South High School

South High School is a professional learning community that utilizes collaborative teacher groupings to address issues related to teaching and learning. South High School teachers are committed to researching and utilizing best practices related to learning. In addition, select freshman and sophomore students are enrolled in Smaller Learning Communities designed to closely focus on assisting students in meeting district and state assessment proficiencies.

South is a safe school environment with many academic and extracurricular options for students. In addition to the regular academic day, South High students also have the opportunity to enroll in the extended day Learning Center to complete graduation requirements. South offers courses for concurrent college credit through Wichita State University, Friends University and Newman University. Active parental involvement in all school programs is also encouraged.

• Safe school environment
• Caring, involved staff
• Students and staff have been selected for the past several years to participate in the Boeing Summer Internship Program
• JROTC Drill Team finished 2^nd in the nation in 2003
• Thespian Troupe recognized as a Gold Key Honor Troupe
• Our building has undergone significant renovation as the result of the passage of a bond issue to improve school facilities
• Students and staff actively involved in learning

Exit I-235 at Seneca. Go north on Seneca two blocks to 34^th St. Go east on 34^th St. to South High.  See Maps for all USD 259 locations.

To "leave no child behind" we will create an environment where all students have the opportunity to learn.

1. All students will improve knowledge and/or application of math skills across the curriculum.
2. All students will improve comprehension of expository texts across the curriculum.
3. All students will improve writing across the curriculum.

Each school has a site council, which is a group of parents, community members, business representatives, teachers and other school staff. Site councils identify, consider and discuss educational problems and issues at the school. Councils provide advice and counsel for evaluating state, school district and school site performance goals and objectives. Councils may also recommend methods that may be employed at the school site to meet these goals and objectives.

Meeting Day: Second Wednesday of the month, beginning in September
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: South High, Room B2
Chairperson: TBD

• Learning Center (extended day program)
• Professional Learning Communities
• Smaller Learning Communities
• W.A.T.C.H. (With A Teacher Change Happens) program - administrator/counselor student support teams
• JROTC
• Block scheduling with built-in academic tutorial time
• Vocational Education programs that include: Business Professional of America (BPA), Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), and Occupational Family and Consumer Science (OFACS)
• Child Developmental Center
• Extensive extra-curricular programming ranging from fine arts to athletics
• Concurrent College Credit at Friends University, Newman University, and Wichita State University
• Freshman Advisory program

The Wichita Public schools offer a comprehensive interscholastic athletic program for high school students.For more information click here to go to the Athletic website.

Baseball, cheerleading

Wichita High School South became the fifth public senior high school when its doors were opened to 1,500 students on September 4, 1959. The sprawling $3,121,957 one-story structure is located on a 40-acre tract near the south city limits of Wichita on West 33rd Street South.

A $2,185,200 contract for general construction was awarded to Clarence E. Vollmer Construction in June, 1957. The Moore Robertson Company obtained the $649,725 plumbing and heating contract, and Southwestern Electrical Company installed $287,032 worth of electrical materials. Built-in equipment in the building added another $260,000 to the cost, while movable equipment and furniture amounted to $225,000. The parking lot, outside physical education facilities and other miscellaneous expenses were listed at $120,000.

In the building a total of 226,200 square feet of classroom and auxiliary facilities enclose 5.2 acres of area under a continuous roof. Another two acres of courtyards and patios add beauty to the setting of the structure designed by Wichita architects Forsblom and Parks. Parking space for 397 cars, the entrance drives and surrounding lawns account for an additional 15 acres. Much of the remaining portion of the site was developed into physical education areas, including a regulation size football field, a quarter-mile track, tennis courts, baseball and softball diamonds, an archery range and other recreational space. Carpenter Stadium for football and track was built in 1977.

Red brick was used as the basic material for the fire-resistant building which is a modification of the plan used for Wichita High School Southeast. Major improvements in the plan used for South High included redesigning the guidance center facilities, adding a secondary hallway to connect four academic wings, changing building materials to improve acoustics in the auditorium, and adding nine new classrooms with almost 15,000 square feet of additional space.

The former Sims Elementary School building was added to South High beginning the 1988-89 school year. The extra classroom space was needed with the ninth grade added to high school. The enrollment has leveled to an average of 1,300 students.

Four wings reach westward from the 450-foot north and south main corridor. The cafeteria fronts the main hall and seats 500 persons at one time. The physical education wing includes a boys gym which can seat 1,300 spectators at varsity contests, a girls gym, a rhythm floor, four classrooms, a 60-by-25-foot swimming pool and three locker rooms.

As enrollment increased, portables were added and by 1969-70, 15 electrically heated and cooled units were necessary to accommodate the 2,567 students. This was an increase of 1,067 above the number enrolled in 1959, the first year of operation.

In 1976 the courtyard was enclosed for a new library, and adjacent classrooms made windowless by the construction were renovated. Hall lockers were replaced in 1995.

From A History of Wichita Public School Buildings, c 1997