-1999 |
| Kris Olsen | 1999-2003 |
| Guido Caldarazzo | 2003-2005 |
| Willese Everson | 2005-2007 |
| David Phelps | 2007-Present |
[edit] Trivia
South Salem High School is not the first school to be built on the current site. That honor goes Leslie Middle School, built in 1927, to which the high school was connected when it was built in 1954. The schools shared common facilities, including the cafeteria and auditorium. When Leslie Middle School was moved in 1997, the old building became home to the Howard Street Charter School.
The name of the school newspaper, The Clypian, is from the Anglo-Saxon word for "call".
The school was designed by the architectural firm of Freeman-Hayslit-Tuft.
South Salem’s first ever graduation diploma was presented to Associated Student Body President Jim Anderson in 1955.
[edit] Myths
[edit] Bomb shelter
Many of students believe there is a bomb shelter located in or around the school. This myth is due to existence of old Civil Defense Fallout Shelter signs within the school well into the 1990s. Variations of this myth have claimed the location to be either under the school's football field or under the southwest corner of the school. Such claims base this belief on the football field's high crown (actually for drainage due to Oregon's rainy climate) and the fact that the school was built in the 1950s. The existence of such a shelter has been disputed for many years by students and teachers alike, but the reality is that Civil Defense plans of the time called for public buildings with sturdy below-ground-level basements (such as South Salem High) to be used as makeshift fallout shelters.
[edit] Recent controversy
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since February 2007. |
In recent months, South Salem has been the focus of local media scrutiny, due to the high magnitude of crime reported in the area. In January 2007, a South Salem teen was charged with murder, due to a confrontation in the area involving the use of a firearm that resulted in the fatality of a local man. Later in January, a fatal car accident in southeast Salem involving high-speed driving that caused the deaths of two people resulted in criminal charges for the driver. In late November 2006, there were allegations that a bomb was going to be detonated. A South student announced this threat using graffiti in the school restroom, prompting South administration to take high security measures for several weeks. The current principal, Willese Everson, has stepped down due to the high level of complaints throughout the South community. The school has not had stable administration since Dr. Kris Olsen resigned from the job in 2001.
The neighborhood surrounding the school also complains of a magnitude of litter in or around their yards. This is most likely due to the open campus during lunches for sophomores and higher grade levels. The school is currently brainstorming ideas to reduce this problem.
