South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the School District of Philadelphia. The school serves portions of South Philadelphia (including

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

), and it previously served the Rittenhouse Square and Logan Square sections of Center City.Albert M. Greenfield School – Where the Graduates Go
" ''Center City Schools''. Retrieved on November 8, 2008.

History

Originally built in 1907 as the Southern Manual Training High School for boys. The

Philadelphia School District The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...

administrators opened the School merely as a three-year training facility for immigrant children, mostly Jewish and Italian, and children who lacked intellectual skills who "could only work with their hands". But

Israel Goldstein Israel Goldstein (June 18, 1896 – April 11, 1986) was an American-born Israeli rabbi, author and Zionist leader. He was one of the leading founders of Brandeis University.Jewish Telegraphic Agency, ''Dr. Israel Goldstein Dead at 89'', Jerus ...

, a student and the first alumni scholarship winner in 1911, showed school administrators that there was more promise for academics. He graduated the school at age 14 and then graduated the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

at the age of 17. Goldstein became a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

, an author, a spiritual leader, and founder of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

in Waltham. Massachusetts. He became a leader of the

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

movement in America and founder of the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

. Due in part to young Israel Goldstein as an example of student possibilities, the 3-year training facility became a full four-year co-ed high school. In the late 1960s, the student population of the high school changed from predominantly poor Jewish and Italian immigrant and first-generation children to increasing low-middle income African-American and immigrant Asian-American children. The number of student enrollment from 1960 to 2009 declined from over 1,000 to less than 500 students. There had always been a significant Black presence at South Philadelphia High School. In the 1960s, each fall and spring, fights broke out between larger groups of Italian-Americans and smaller groups of African-American students, which either led to or were initiated by neighborhood violence which included students from Bishop Neumann Catholic High School. Stabbings, shootings, and even homicides were connected to this violence. The school is effectively surrounded by an Italian-American community. In the 2000s the school had an

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous peopl ...

population that made up around 20% of the school and an African-American population of 65–70%, The Asian American population consisted of new immigrants along with an earlier Vietnamese-American and Cambodian-American refugee population that had arrived in the 1980s and 1990s. Tammy Kim of ''

Hyphen The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. ''Son-in-law'' is an example of a hyphenated word. The hyphen is sometimes confused with dashes ( figure ...

'' said "the school, despite its otherwise nefarious reputation, has become well known for its

English as a second language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language (ESL), English as a foreign language (EFL ...

] program.". White students now make up 6% of the student body. While vibrant Italian-American and Irish-American communities remain vital components of the new multicultural South Philadelphia, these groups now compose 19.6% and 10.4% in zip codes of 19145 through 19148. In December 2009, several Asian American students accused the school district of mishandling racial attacks that targeted Asian-American students. On December 4, 2009, 26 Asian-American immigrant students, most of whom were of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, were attacked by a group of mostly African American students near campus. Officials involved in resolving the incident, including Superintendent Arlene Ackerman and retired U.S. District Court Judge James T. Giles, were accused of failing to address the rising racial tension between different ethnic groups within the school, mishandling key evidence and eyewitness accounts in recent related attacks, and falsely accusing and punishing Asian-American students for inciting the attacks. Their actions prompted national outrage and boycotts from local Asian-American communities. Bok Technical High School was scheduled to merge with South Philadelphia High in 2013.

Professional boxing shows

The school was the site of three professional boxing shows in 2009, including one starring Gabriel Rosado in which Carol Polis, considered to be the first woman judge in the sport's history, judged.

Transportation

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

serves the school with Routes 2, 4, 37, 79, and the

Broad Street Line The Broad Street Line (BSL), also known as the Broad Street subway (BSS), Orange Line, or Broad Line, is a subway line owned by the city of Philadelphia and operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The line ru ...

. Students living at least away are given a free SEPTA transit pass which is issued every week in order to get to school.A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions
." '' School District of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 6, 2008.

Feeder patterns

Feeder

K-8 schools K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * AMD K8 The AMD K8 Hammer, also code ...

include:High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions

Archive
. School District of Philadelphia. p. 62/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016. * F. Amadee Bregy School * George W. Childs School * D. Newlin Fell School * Delaplaine McDaniel School *

Southwark School Southwark School is a public K-8 school located in the Central South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a part of Philadelphia Public Schools. Students zoned to Francis Scott Key School (K–6) are zoned to Southwar ...

* Edwin M. Stanton School Feeder elementary schools include Abram Jenks (which first feeds into Fell), and

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

(which first feeds into Southwark school). In previous eras Albert M. Greenfield School (K-8) in Rittenhouse Square fed into South Philly High. Previously feeder middle schools included Norris S. Barratt Middle School.

Demographics

As of 2010, about 1,000 students attend the school. 70% were black, 18% were Asian, and about 11% were non-Hispanic White or Hispanic.Teague, Matthew. "Heroes: South Philly High's Protesters." ''

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

'' (magazine). August 2010
3
Retrieved on January 31, 2013. As of 2010 the second floor housed immigrant students. An update: during the school year 2014–2015, the school district successfully integrated the immigrant students with the general student body while maintaining the Bilingual Newcomer (including an Asian American Studies) supports. The immigrant students are no longer separated/segregated on the second floor.

Academics

By September 1998 the school established a bilingual English-Chinese program to serve Chinese immigrant students, and that month it began hiring teachers fluent in both languages to teach core subjects.

Architecture

The original school building was constructed 1907 in a Norman Romanesque style designed by Board of Education Architect Lloyd Titus. The main building had an exterior grey stone façade, with two additions added. Student capacity was three hundred fifty boy students. It expanded in 1914 for more boy students and a duplicate structure built for a new Girls' School with a passage connecting the two buildings that was referred to as "The Tunnel". In 1941 an open field located seven blocks south at 10th and Bigler streets was purchased by a student fund raising and added to the school property as an athletic field to enhance the athletic program. The field was completely renovated in 2008 by the School District of Philadelphia as a supercomplex for larger District-wide events. The original School of 1907 was demolished in 1955. A new rectangular shaped building was constructed and opened in 1956 on half of the site. The single building was built as a co-ed facility. The frontage included a new grand sized patio plaza entrance, large asphalted school yard and significant green space enclosed with a regal looking four foot black iron railing tipped in gold painted points. The

modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that for ...

style utilized interior walls of cinder block, cement flooring and staircases, with a facade of light colored tan brick and large galvanized steel metal framed classroom windows. It contained four stories of 190 classrooms with an all modern infra-structure, a large gymnasium, auditorium and lunchroom with 1,500 seats. In 2013 South Philadelphia High School in partnership with the Lower Moyamensing Civic Association gathered resources for a new sustainable master plan on urban crowdsourcing platform Projexity. The master plan anticipates the creation of rooftop agriculture, outdoor classrooms, porous pavement, solar panels, and many more improvements. In 2018, in partnership with the

Mural Arts Program Mural Arts Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that supports the creation of public murals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1986 as Mural Arts Program, the organization was renamed in 2016. Having ushered more than 3,000 murals into ...

, Artist Ben Volta worked with students and the local community to create the mural that covers the front walls of the school. Called Parts Per Million, it refers to the way that carbon dioxide is measured in the atmosphere, using it as a metaphor for change through collective action.

Student organizations

After an incident occurred in October 2008 when 30 black students chased and attacked 5 Asian students,Teague, Matthew. "Heroes: South Philly High's Protesters." ''

'' (magazine). August 2010
4
Retrieved on January 31, 2013. a Chinese student named Wei Chen (), who originated from

Fujian Province Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its ...

,Teague, Matthew. "Heroes: South Philly High's Protesters." ''

'' (magazine). August 2010
7
Retrieved on January 31, 2013. founded the Chinese-American Student Association in order to help orient new immigrants into the school and to keep records of assaults against Chinese students.Teague, Matthew. "Heroes: South Philly High's Protesters." ''

'' (magazine). August 2010
5
Retrieved on January 31, 2013. Chen later organized protests after a 2009 attack on Asian students.Teague, Matthew. "Heroes: South Philly High's Protesters." ''

'' (magazine). August 2010
8
Retrieved on January 31, 2013.

Notable alumni

Al Alberts Al Alberts (born Al Albertini, August 10, 1922 – November 27, 2009) was an American popular singer and composer. Biography Born Al Albertini in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, he went to South Philadelphia High School. As a teenager, h ...

(1946), (1946) singer and composer *

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...

(1919), (1919)South Philadelphia High School Alumni Association,
Hall of Fame
. Accessed 15 January 2013. opera and spiritual singer *

Nate Blackwell Nathaniel Blackwell (born February 15, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player and former coach. He was a 6'4" (1.93 m) and 170 lb (77 kg) point guard who played collegiately for Temple University. Blackwell average ...

(1983), former professional basketball player,

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

* Al Brancato (1939), former professional baseball player,

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

* Stan Brown (1947), former professional basketball player, Philadelphia Sphas and

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnight ...

(1958), singer and songwriter, popularized the Twist dance craze of late 1950s and early 1960s * Angelo DiGeorge (1939), Renowned

pediatric endocrinologist Pediatric endocrinology (British: Paediatric) is a medical subspecialty dealing with disorders of the endocrine glands, such as variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood, diabetes and many more. By age, pediatric endocrinol ...

Fred Diodati Fred Diodati is the lead singer of The Four Aces. He has intermittently been the lead singer of the Four Aces since 1958, when he replaced Al Alberts. He currently leads a band who refers to themselves as The Four Aces, though all of the songs ...

(1950), Lead singer of The Four Aces * Eddie Feinberg, former professional baseball player,

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Lois Fernandez Lois Fernandez (1936 – August 13, 2017) was a political and cultural activist, best known for founding the Odunde Festival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The festival celebrates African and African-American heritage. It has continued for more ...

African-rights activist and founder of the

Odunde Festival The Odunde Festival is a one-day festival and mostly a street market catered to African-American interests and the African diaspora. It is derived from the tradition of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in celebration of the new year. It is centered ...

. * Louis Fischer (1914), Journalist. * Frank Forbes (1910), Baseball player, founder of the Negro National League. * Frank Gasparro (1927),

Chief Engraver of the United States Mint The Chief Engraver of the United States Mint is the highest staff member at the United States Mint. The Chief Engraver is the person in charge of coin design and engraving of dies at all four United States Mints: Philadelphia, Denver, San Fran ...

. * Harry Gold (1929),

Atomic spy Atomic spies or atom spies were people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada who are known to have illicitly given information about nuclear weapons production or design to the Soviet Union during World War II and the early Col ...

(1911), Rabbi, author and

leader, founder of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

. * Edward Gottlieb (1916), NBA team coach, manager and owner. *

Charlie Gracie Charles Anthony Graci (May 14, 1936 – December 16, 2022), known professionally as Charlie Gracie, was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer and guitarist. His biggest hits were "Butterfly" and " Fabulous", both in 1957. Care ...

(1954), Rock pioneer and singer * Frank Guarrera (1942), Opera singer *

Rodney Harvey Rodney Michael Harvey (July 31, 1967 – April 11, 1998) was an American actor, model, and dancer. Career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Harvey was discovered by director Paul Morrissey in 1984. Morrissey cast Harvey in two of his film ...

(did not graduate), actor ( ''The Outsiders'', '' My Own Private Idaho''). * Edward Heffron attended So Philly High, WW 2 Easy Co 506th, 101st Airborne, Band of Brothers HBO mini series * Harry E. Kalodner (1912), United States federal judge *

Red Klotz Louis Herman "Red" Klotz (October 21, 1920 – July 12, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. He was a National Basketball Association (NBA) point guard with the original Baltimore Bullets, and he was best known for forming ...

(1940), NBA basketball player and coach. * Irv Kosloff (1930), NBA team owner. *

Samuel Noah Kramer Samuel Noah Kramer (September 28, 1897 – November 26, 1990) was one of the world's leading Assyriologists, an expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language. After high school, he attended Temple University, before Dropsie and Penn, both in ...

(1915),

Assyriologist Assyriology (from Greek , ''Assyriā''; and , ''-logia'') is the archaeological, anthropological, and linguistic study of Assyria and the rest of ancient Mesopotamia (a region that encompassed what is now modern Iraq, northeastern Syria, sout ...

and

Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of ...

ian historian. * Mario Lanza (1940) Opera singer, actor * Joseph Anthony "Uncle Joe" Ligambi, retired boss of the Philadelphia crime family * John Liney, American cartoonist *

Harry Litwack Harold "Chief" Litwack (September 20, 1907 – August 7, 1999) was an American college basketball coach. He served as head basketball coach at Temple University from 1952 to 1973, compiling a record of 373–193. He was inducted into the Naismith B ...

(1925), College men's basketball coach *

Hal Marnie Harry Sylvester "Hal" Marnie (July 6, 1918 – January 7, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. Born in Philadelphia, he was a second baseman and shortstop who appeared in 96 games in Major League Baseball over parts of three season ...

(1937),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

player * Bob McCann (1947), NBA player *

John Mercanti John M. Mercanti (born April 27, 1943) is an American sculptor and engraver. He was the twelfth Chief Engraver of the United States Mint until his retirement in late 2010. Biography Mercanti was born in Philadelphia. There, he attended the Pen ...

(1962),

Robert K. Merton Robert King Merton (born Meyer Robert Schkolnick; July 4, 1910 – February 23, 2003) was an American sociologist who is considered a founding father of modern sociology, and a major contributor to the subfield of criminology. He served as th ...

sociologist *

Vincent Persichetti Vincent Ludwig Persichetti (June 6, 1915 – August 14, 1987) was an American composer, teacher, and pianist. An important musical educator and writer, he was known for his integration of various new ideas in musical composition into his own wo ...

(1933), Composer, pianist and teacher at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

* Carmen Piccone (1947), Head football coach for the

Southern Illinois Salukis The Southern Illinois Salukis are the varsity athletic teams representing Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The nickname comes from the Saluki, the Royal Dog of Egypt and the Persian greyhound, which ties into the fact that southern Illino ...

* Peter Mark Richman (1945), Film and on television actor * Petey Rosenberg (1937),

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

player * John Sandusky (1945),

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

player (

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

) and coach (

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Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

) *

Lionel Simmons Lionel James "L-Train" Simmons (born November 14, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career Simmons led South Philadelphia High School to a Philadelphia Public League boys' championship in 1986, getting an MVP ...

(1986), NBA player * Joe Scarpa (1965), Notorious Cheapskate ( World Wide Wrestling Federation as "Chief Jay Strongbow"). * Joseph Stefano (1940), Screenwriter ('' Psycho'', ''Outer Limits'') *

H. Patrick Swygert Haywood Patrick Swygert (born March 17, 1943) was the president of Howard University in Washington, DC from 1995 until 2008. Career He is a graduate of South Philadelphia High School and has been inducted into the SPHS Alumni Cultural Hall of Fa ...

, 1960, University president (

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is on ...

, Howard University), executive vice president (

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

) and professor ( Temple University Beasley School of Law) * Martin Weinberg 1955, Senior research sociologist at

The Kinsey Institute The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction (often shortened to The Kinsey Institute) is a research institute at Indiana University. Established in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1947 as a nonprofit, the institute merged with Indi ...

and university professor (

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

). * Stanley Weintraub, 1946,

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professo ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, and biographer

References

External links

South Philadelphia High SchoolSouth Philadelphia High School alumni association
{{authority control High schools in Philadelphia School District of Philadelphia School buildings completed in 1907 Public high schools in Pennsylvania 1907 establishments in Pennsylvania South Philadelphia