South High School (Salt Lake City)

"for schools of the same name"

South High School was a high school in Salt Lake City, Utah, which operated from 1931 to 1988. The school was located on the south end of Salt Lake City, at 1575 S. State Street.

Beginnings

In 1928 The Salt Lake school district decided to build a new high school to accommodate the increasing population of high school age children. The Great Depression put a hold on these plans, but when it was learned that the LDS High School, a private school with about 1,000 students, was to close in 1931 the plan was revived. The South High School building was constructed in 1929-1931 on the site of the "Original Pioneer Nursery" established by John Chamberlain. Land was surveyed on June 16, 1930, and ground was first broken on June 30, 1930. The edifice was erected in the record time of fourteen months at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. [http://historyresearch.utah.gov/agencyhistories/897.html, Utah government agency article on South High School] ,. Retrieved on July 23, 2007] South High school opened its doors for the first time in the fall of 1931 (for the class of 1932).

The high school was built with many art deco features. It was a large school, three stories high, with multiple wings. The three story portion of the original structure formed a rough shape of the letter 'E'. The interior had some unusual features, including: wide double ramps, instead of stairs, connecting each floor; arched hallways with highly textured plaster work; red and black checkerboard tiled hallway floors. The auditorium was much the same as a playhouse, complete with balcony and opera alcoves on either side of the stage. Extensions were added in the 1950s and early 1960s, including a new large gymnasium with seating balconies, with a total seating capacity in the thousands.

School mascot

The mascot for South High school was a cub, with South High students usually referred to as Cubs. The moniker was given when South High school was the newest in town, and a local newspaper writer linked the idea of this school to the Chicago Cubs. This had an added meaning that a 'cub' is a young bear, just as South High students were perceived as the new kids on the block. South High also had an additional name of 'rebels', referring to the word 'South', as in the southern United States, making reference to rebels of the Civil War. Depictions of the Cub mascot typically showed the bear (cub) wearing a Civil War era battle cap. Carrying on the southern theme, the school's spring dance was called "Plantation". South High's colors were blue and white.

Student body

South High had normal enrollment in its early years, but saw significantly increased numbers in the 1950s and early 1960s, so much so that a major expansion of the South High building was completed in the early 1960s, which included a large new gym, swimming pool, cafeteria and library.

From 1931 until the end of the 74/75 school year South High facilitated grade 10 through 12. Starting in the fall of 1975, as part of a School district wide change, South High shifted to also include grade 9. More than 30,000 students have graduated from South High School.

South High students largely came from working class families. It was not uncommon for South High students to have parents who came from other countries, such as Germany, Greece, or Japan. South High was known as the most racially cosmopolitan school in Utah, although the total numbers of African-Americans was quite small compared to most large American cities. The school also had a vibrant Polynesian contingent (Tongan and Samoan), as well as Hispanic and South East Asian contingent. The later were largely part of the group sometimes called 'boat people', referring to those who fled communist advances in South East Asia by watercraft. These students started enrolling at South in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, South High saw dwindling enrollment, due in large part to the lack of families with school age children located within its boundaries. At the same time South High Sports was demoted from the top tier of schools to a secondary grouping of schools, a change based on school enrollment.

Released time and religion

Like most other Utah public high schools, South High gave its students the option of taking a period during the school day called released time. For most who took this option, this meant going to the seminary building owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This small, four classroom structure was located just outside the north/rear entrance to the school, just outside school property lines. Students would be released during various periods throughout the day to walk the short distance to the seminary building. There, participating students (most of whom were members of the LDS faith) received religious and scriptural instruction. Due to its cosmopolitan nature, in terms of Utah demographics, South High was represented by more varied religious faiths than most other high schools in the state. Besides Roman Catholic and traditional Protestant groups, South High had more Greek Orthodox and Buddhist students than most other Utah high schools. For a time Gordon B. Hinckley, former LDS church President, taught at the South High Seminary. [http://www.ldstoday.com/archive/news/address-ces.htm, LDSToday.com article on Gordon B. Hinkley] ,. Retrieved on July 23, 2007]

Closure and rebirth

The somewhat humble economic status of the South High geographic area and the cosmopolitan nature of the school in an otherwise ethnically monolithic culture may have been the factor that led South High to be the sacrificial lamb when the school was closed, due to declining enrolment in all Salt Lake City high schools. At the time of closure, two high schools, West and East, had buildings much older than South High. On February 3, 1987, the school board announced the proposed closure of South High School. The student body of South was to be divided between East, West, and Highland high schools. Following a period of further evaluation the board of education allowed the school open one additional year. South High closed June 8, 1988, when the 1987-1988 school year ended.

Located at 1575 South State Street, the school building was renovated and converted into the South City Campus of Salt Lake Community College.

South High was open continuously until its closure as a high school with the graduating class of 1988. In 1992, after several years of renovation and modification, South High was rechristened as Salt Lake Community College's South City campus.

South High alumni, as represented by the South High Alumni Association, is one of the most, if not the most active high school alumni associations in the state of Utah, according to the Deseret Morning News.Fact|date=February 2007 A room near the main entrance to the South City campus is reserved exclusively for the South High Alumni Association and its associated memorabilia.

Principals, 1931-1988

*DeVoe Woolf, 1931-1948
*Ralph V. Backman, 1948-1969
*Douglas F. Williams, 1969-1975
*LaVar L. Sorensen, 1975-1988

Notable alumni

* Mac Speedie, class of 1938, professional football player
* Ted Wilson, class of 1957, former mayor of Salt Lake City
* Stanley J. Watts, class of 1980, noted creator of bronze sculptures
* W. Dan Hausel, class of 1967, hall of fame martial artist and grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate and author of nearly 600 books and articles on geology and gemstones

ee also

List of high schools in Utah

References