South Albany High School (SAHS) is a

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

located in Albany,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Built in 1970, South Albany occupies the largest facility in the

Greater Albany Public School District Education in Albany, Oregon, United States is coordinated by Greater Albany Public School District 8J (GAPS 8J). Established in 1979 and encompassing , this educational district aims to educate the children of Albany from grades K through 12. GAPS ...

, encompassing more than of classrooms and other facilities with its out door campus.

History

After splitting from Albany Union High School in 1971, students that were entering as Seniors that year were given the choice to stay and graduate from Albany Union or go to South Albany High School and be part of the first graduating class from there. The school chose "Rebel" as their mascot; athletic teams were nicknamed "The Rebels”. The Rebel was removed and changed to the RedHawks on April 25, 2018. The school's colors are red and grey and were not changed when the mascot was changed.

Sports

In 2004, the cheerleading program placed second against 5A and 6A teams at state competition, as well as winning all pre-state competitions. The school also had six All-Americans, three Les Schwab Bowl participants, and qualified for nationals. The football, soccer, dance and cheerleading programs have all gone to either district playoffs/championships or state championships in recent years. In 2016, the cheerleading program qualified and competed at the National High School Cheerleading Competition. The dance team, the Southern Belles, won state championships in 2014, 2015, and 2017 in the 5A division at the OSAA Dance and Drill State Championships. In 2018, SA football won league champs along with the warriors and qualified for the playoffs. Along with the varsity basketball boys team qualified for state and placed 6th in 5A rankings overall.

Academics

In 2008, 75% of the school's seniors received a

high school diploma A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...

. Of 308 students, 231 graduated, 42 dropped out, and 13 received a modified diploma, and 22 were still in high school the following year. By 2018, 88% of the 302 seniors graduated. Twenty-eight students dropped out that year.

Arson incident

On April 1, 2015, classes were cancelled for the following days due to a large fire that had destroyed the school's choir room, cooking class rooms, band room and cafeteria, but school was resumed the following week. By 7 am, snorkel

water cannon A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...

s were being used to prevent the four-alarm fire from spreading to the rest of the school. The man who had set the fire, Zachary Lee Burghart, was convicted a few months later for

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

after pleading guilty.

References

High schools in Linn County, Oregon Buildings and structures in Albany, Oregon Educational institutions established in 1971 Public high schools in Oregon School buildings in the United States destroyed by arson 1971 establishments in Oregon {{oregon-school-stub