Northside High School (Fort Smith, Arkansas)

For schools of the same name, see Northside High School (disambiguation).

Northside High School
Location
2301 N B St Fort Smith, Arkansas
Information
Type	Public
Established	1928
Superintendent	Benny Gooden
Principal	Ginni McDonald
Grades	10-12
Enrollment	Approx. 1,400
Campus	Urban
Color(s)	Red, White
Athletics conference	7A West
Mascot	Grizzly Bear
Information	[phone]
Website	Northside Home Page Northside Alumni Page

Northside High School (formerly known as Fort Smith High School) is one of two public high schools in the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas (the other being Southside High School). Within the state, the school is commonly known as Fort Smith Northside.

History

Metal Grizzly statue in front of high school

On November 19, 1928, Fort Smith High School moved into a new building on 23rd and B Street in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The population of Fort Smith at the time was 31,400. The new building was dedicated on February 15, 1929, just before the mid-term class graduation could take place. The first year, 848 students enrolled in the high school (it could accommodate 3,000 students). With the new large building, many local organizations, as well as nationally known groups and individuals used the 1,060-seat auditorium for performances and other types of events. Since it was built, the auditorium has been visited by such famous people as Helen Olheim, opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera (1937–1938); Carl Sandburg, poet, biographer and entertainer (1939–1940); Margaret Bourke-White, war correspondent, photographer, author (1943–44); Nancy Gean , FSHS graduate and fashion analyst for Butterick (1947–1948); Nelson Bennett, world famous model for painters and sculptors (1965–1966); and Shawntel Smith, Miss America (1995–1996).

In 1934, the Fort Smith High School yearbook, Sounder, changed its name to Bruin. During its formative years, the senior class of 1937 hired Harry Alford of Chicago to write the Fort Smith High School Alma Mater, which has remained the same until today for now Northside High School.

In 1956, the school built an annex. The following year, enrollment for students was up to 1,738, which made Fort Smith High School the largest high school in the state of Arkansas. During the school year of 1960-1961, the Farnsworth Rose Garden was completed on the campus. Fort Smith High School was officially renamed Northside High School in the year 1963. Shortly thereafter, the Field House was opened and a marquee was installed in front of the campus in 1964. When Lincoln High School closed, Northside's enrollment continued to grow.

Improvements were made continually for the next several years. First, Grizzly Stadium was renamed Mayo-Thompson Stadium. The campus continued to grow with the addition of the Fine Arts building, learning lab, and elevator during the 1980-1981 school year. The Rogers Book Store was purchased to house computer labs and kept its original name, the Schlenker Building. In 2003-2004, the original gym was renovated with a new finished floor, a film room, and new custom oak lockers. The original floor, possibly the only one of its kind, required special efforts to be able to reseal and finish it. The girls basketball team has been one of the strongest teams in the state for several years, winning four straight titles between 1999-2002.

Administration

Current administration

• Ginni McDonald - Principal
• Anthony Sims - Assistant Principal
• Chris Carter - Assistant Principal
• Angela Miller - Assistant Principal

Former principals

Fort Smith High School/Northside High School Principals:

• 1928-1949 - Elmer Cook
• 1949-1973 - Earl Farnsworth
• 1973-1987 - Frank Jones
• 1987-1997 - Bill Bardrick
• 1997-2001 - Dr. Barry Owen
• 2001-2007 - Dr. Ray Martin
• 2007-2010 - Martin Mahan
• 2010–2011 - Jim Garvey
• 2011-present - Ginni McDonald

Academics

In 1992-1993, Northside High School was selected as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Today, Northside continues to strive for excellence. The enrollment for the 2003-2004 school year was 1284 with a diverse group of students, the enrollment for the 2004-2005 school year was 1350, the enrollment for the 2005-2006 school year was 1383, and the enrollment for the 2007-2008 school year was 1404. The approximate breakdown is as follows: 12% Asian, 21% African American, 18% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, and 46% Caucasian enrolled.^[1] 35% of the student population is eligible for free lunch which is less than the 46% average for the state of Arkansas.

The Northside Quiz Bowl team has a long history of victories in state and national tournaments around the country. Most notably, the team won the American Scholastics Competition Network national championship in Chicago in 1993 and 2001. Northside students also won the 2002 and 2003 Arkansas Governor's Cup Quizbowl Association tournament championships including overall and AAAAA, the state's largest classification.

Athletics

Football field picture looking up at the press box.

Battle Of Rogers Avenue Plaque from yearly rivalry game against Southside High School

The Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies have won various athletic championships, including:

• (8x) 7A state football champion
• (8x) 7A state boys basketball champion - 07,08,09
• (4x) 7A state girls basketball champion; (2x) state overall champion
• (4x) 5A state boys track champion

Their gymnasium will host the majority of home games for the Arkansas Fantastics of the American Basketball Association.

Alma Mater & Fight Song

Alma Mater

All Hail to Our Northside High,

Carry on With Your Majesty.

All Hail to Our Northside High,

Good Will With Us Night and Day.

Through Years of Loyalty

In Our Hearts You Shall Never Die.

Oh! Alma Mater, In Our Prayers,

Northside Senior High.

Fight Song

Fighting for victory,

Never give in.

Fight 'till the end boys,

Fight and might will win.

So keep on fighting for victory,

Crown every man.

We're gonna

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT

For Northside High.

Mission statement

According to the official web page, the current Northside High School mission statement is: "The mission of Northside High School is the relentless pursuit of high levels of learning for all students and adults alike." ^[2]

Formerly, it was:

Northside High School accepts the challenge of being an important component contributing to the academic, vocational, and social success of our students. We dedicate ourselves to meet this challenge by recognizing that students of all backgrounds can learn. We pledge to provide equitable educational opportunities which ensure students become productive members of society. We furthermore pledge to continue the ongoing process of education by forming community coalitions united to educate and enhance student's self-esteem in order for them to succeed.

Notable alumni

• John Boozman - Congressman, Arkansas 3rd congressional district (2001–2011), current Senator representing Arkansas. Northside graduate. Two-time University of Arkansas football letterman.

• Charles Winchester Breedlove, Los Angeles City Council member, 1933–45

• Ron Brewer - 7th pick of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. At Northside, he was on the basketball team that won a state championship. On the University of Arkansas basketball team, he was a member of Eddie Sutton's "Triplet's" that led the team to the Final Four in 1978.

• Brett Goode - long snapper for the Green Bay Packers.

• Matt Jones - 2005 1st round NFL Draft; he spent his senior year in Fort Smith and was a high school star athlete at Northside. He played quarterback University of Arkansas and led its football team to victories in the two longest overtime games in NCAA football history. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and helped them reach the 2005 NFL Playoffs.

External links

• Northside High School Homepage
• Northside High School Alumni
• PublicSchoolReview.com profile of Northside
• Arkansas Activities Association

Notes

1. ^ Northside High School - Fort Smith, Arkansas/AR - Public School Profile
2. ^ "Northside High School Official Webpage". Northside High School. http://www.fssc.k12.ar.us/schools/nside/mission.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 

Coordinates: 35°22′42″N 94°24′26″W / 35.378256°N 94.407293°W / 35.378256; -94.407293