| Elmira Southside High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 777 South Main Street Elmira, New York 14904 |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public, High school (United States) |
| Motto | Pride in Southside |
| School district | Elmira City School District |
| Principal | Christopher Krantz |
| Assistant principals | Mary Cox Timothy Hassen Cheryl Miller |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Color(s) | Green, White |
| Mascot | Green Hornet |
| Athletic conferences | Southern Tier Athletic Conference; Section IV NYSPHSAA |
| Website | http://www.elmiracityschools.com/SHS.cfm |
Contents |
Elmira Southside High School, commonly referred to as SHS, is a high school in Elmira, New York, USA. It is one of three public high schools operated by the Elmira City School District serving Chemung County, alongside Elmira Free Academy and the Elmira Alternative High School. Until the 2011-2012 school year, EFA would play Southside High School in football for the Erie Bell. In 2011, it was announced that the long standing rivalry between the schools would come to an end and they would combine into the Elmira Express, named in part after the city's history of trains, as well as in honor of football legend and local Ernie Davis.
The school has the honor to be recognized by the New York State Education Department as the only high performing school in the district, scoring the highest averages on state testing and curriculum exercises. Southside offers many special classes such as AP and ACE classes that could potentially count for future college credits. Aside from academics, Southside has been a strong contender in many different sports throughout the years, boasting an upgraded hall of fame in its gymnasium area. The high school is also involved in several different club opportunities, the top three being FBLA-PBL (Future Business Leaders of America), Key Club, and National Honor Society. All three are directly involved in community service. Some of these, with the addition of student council, assist in planning events such as Southside's annual Special Olympics program, the spirit week activities for what is now known as the "Express Fest," community service involvement, school functions such as managing program box offices and the school store, amongst other positive endeavors of the many clubs.
In its time of existence, which came shortly after EFA, Southside High has had two different buildings in use. Currently, it is using a newly renovated building on South Main Street on Elmira's southside. The school colors have been green and white since the establishment of the high school as well as it's sports teams, called the Green Hornets. In 2011, the Elmira City School District stated that although the sports teams would now be maroon and have the Express train as a logo, that both Southside and EFA would keep their own individual identities through retaining it's original colors and mascots for special occasions.
Each year, Southside and EFA would do battle for the Erie Bell, a trophy donated to the two schools by a local railroad company. Starting in 2011, the Decker Bell will replace the 64-year Erie Bell tradition. The new Elmira Express combined team has begun somewhat of a new rivalry with the Corning Hawks from two recently combined schools in Corning, New York. Both team combinations were due to severe budget issues that are still imminent and pose a threat to combine the schools altogether. The Elmira budget problem also jeopardizes the education of the students in the district, as well as the futures of the employed staff.