South Medford High School is a
public high school in
Medford,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, United States.
History
The South Medford campus was originally built in 1931 as Medford High School. Then in the 1960s, the school was divided between two campuses. Medford High became Medford Mid High, serving grades 9 and 10, with grades 11 and 12 going to a newly constructed campus, known as Medford Senior High, which is the current
North Medford High School
North Medford High School is a public high school in Medford, Oregon, United States. It is part of Medford School District, and its nickname is the Black Tornado. The school enrolls 1,750 students.
History
Originally the City of Medford had ...
campus. This system was primarily used to allow Medford's football team to compete against schools in large cities such as Portland.
The Panther mascot and school colors were chosen by a 1985 vote of the students in the 549-C school district. Panthers won out over Cyclones and Lions among other choices. The school colors were originally "Blue and Silver-Grey".
The campus was also home to
Spiegelberg Stadium (9,250 seat capacity). Both South Medford and North Medford High School share the stadium for football.
In 2004, FieldTurf, a state-of-the-art surface commonly used on professional and college fields, was installed, and the surrounding track was resurfaced. The $700,000 privately funded project was spearheaded by Ed Singler, president of the Linebackers Club.
Now the South Medford Campus (referred to as "Old South Medford High School") is home to
Central Medford High School.
Small School Initiative
In 2004–2005 school year, the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...
selected South Medford High as part of their
Small School Initiative program. Over the course of the next three years, the staff of South Medford toured various other high schools across the nation to determine the exact manner in which to implement the program. Starting in the 2006–2007 school year, South Medford began the SSI with the "Freshman Academy." The following year adding the small schools "BACH" (Bridging the Arts, Communications and Humanities), "CHAMPS" (Community Health and Medical Professions School), and The Discovery School.
Academics
In the 2008–09 school year, 81% of the school's seniors received their
high school diploma. Of 441 students, 355 graduated, 44 dropped out, and 42 stayed in high school.
In the 2009–10 school year, 78% of South's Seniors received a diploma. Of 470 students, 374 graduated, 96 dropped out, and 7 stayed in high school.
Notable alumni
*
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Do Wah Diddy Diddy", " Da Doo Ron Ron", " Then He Kiss ...
, former pro baseball player, selected in 4th round of
1990 MLB Draft
The 1990 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft was held in June 1990. The draft placed amateur baseball players onto major league teams. 1,487 players were distributed to 26 teams. The draft consisted of first round selections, supplemental first ...
*
Steve Bechler, baseball player
*
Bill Bowerman
William Jay Bowerman (February 19, 1911 – December 24, 1999) was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Over his career, he trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champi ...
, co-founder of
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
and
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
track coach
*
Dick Fosbury
Richard Douglas Fosbury (born March 6, 1947) is an American retired high jumper, who is considered one of the most influential athletes in the history of track and field. Besides winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, he revolutionized the h ...
, athlete in
high jump, inventor of
Fosbury Flop, two-time NCAA champion,
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
gold medalist
*
Les Gutches, wrestler, NCAA champion, 1997 world champion, 1999 Pan-Am Games gold medalist, member of U.S. team in
1996 Atlanta Olympics
*
E. J. Singler, basketball player, current free agent
*
Kyle Singler, basketball player for Liga's ACB
Monbus Obradoiro, 2010 NCAA champion with
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
*
Jonathan Stark, tennis player, 1994 French Open men's doubles champion and 1995 Wimbledon mixed doubles champion
References
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High schools in Jackson County, Oregon
Education in Medford, Oregon
Educational institutions established in 1961
Public high schools in Oregon
1961 establishments in Oregon