Southland Academy

Last updated

Southland Academy
Southland Academy logo.jpg
Southland Academy, Americus.jpg
Location
Southland Academy
Americus, Georgia, United States
Coordinates 32°04′25″N84°11′39″W / 32.073590°N 84.194143°W / 32.073590; -84.194143
Information
TypePrivate
Established1966;57 years ago (1966)
NCES School IDA0301268
HeadmasterLarry Collins
Number of students552 [1]
Campus size55 acres (22 ha)
Color(s)Black, gold, and white
Team nameRaiders
Website www.southlandacademy.org

Southland Academy is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian Christian college preparatory day school in Americus, Georgia, United States. It enrolls 552 students in grades K through 12. [1] It was founded in 1966 as a segregation academy. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Southland Academy was founded in 1966 as a private school in response to the desegregation of Georgia public schools. [4] [5] In 1979 the public school board (6 of 7 members of which sent their children to Southland) declared many of the district's buses, books and materials to be "surplus", then sold them to Southland at low prices. This caused financial hardships for the public schools, thereby promoting the academy. [5] [6] The first classes began in the old Anthony School building on Anthony Drive. In 1970, Southland moved to its current location at 123 Southland Road. It was reported in 1979 that most white parents in the area sent their children to Southland rather than the local public school system, which at the time was 80% black and the subject of boycotts and criticism over alleged neglect and underfunding. [7] One businessman said he would "dig ditches" to earn money to pay tuition at Southland Academy and avoid sending his children to racially integrated public school. [8]

As of the mid-1980s, the Sumter County School District board was all white. School superintendent Ronnie Satterfield and several other board members sent their children to Southland Academy instead of the predominantly black public schools. [9] US president Jimmy Carter referred to the situation as a "disgrace to our state." [10]

Demographics

In 1985, Sumter County was 43% black, but not a single black student was enrolled in Southland Academy. [11]

As of 2006, Southland Academy's student population was 1% African American, 1% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, and 96% Caucasian. [12] In the 2015–16 school year, 3 of 510 students were black. In the 2017-2018 year, this number had not changed. [13]

In 2020, the school had 452 students, of whom 444 or 98% were white, 4 or less than 1% were Black, and 4 or less than 1% were Hispanic. [1] As of the 2020 census, the population of Americus was 27% White while Sumter County was 39% White.

Campus

The campus comprises 55 acres (22 ha). The main buildings are a 4K building (which combines both 3K and 4K) and a 5K building (which combines both 5K and 1st grade), the elementary building (which includes the main office), junior high (which also includes the cafeteria) and the high school building. Furthermore, the Charles F. Crisp Media and Technology Center has holds two computer labs along with a library. There is also the Jane L. Comer Music Room, the Melvin T. Kinslow gymnatorium, and a lower-school gymnasium. The upper-school gymnasium, which also has a lobby and stage section, doubles as a space for graduation ceremonies and the like. The campus also includes several playing fields - including a football field, a practice football field, and a softball field, among others. There are two playgrounds, one for regular children and a smaller one for the 3K and 4K grades.

Accreditation

The school is accredited by Southern Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Georgia Accrediting Association, and is a member of the Georgia Independent Schools Association (GISA).

Athletics

Southland Academy has an active athletic program in the GISA in the AAA region. Sports include football, baseball, softball, basketball, wrestling, cross-country running, track and field, golf, swimming, tennis, girls' soccer, and cheerleading. Male teams are called the Southland Raiders; female teams are the Lady Raiders. In 2016, the school added a clay target shooting team.

Class AAA GISA Championships: [14] [15] [ third-party source needed ]

Football: 1986-1987, 1991-1992, 1992-1993
Baseball: 1982-1983, 1989-1991, 1994-1995, 2003-2004
Golf: 1980-1988, 1991-1992, 1993-1995, 1997-1998, 2009 [16]
Boys' basketball: 1973-1974, 1975-1977, 1982-1983
Boys' cross country: 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016
Boys' swimming: 1988-1989, 1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1995-1996, 1997-1998, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016
Boys' tennis: 1980-1982, 1982-1984
Boys' track and field: 1975-1977, 1980-1984, 1991-1992
Softball: 1976-1977, 1999-2000, 2004-2005, 2006-2007
Girls' basketball: 1979-1980, 1985-1986
Girls' swimming: 1988-1989, 1989-1990, 1990-1991, 1991-1992, 1993-1994, 1994-1995
Girls' track: 1971-1972, 1975-1980, 1989-1990
Wrestling: 2001-2002

Customs and discipline

A tradition at the school is the annual pageant at which the Miss Southland Academy Raider, better known as Miss SAR, is crowned. The pageant was started in 1989 by "Mothers of Motivated Students," now part of Southland's parent-teacher organization. Its purpose is to generate funds for the Thomas A. Greene Scholarship Fund, which helps Southland students in financial need. Funds also go to the new Madeline Anne Wildes Scholarship Fund. [17]


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumter County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Sumter County is a county located in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,616. The county seat is Americus. The county was created on December 26, 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellaville, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Ellaville is a city in Schley County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,812 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Schley County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Americus, Georgia</span> City in Georgia, United States

Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley and Sumter counties and had a combined population of 36,966 at the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Walton Academy</span> Segregation academy (former) school in Monroe, Georgia, United States

George Walton Academy (GWA) is a pre-Kindergarten through twelfth grade private school in Monroe, Georgia. It was established in 1969 as a segregation academy in response to school integration in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverside High School (Florida)</span> Public magnet school in Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Riverside High School is a four-year secondary institution in Jacksonville, Florida. It was originally named after Confederate States of America general Robert E. Lee. Located in the Riverside and Avondale neighborhood, it is the second oldest high school in Jacksonville operating at its original location, after its traditional rival, Andrew Jackson High School. The name was changed to Riverside High School in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount de Sales Academy (Georgia)</span> Private school in Macon, Georgia, United States

Mount de Sales Academy (MDS) is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school in Macon, Georgia. It was originally founded in 1876 by five Sisters of Mercy, an order of nuns, as a boarding school for girls. It is the oldest independent school in Middle Georgia and the first to racially integrate. The school is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, operating on an independent basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Segregation academy</span> Segregationist private schools in the US

Segregation academies are private schools in the Southern United States that were founded in the mid-20th century by white parents to avoid having their children attend desegregated public schools. They were founded between 1954, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional, and 1976, when the court ruled similarly about private schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Southwestern State University</span> Public university in Americus, Georgia, U.S.

Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is a state university public university in Americus, Georgia. Founded as the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1906, the university was established and is administrated by the Georgia Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. The historic core of the campus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Pace Academy is a K–12 college preparatory private school, located at 966 West Paces Ferry Road in the Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Pace has approximately 1,115 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Public Schools</span> Education organization in Atlanta, United States

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is a school district based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring. The system has an active enrollment of 54,956 students, attending a total of 103 school sites: 50 elementary schools, 15 middle schools, 21 high schools, four single-gender academies and 13 charter schools. The school system also supports two alternative schools for middle and/or high school students, two community schools, and an adult learning center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valwood School</span> School in Hahira, Georgia

Valwood School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory segregation academy located four miles (6.4 km) outside of Valdosta, Georgia, United States. It offers programs from pre-kindergarten through high school. There were 511 students enrolled in the 2015–2016 school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford Academy</span> Private school in Macon, Georgia, United States

Stratford Academy is a private school in Bibb County, Georgia, United States, near Macon. It opened September 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Presbyterian Day School</span> Private day school in Macon, Georgia USA

First Presbyterian Day School (FPD) is a private, college-preparatory Christian day school in Macon, Georgia, United States. FPD was founded in 1970 by Macon's First Presbyterian Church and has been described at the time of its founding as a segregation academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin Road Academy</span> Private school in Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Franklin Road Academy (FRA) is a private co-educational Christian school for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 located in Oak Hill, Tennessee. The school was founded in 1971 and originally affiliated with the First Christian Church before it became a separate incorporated organization in 1982. FRA has been described as a segregation academy, like other schools established after a court ordered Nashville public schools to expand desegregation busing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carter Regional Airport</span> Airport in near Americus, Georgia

Jimmy Carter Regional Airport previously Souther Field is a public airport located four miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district of Americus, in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the Sumter County and Airport Authority.

Oak Ridge High School is a public high school in Orlando, Florida, established in 1959. The school had been rated a D or F institution by the state starting in 2000. In 2012, the school was awarded a C grade, breaking the low performance streak. In 2013, the school further improved and was awarded a B grade.

Flint River Academy (FRA) is a segregation academy in Woodbury, Georgia, United States. It is a member of the Georgia Independent School Association. The school was founded in 1967, when the Federal government was beginning to mandate school integration. The school educates students in grades PK-12 and while the school handbook says it does not discriminate based on race, as of 2020 the overwhelming majority of students were white.

Twiggs Academy is a private Christian school near Jeffersonville, Georgia that was founded in 1970 as a segregation academy. Classes are offered for kindergarten through twelfth grade in a traditional classroom setting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gage Park High School</span> Public secondary school in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Gage Park High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Gage Park neighborhood on the south–west side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1939, Gage Park is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. Gage Park serves students living within three neighboring communities: Chicago Lawn, New City and West Englewood.

The Americus movement was a civil rights protest that began in Americus, Georgia, United States, in 1963 and lasted until 1965. It was organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee along with the NAACP. Its main goals were voter registration and a citizenship education plan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Southland Academy". NCES. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  2. ↑ Wendell Rawls Jr. (October 26, 1979). "Students in Carter's Home County Continue Boycott of Public Schools". The New York Times. p. A16.
  3. ↑ King, Wayne (January 28, 1979). "Crumbling School in Plains Mired in Consolidation Drive". The New York Times. p. 24. Retrieved January 2, 2020. That neglect, they contend, forces those who can afford it, mostly whites, to send their children to other schools, mainly Sumter's private Southland Academy, that sprang up to circumvent school integration.
  4. ↑ "South Leads the Country In School Desegregation; Some Dramatic Progress Schools Still Segregated", The New York Times, May 9, 1979.
  5. 1 2 King, Wayne (January 28, 1979). "Crumbling School in Plains Mired in Consolidation Drive". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  6. ↑ Casey, Nicholas (October 25, 2020). "A Voting Rights Battle in a School Board 'Coup'". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Sumter boycott continues". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, GA. Associated Press. October 24, 1979. p. 9A.
  8. ↑ Morrison, David (May 16, 1979). "Flaws appear in the picture of school desegregation in Carter county". Atlanta Journal Constitution. p. 23.
  9. ↑ Bowes, Billy (February 20, 1985). "All white school board stays that way". Detroit Free Press. p. 1A.
  10. ↑ Grimm, Fred (March 16, 1984). "Georgia board reigns over shabby schools". Detroit Free Press. p. 7B.
  11. ↑ Atkinson, Rick (April 1, 1984). "Segregation Rises Again In Many Southern Schools". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  12. ↑ Southland Academy page, Local School Directory.
  13. ↑ "Private School Universe Survey". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  14. ↑ GISA Stats.
  15. ↑ "Home".
  16. ↑ "Southland wins region golf title by 6 strokes", Americus Times-Recorder, April 21, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Miss SAR Pageant to be held March 21", Americus Times-Recorder, March 11, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.