South Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
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| South Side High School | |
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| 3601 South Calhoun Street Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States |
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| Information | |
| Locale | Urban |
| Oversight | Fort Wayne Community Schools |
| Principal | Thomas Smith |
| Students | 1,536 |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Mascot | Archer |
| Color(s) | Green and White |
| Newspaper | South Side Times |
| Established | 1922 |
| Homepage | South Side High School |
South Side High School is a high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana. South Side High School is known as being the fourth most diverse school in the nation.[citation needed]
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[edit] History
On September 11, 1922, South Side High School opened its doors to students for the first time. The idea of a second high school in the city of Fort Wayne became a reality in 1920 when Fort Wayne High School, later known as Central High School, became overcrowded. As a site for the new high school, the school board chose a tract of land on South Calhoun Street close to the city limits. The land on which the school was constructed had been used for gardens by the residents. The land that the football field was constructed was rather flat. This site had previously been occupied by the Kaylor Brickyard. At the present north entrance of South Side, where Darrow Avenue once ran, there used to be a creek called Shawnee Creek, or Shawnee Run. A bridge spanned the creek close to the present north entrance to the school. After Calhoun Street was paved, the creek gradually filled up with rubbish and trash. When South Side opened, it was said to have been the largest one-story school in the country. The building itself covered three acres and the normal capacity was 1,500 students.
When South Side High School opened its doors, classes were primarily held in the south part of the building because the north section, particularly in the area of the Gymnasium, and not as yet been completed. To further complications, the approximate 800 high school students shared the building with 510 grade school students. The South Side Grade School continued to be part of the faculty until the Autumn of 1925 when Harrison Hill School opened. Mr. Herbert Voorhees, long time South Side Chemistry teacher, commented on the early weeks of classes as saying: "Since there was no door to my room, I shouted chemical symbols above the accompaniment of a concrete mixer in the place where the gym now is."
When South Side High School first opened, desks and other furnishings had not been delivered to classrooms. As a result, students frequently had to sit on nail kegs. Because of construction was not completed, half-day sessions were held for several weeks until October 30, 1922 when the first full-day session took place.
[edit] The South Side Times
The first issue of the school newspaper, South Side Times, a four-page version, was on October 6, 1922. Ruth Wagner was the first editor-in chief. For the next two decades, South Side Times consistantly won top honors from several scholastic press associations, including "Best High School Paper in Indiana," "Best High School Paper East of the Mississippi," and "Best High School Paper in the United States."
[edit] South Side Football
The South Side Archer football team has much success and dominance in the SAC by always finshing in the top five for the past eight years. The Archers have been successful in the playoffs by going to the second round of the playoffs for the last six years and winning one sectional cahmpionship. South Side also has a storied rivalry against the North Side Redskins in the battle for the Totem Pole. But their biggest rivals are the Bishop Luers Knights and the Snider Panthers.
