South High School (Willoughby, Ohio)

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South High School
Willoughby South High School, Willoughby, Ohio.jpg
Location
South High School (Willoughby, Ohio)
4900 Shankland Road

Willoughby
,
(Lake County)
,
Ohio
44094

United States
Coordinates 41°37′30″N81°25′14″W / 41.62500°N 81.42056°W / 41.62500; -81.42056
Information
Type Public, Coeducational high school
Opened1958
School district Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools
SuperintendentPatrick Ward
PrincipalAndrew Suttell
Teaching staff60.00 (FTE) [1]
Grades 9-12
Enrollment1,038 (2023–2024) [1]
Student to teacher ratio17.30 [1]
Colors Columbia Blue & Gray [2]
  
Athletics conference Western Reserve Conference
Team nameRebels [2]
Accreditation North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [3]
Website School website

South High School is a public high school in Willoughby, Ohio. It is one of three high schools in the Willoughby-Eastlake City School District. Athletic teams are known as the Rebels and they compete as a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the Western Reserve Conference.

Contents

History

Opened in 1958 South High School serves students grades 9-12.

Willougby South High School formed following the dissolution of the former Willougby Union High School in 1958. Two high schools were born as a result, South High School and North High School

2008 Shooting

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 Willoughby South, Jeff Lyons. [4]

Controversies regarding school flag and mascot

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, opponents argued that the school's name and logo seemed to celebrate the Confederacy, whose reasons for seceding from the Union had strong ties to the institution of slavery, and that the school was named during the Civil Rights Era.

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. [5]

On August 17, 2017, days after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools announced the decision to remove the Confederate soldier mascot while keeping the name "Rebels" and also the school colors of grey and blue. [6]

Accolades and awards

Willoughby South has been awarded the Blue Ribbon School award by the US Department of Education (the highest award attainable by American Schools), and both schools have competed in the Ohio Academic Decathlon competition multiple times. [7]

Athletics

South High School currently offers:

Notable alumni

References

  1. 1 2 3 "South High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 8, 2025.
  2. 1 2 OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory" . Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  3. ↑ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ "In Ohio Town, A School Tragedy Averted". NPR. September 3, 2008.
  5. ↑ "South High T-shirts pulled".
  6. ↑ "Willoughby South High School drops rebel mascot, keeps name". Cleveland.com. August 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ "State/Ohio - AcaDec Scores and Information Center". acadecscores.gilslotd.com.
  8. ↑ "Betty Thomas Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.com Inc. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
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