South Garland High School

South Garland High School

"A Tradition in Excellence"
Address
600 Colonel Drive
Garland, Texas, Dallas County 75043-2302
Coordinates 32°52′18″N 96°37′06″W / 32.8717°N 96.6184°W / 32.8717; -96.6184Coordinates: 32°52′18″N 96°37′06″W / 32.8717°N 96.6184°W / 32.8717; -96.6184
Information
School type Public High school
Established 1964
School district Garland Independent School District
Principal Tracy Curtis[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 2105 (2008)
Language English
Color(s) Red and columbia blue
Mascot Colonels
Website South Garland High School Website

South Garland High School (SGHS) is a secondary school located in Garland, Texas. The school is part of the Garland Independent School District. The mascot for SGHS is the "Southern Colonel," and the school colors are red and Columbia blue.

In 2009, the school was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.[2]

It opened in 1964. It was the second public high school to open in Garland.[3]

History

In 1991 a black activist named Melvin "A'Vant" Thomas picketed the school since it had a flag resembling the battle flag of the Confederate States of America; for a period of almost two years he had written numerous letters to the GISD school board asking them to remove the mural.[4]

In 2015 the GISD school board agreed to remove symbolism reminiscent of the Confederacy.[5]

Sports

South Garland High School has had a strong history of sports, especially in its football team. South offers the following sports to its students: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Power Lifting, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track/Cross Country, and Volleyball. South belongs to the UIL Class 5A for the 2013–2014 school year, and will be put into UIL Class 5A Region 2 District 12 for the 2014–2015 school year, the only school in the Garland Independent School District to not be moved into UIL Class 6A for the 2014–2015 school year.

The Colonels have been in the state football playoffs 16 times, in 1970, 1973, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.[6] The team made it to the playoffs for an eighth consecutive year in 2010. [7] [8] Among the notable athletes who are South Garland alumni is Jerry Sanders.[9]

The Lady Colonels Varsity Volleyball team were in the Playoffs back in 2001–2003 and 2009.

The Boys Soccer Team made the playoffs the last 4 years (2011–2012) under Coach Bueno and (2012–2015) under Coach Falloure.

Lisa McCorstin, who excelled in track in the 1970s, was inducted into the district's sports hall of fame.[10]

Notable alumni

Controversy

Until the early 1990s, a Confederate flag was the predominant image in the school shield. A group of students voted against changing the school flag in August 1988 with African American resident M.T. A'Vant (formerly Melvin Thomas), protested. [13] A'Vant ended his protests in April 1991.[14]

A group of South Garland High School parents developed a multiracial committee that same year to discuss the symbols and traditions they considered offensive that continued to be used by the school, including its fight song. The group met about 12 times before making a proposal to the school board in the summer of 1991. The group reached a compromise with the board members on only two items.[14]

The Garland independent school Board voted 6 to 1 at its August 1, 1991, meeting, to discontinue use of the altered Confederate flag as the school flag and to also change the color of the mascot's uniform from gray to blue and red. The sole dissenting vote was cast by Randy Clark, who maintained that he was voting as his constituents had advised him. The president of the local chapter of the NAACP said the issue would not be over unless all symbolism referring to the Confederacy, including the fight song and a plantation mural, were removed.[14]

At the start of the 1991–92 school year, a contest was held to replace the flag. The crossed sword design, created by junior Sean Wood was chosen by the student body to replace the rebel flag.[15]

The sign outside South Garland High School was later changed to reflect the changes in the school flag and mascot.

Today many students still use the Confederate flag to symbolize the school's "southern culture" with little to no backlash from students or parents. However, South Garland High School and the GISD refuse to recognize the flag. The school still uses the song "Dixie" as the school's fight song to this day.

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.garlandisdschools.net/page.cfm?p=75 SchoolCode=SGHS. Retrieved on January 19, 2007
  2. ↑ "2009 Accountability Rating System". Texas Education Agency.
  3. ↑ "School Spirit & History." South Garland High School. Retrieved on February 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ Singh, Lisa. "Back in black." Dallas Observer. Thursday May 4, 2000. Retrieved on July 1, 2016.
  5. ↑ "What they said: Confederate symbolism removed at South Garland High School." The Dallas Morning News at Sun Times. August 12, 2015. Retrieved on June 23, 2016.
  6. ↑ Texas Football
  7. ↑ "South Garland: Elation from frustration". November 9, 2007.
  8. ↑ UIL 2007–2008 State Football Playoffs
  9. ↑ http://garlandshf.com/web/inductee.html?id=59
  10. ↑ Garland schools hall of fame
  11. ↑ "Mike Hambrick". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Terror Suspect Grew Up in Broken North Texas Home". KDFW. July 29, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  13. ↑ Dallas Observer (May 4, 2000). "Back in Black". Retrieved 2007-10-03.
  14. 1 2 3 Bohem, Rachel. "School to drop Confederate symbols Board rejects South Garland High banner, mascot color," Dallas Morning News, August 2, 1991.
  15. ↑ Bohem, Rachel. "S. Garland students to design new flag," Dallas Morning News August 15, 1991, p. 1Z.
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