South High School (Denver)

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South High School
Location
1700 East Louisiana Avenue, Denver, Colorado
Information
School district Denver Public Schools
Principal William Kohut[1]
Dean Robert Dilworth, Adam Kelsy
Staff 52[1]
Enrollment

1401[2]
Students 1375[1]
Faculty 70[1]
Type Public
Grades 9-12
Athletics 4A[2]
Athletics conference Denver
Mascot Rebels
Color(s) Purple and White         
Established 1893
Information 720-423-6000
Newspaper The Gargoyle
Homepage [1]

South High School is a high school in the Washington Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It is part of Denver Public Schools.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1893, high school classes were established in two rooms of the Grant school (now Grant Middle School). By 1907, an addition had to be added because of overcrowding. In January of 1925, there were 800 students in the senior high school section and more space was desperately needed. A bond issue was voted into effect in October of 1925, and funds for a new school were raised. The cost of construction was $1,252,000; the building was intended to last a century.

When the Denver school board made the decision to close Manual High School for the 2006-2007 academic year to restructure the program, South accepted 157 displaced students, the largest number among the schools in the district.[3]

[edit] Campus

South High School was designed by the architectural firm of Fisher & Fisher in the time's popular Romanesque style. Sculptor Robert Garrison created many of the building's adornment, including the 3 foot (1 meter) tall gargoyle above the building's main entrance; the symbolic protector of South inspired by a gargoyle at the Italian Cathedral of Spoleto.

Although there are some differences, South's Clock Tower is thought to be a replica of the one at Santa Maria in Cosmedin. After the tower's original roof deck began to leak, a State Historical Fund grant was secured to replace the roof and update the electrical work.[4]

Many of the changes to the building have been to subdivide former study halls and repurpose other rooms into usable classroom space. The boys' gym, or North Gym, had a balcony allowing for spectator basketball games removed in the late fifties and early sixties with the addition of the auxiliary gym, the girls' locker rooms and the new JROTC offices. In 1964 the southwest wing was added, followed in 1989 by a new gymnasium. Thus completing an expansion planned before World War II but never realized because of the rationing and shortages due to the war.

In 1992, South High School was designated as a National Historic Landmark.[citation needed]

[edit] Students & Academics

South High school offers many Advanced placement courses, that will prepare a student for college as well as offering college credit in the following subjects: AP English Literature & Comp, AP English Language & Comp, AP European History, AP Art History, AP American History, AP Political Science, AP U.S. Government, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry & Lab, AP Biology & Lab, AP Spanish Language and AP Studio Art. South offers many advanced (X) courses and honors courses as well as many elective art, music and physical education classes. The school makes it easy for students to plan for college by offering a college summit course, and a "Future Center", sponsored by the Denver Scholarship Foundation. The Future Center provides students help with anything regarding colleges (applications, how to get financial aid etc.)

[edit] Faculty

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[edit] Improvement

South High School was one of 16 schools nation-wide selected by the College Board for inclusion in the EXCELerator School Improvement Model program beginning the 2007-2008 school year. The project was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

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Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Alumni Association

South High School has the most active alumni association of all the public high schools in Denver. South High Alumni and Friends, Inc (SHAFI) has office and museum space in the basement of the high school, in what was once a classroom and the gun range for the JROTC program. In recent years the alumni association has been responsible for the restoration of the clock tower and new flag pole.

Among it’s activities SHAFI maintains a database of all graduates of South High School, is building a database of faculty and staff of the school, publishes a newsletter several times a year for its members, and maintains a school museum. Due to its prominence as a South Denver landmark the museum has also become the repository for Washington Park, and surrounding neighborhood, history, artifacts and memorabilia. It has also serves as a repository for the memorabilia of the middle (jr. high school) and even the elementary schools that feed into the high school.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d South High School School Accountability Report 2005-2006 School Year. Colorado Department of Education. December 12, 2006. Accessed January 15, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Colorado High School Activities Association. Profile for Denver South High School. Accessed 15 January 2007.
  3. ^ Mitchell, Nancy. "Ex-Manual kid keeps DPS chief in hot seat", Rocky Mountain News, October 2, 2006. Accessed January 15 2007.
  4. ^ Miller, Lyle. "Supporting History: Making Time for Preservation". Colorado State Historical Fund, October 2001. Accessed January 15, 2007.

[edit] External links