South Park High School (Buffalo, New York)

South Park High School is a high school located in Buffalo, New York. It serves Grades 9 - 12 and teaches according to the Board of Regents. The current principal is Mrs. Theresa Schuta, and the current assistant principals are Mr. Michael Morris, Mrs. Kathleen Thomas, and Mrs. Molly Forero.

History

South Park is located in South Buffalo. It was organized in 1914, but the building's construction was not completed until the 1915-1916 school year. For its first year, the school was temporarily housed at School 36.^[1] It was designed by architect Edward Brodhead Green.

From 2007-2009, South Park High was renovated and temporarily housed at School 87, which formerly housed Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts. South Park High reopened in 2009.

Annexes

Beginning in the 1930s, South Park High began opening up annexes in other school buildings due to the excessive student body account. The first annex was opened in 1932 at School 67, with a second being opened a few years later at School 72, and a third at School 69 in 1936. The following year, the School 72 and 69 annexes were closed and replaced by the School 7 annex. In 1941, both the School 7 and School 67 annexes were closed and all students attended the main building.^[2] School 67 would later be revived as an annex in the late 60's and continued to operate as such until the early 1990s.

Former principals

Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses

• Dr. Robert T. Bapst–1914-1932 (Principal - Public School 35, named Associate Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools)
• Mr. Frank P. Regan–1932-1958 (Vice Principal - South Park High School, retired)
• Dr. J. Norman Hayes–1958-1964 (Assistant Principal - Lafayette High School, named Associate Superintendent of Buffalo Public Schools^[3])
• Mr. Thomas J. Connors–1964-1972 (Principal - Clinton Junior High School, retired)
• Mr. John J. Mattimore–1972-1985 (Assistant Principal - South Park High School, named Principal of Burgard Vocational High School^[4])
• Dr. Paul A. Lafornara–1986-1995 (Principal - Academic Challenge Center, named Principal of City Honors School^[5])
• Mr. Raymond D. Perreault–1995-2002^[6] (Principal - Buffalo Alternative High School, retired)
• Dr. Eileen H. Czarnecki–2002^[6]-2004 (Acting Principal - E.C.C. 90,^[7] named Assistant Principal of Grover Cleveland High School^[8])
• Mr. Paul J. Casseri–2004-2005 (Assistant Superintendent of Personnel - Frontier Central School District, named Principal of Lewiston-Porter High School)
• Mrs. Patricia J. Welch-Thomas–2005-2009 (Assistant Principal – Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts,^[9] retired^[10])

Selected former assistant principals

Previous assignment and reason for departure denoted in parentheses

• Mr. Frank Regan–1925-1932 (Business teacher - South Park High School, named Principal of South Park High School)
• Mr. F. Nicholas McCarthy–1932-1958 (Mathematics teacher - South Park High School, retired)
• Mr. Thomas Connors–1958-1962 (Social Studies teacher - South Park High School, named Principal of Clinton Junior High School)
• Mr. Raymond J. Schanzer–1962-1980 (Social Studies teacher - Grover Cleveland High School, retired)
• Mr. John F. Toolen–1962-1966 (Guidance Counselor - Grover Cleveland High School, named Principal of Southside Junior High School)
• Mr. Robert J. Wilson–1966-1984 (Principal - Clinton Junior High School, retired)
• Mr. John J. Mattimore–1971-1972 (Assistant Principal - East High School, named Principal of South Park High School)
• Mr. Herbert P. Coyne [interim]–1974-1975 (Physical Education teacher - South Park High School, returned to teaching)
• Mr. Daniel J. Geary–1972-1981 (Guidance Counselor - Burgard Vocational High School, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
• Mr. William J. Bell
• Mr. Gerald D. Pope–1984-1987 (Supervisor of School Integration - Buffalo Public Schools, named Assistant Principal of Kensington High School)
• Ms. Crystal A. Boling–1985-1986 (Assistant Principal - Bennett High School, named Assistant Principal of Emerson Vocational High School^[11])
• Mr. Calvin J. Baxter–1987-1992 (Assistant Principal - Bennett High School, named Director of Humanities of Buffalo Public Schools)
• Mr. Harold J. Collier–?-1998 (Assistant Principal - Buffalo Traditional School, retired)
• Mrs. Nancy W. Thompson–1992-2003 (Assistant Principal - Buffalo Traditional School, retired)
• Mr. Michael J. Mogavero–1998-2003 (Physical Education teacher - Riverside High School,^[12] named Principal of Buffalo Traditional School^[13])
• Mrs. Angela R. Reynolds-Hannah–2003-2004 (Guidance Counselor - Buffalo Traditional School, named Assistant Principal of City Honors School)
• Dr. William A. Kresse–2003-2005 (Assistant Principal - Kensington High School, named Principal of City Honors School)
• Ms. Ann Mogavero [interim]–2004-2005 (English teacher - Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Career and Technical High School,^[14] named Director of English Language Arts for Buffalo Public Schools)
• Mr. Darren J. Brown–2004-2006 (Math teacher - Grover Cleveland High School, named Principal of Community School 53^[15])
• Mrs. Denise M. Denz–2005-2015 (Acting Assistant Principal - Waterfront Elementary School, retired)
• Mr. Lawrence A. Grisanti–2006-2010 (Principal - Lorraine Elementary School,^[16] retired^[17])
• Mrs. Orniece M. Hill–2007-2017 (Social Studies teacher - Buffalo Public Schools, named Acting Principal of Lovejoy Discovery School)

Selected administrators

School 187, where South Park High students were housed from 2007-2009.

*Denotes interim appointment

Alumni

• Rose Bampton^[18]–Opera singer (Class of 1925)
• Brian Higgins–Congressman of New York State's 27th District (Class of 1978)
• Warren Spahn^[18]–Former Milwaukee Braves pitcher
• Joseph Conley^[18]–Actor
• Theresa Drilling-Schuta^[18]–Principal of South Park High School (Class of 1978)
• Anthony "A.J." Verel^[18]–Former World Champion Kickboxer, Martial Artitst; Actor;Stuntman (Class of 1988)

References

External links

• School Website