South High School (Willoughby, Ohio)
| Willoughby South High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
|
5000 Shankland Road Willoughby, Ohio, (Lake County) 44094 United States | |
| Coordinates | 41°37′30″N 81°25′14″W / 41.62500°N 81.42056°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, Coeducational high school |
| School district | Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools |
| Superintendent | Steve Thompson |
| Principal | Zachary Weagley |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,400 |
| Color(s) | Columbia Blue and Gray[1] |
| Athletics conference | Western Reserve Conference |
| Mascot |
Willoughby South Rebel  Picture of willoughby south rebel |
| Nickname | Willoughby South Rebels |
| Team name | Rebels[1] |
| Rival | Eastlake North High School |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2] |
| Athletic Director | James Mormino[1] |
| Website | School website |
South High School is a public high school in Willoughby, Ohio. It is one of two high schools in the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. The school was created when the Willoughby Union High School was split into South High and North High School
About 20 minutes east of Cleveland, Willoughby South High School is located close to scenic and historical Downtown Willoughby. The total enrollment is between 1,200 and 1,400 students in grades 9-12. The principal is Zachary Weagley and the two assistant principals are David Miller (11-12 grades) and Christopher Plush (9-10 grades). James Mormino is the athletic director.
Willoughby South, along with its sister school (and rival), Eastlake North High School, have been awarded the Blue Ribbon School award by the US Department of Education (the highest award attainable by American Schools), and both schools have won the Ohio Academic Decathlon multiple times.
Athletics
Willoughby South is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association and part of the 8-team Premier Athletic Conference.
Sports include:
Sport Boys Girls Baseball ✓ Softball ✓ Basketball ✓ ✓ Soccer ✓ ✓ Cross-Country ✓ ✓ Golf ✓ ✓ Wrestling ✓ Volleyball ✓ Swimming ✓ ✓ Track & Field ✓ ✓ Tennis ✓ ✓ Football ✓ Cheerleading ✓ ✓ Lacrosse ✓ Hockey
Academic Decathlon
Willoughby South has won the Academic Decathlon state competition 8 times.[3]
Notable alumni
- Kareem Hunt
- Michael Hutter (2001) - wrestles as Ethan Carter III.
- Katie McGregor (1995) - Track, cross country and marathon runner.
- Gregory J. Harbaugh (1974) - former NASA astronaut.
- Betty Thomas (1965, then Betty Nienhauser) - actress (Hill Street Blues), film and television director; second-highest box office grossing female film director[4]
Flag Controversy
For many years, the flag of South High was the Confederate Battle Flag used in the American Civil War. The school has since then adopted a new flag, which is simply a re-coloration of the Confederate Flag. The original decision to name the school the "South Rebels" stemmed from the original Union High, with "South Rebels" seeming to some to be the logical name for the school after the "Union" was split. however, there is the problem of seeming to celebrate the Confederacy, whose secession from the Union was centered on the institution of slavery.
In October 2010, A shirt depicting a re-coloration of the Confederate Flag was sold in the spirit shop. The Principal decided to pull the shirts. The spirit shop offered to refund any money students paid for the shirt or to replace them with a less inflammatory version; however, many students chose to keep the Confederate flag shirt as an expression of support for their traditional flag.[5]
Shooting incident
On September 2, 2008, a student brought a gun to school and fired two rounds within the school, one piercing the ceiling, another shattering a trophy case. The student then put the gun to his head, but was talked out of doing himself any harm by the Vice Principal of Eastlake North, Jeff Lyons.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
- ↑ http://acadecscores.gilslotd.com/wiki/State/Ohio
- ↑ "Betty Thomas Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ "In Ohio Town, A School Tragedy Averted". NPR. September 3, 2008.