South Miami Senior High School

South Miami Senior High School is a high school located at 6856 SW 53rd Street in Glenvar Heights,^[2][3] unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, in the United States; located about a mile and a half west of the University of Miami. Its current principal is Mr. Hebert Penton.

South Miami Senior High School
Address
6856 Southwest 53 Street Miami , Florida 33155 United States
Coordinates	25.72107°N 80.30558°W / 25.72107; -80.30558
Information
Type	Public secondary
Motto	Our Hope and Pride
Established	November 10, 1971; 53 years ago (November 10, 1971)
School district	Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Principal	Mr. Hebert Penton
Staff	77.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,576 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	20.47[1]
Campus	Suburban
Color(s)	Orange and brown
Nickname	Cobras
Newspaper	The Serpent's Tale
Yearbook	DeCapello
Website	southmiamiseniorhigh.org

History

South Miami Senior opened its doors to students on November 10, 1971. It was built to relieve the overcrowding at Southwest Miami High, Coral Park Senior High and Coral Gables High School. The student body selected the Cobra as its mascot. The school's first principal, Warren Burchell, was originally from Ohio and chose the school colors, orange and brown, for the team colors of the NFL Cleveland Browns.

Since opening, South Miami has had eight principals: Dr. Warren G. Burchell, Judy Weiner, Thomas L. Shaw, Eugene Butler, Craig Speziale, Gilberto Bonce, Dr. Cadian Collman-Perez, and Hebert Penton. Dr. Burchell's term was the longest, at 22 years.

Demographics

The school is 84% Hispanic, 8% Black, 7% White non-Hispanic, and 1% Asian.^[4]

Notable alumni

• Jose Barrios – former MLB player
• Ed Beckman – former NFL tight end^[5]
• Fernanza Burgess – former NFL quarterback^[6]
• Wayne Capers – former NFL wide receiver
• Phil Clarke – former NFL linebacker
• John Corker – former NFL linebacker
• Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio – former Miami Dolphins cheerleader and wife of Marco Rubio
• Margie Goldstein-Engle – equestrian show horse champion
• Albert Gonzalez – hacker, convicted of computer fraud^[7]
• Damian Harrell – Former Arena Football League wide receiver/defensive back
• Paul Hazel – former NFL linebacker^[8]
• Fred Jones – former NFL player
• Dennis McKinnon – former NFL wide receiver
• Mia Michaels – choreographer, judge on So You Think You can Dance
• Raúl De Molina – host of El Gordo y la Flaca
• Pitbull - rapper and singer
• Carlos Ponce – singer, songwriter, actor^[9]
• Julio Robaina – politician
• Marco Rubio – politician, 72nd United States Secretary of State
• Dennis Sherrill – former MLB player
• Derrick Thomas – former NFL linebacker, Pro Football and College Football Hall of Famer

See also

• Silver Knight Awards
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Education in the United States

References

1. "SOUTH MIAMI SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
2. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Glenvar Heights CDP, FL" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 6, 2020. - Compare this map against the address of the school.
3. "Home". South Miami High School. Retrieved May 6, 2020. 6856 SW 53 St., Miami, FL 33155 - Compare the address against the map.
4. "South Miami Senior High School". publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
5. "Ed Beckman". pro-football-reference.com.
6. "Fernanza Burgess". National Football League. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
7. 'Soupnazi' hacker Albert Gonzalez went from nerdy past to life of sex, guns and drugs – New York Daily News – August 19, 2009
8. "Paul Hazel - Unsigned Free Agent - 2016 Player Profile". rotoworld.com. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
9. "Alumni Interview: Carlos Ponce (Class of 1990)". South Miami Senior High School. Retrieved May 10, 2024.

External links

• South Miami Senior High School's official website
• South Miami Senior High School's (smsh.dadeschools.net) at the Wayback Machine (archive index)