South High School (Torrance, California)

South High School is a public high school in Torrance, California. It is one of five high schools in the Torrance Unified School District.

South High School
Address
4801 Pacific Coast Highway Torrance , California 90505-5544 USA
Coordinates	33.81296°N 118.36352°W / 33.81296; -118.36352
Information
Type	Public Secondary
Established	1957
School district	Torrance Unified School District
Superintendent	Tim Stowe
Dean	Leo Klemm
Principal	Jim Evans
Athletic Director	Kevin VanWaardenburg
Staff	83.85 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,976 (2020–21)[1]
Average class size	34[2]
Student to teacher ratio	23.57[1]
Color(s)	Kelly Green and White
Athletics	Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Golf Soccer Softball Surf Swimming Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Water Polo Wrestling Cheer Dance[3]
Athletics conference	CIF Southern Section Pioneer League
Nickname	Spartans
Newspaper	Sword & Shield
Yearbook	Olympiad
Website	tusd.org/schools/shs

History

South High School opened in September 1957 and moved to a new campus in January, 1958 with 20 buildings and 106 classrooms. It currently serves children south of Sepulveda, west of Hawthorne and north of Lomita Boulevard.^[4]

In 1980 Asahi Gakuen, a weekend Japanese-language education institution, began renting space in South Torrance High School.^[5] The school continues to use the school for its Torrance Campus (トーランス校 Tōransu-kō).^[6]

Since 2004,^[when?] South High has been under refurbishment. Renovations include improved handicapped accessibility, improved lighting, and new signage.^{[citation needed]}

American Beauty was filmed on the South High School campus during the winter break of 1998/1999. Many contemporary South High students were featured as extras in the scenes set on campus.^[7]

The short movie Skaterdater was filmed using the Imperial Skateboard Club whose members went to South High.^[8]

Demographics

In the 2014–15 school year, South High had an enrollment of 2,132 students.

• African-American - 2.4%
• American Indian - 0.50%
• Asian - 30.4%
• Filipino - 3%
• Hispanic or Latino - 14.7%
• Pacific Islander - 0.60%
• Caucasian - 41.70%%
• Multi-Racial - 5.10%
• Other - 1.6%

The average household income of South High's ZIP code (90505) is $105,771.

Athletics

South High's mascot is the Spartan, and their colors are green and white.

Activities

The Marching Band won West High Invitationals Sweepstakes 2009, 2010 Percussion State Champs, and the 2011 & 2013 SCJA Division 5A State Champions. The South High 2014-15 Advanced Dance Team were the 2015 USA Dance National Champions in the category "Novelty." In 2017, the 2016-17 Advanced Dance Team became state champions at the USA State Championship, while also placing first in several divisions at USA Regionals. The 2016-17 Athletic Training Program placed first in the small school division at the St. Francis Sports Medical Competition.

Notable alumni

• Mike Andrews: former MLB second baseman, currently Chair of The Jimmy Fund
• Rob Andrews: former MLB second baseman
• Greg Bargar: former MLB pitcher
• Gillian Boxx: 1996 Olympic gold medalist (Softball)
• Shannon Boxx: 2004, 2008 Olympic gold medallist (Soccer)
• Chuck Codd: former professional soccer player
• Juan Croucier: former bassist for Ratt
• Michael B. Donley: former US Secretary of the Air Force
• Chris Donnels: former MLB third baseman
• Tim Drevno: former offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers
• Jason Farol: singer on Duets (TV series)
• Steven Roger Fischer: prominent academician, writer and preeminent Polynesian historian, ethnographer, and linguist
• Ryo Fujii: professional soccer player
• Chad Morton: former NFL running back and kick/punt returner
• Greg Popovich: Founder & Owner of Castle Rock Winery
• Johnnie Morton: former NFL wide receiver, mixed martial artist
• Sendhil Mullainathan: professor of economics at The University of Chicago
• Aaron North: lead guitarist for Nine Inch Nails
• Bob Anderson (wrestler): USA Teams, AAU and College Champion Wrestler
• David Patterson: professor of computer science at University of California, Berkeley and winner of the ACM AM Turing Award, the Nobel Prize of Computer Science
• Steve Smith: former world record holder in the indoor pole vault
• Ken Turner: former MLB pitcher
• Chauncey Washington: former NFL running back
• John White: CFL running back
• Alejandro Daniel Wolff: American diplomat, former US Ambassador to Chile and acting U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
• Gary Steele: Intramural Basketball champions 1969; Gold trunks 1967–1970; Co-photographer and double of Blythe movie
• Mike Song: Professional dancer for Kinjaz
• Fred Goss: TV director, actor, producer and writer

References

1. "South High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
2. "School Quality Snapshot". California Department of Education. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
3. "Athletics". South High School. 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
4. Gnerre, Sam (21 January 2017). "Torrance's South High School comes to life in the late 1950s". South Bay History. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
5. Rainey, James. "Children of Japanese Executives Flock to Special Classrooms." Los Angeles Times. December 31, 1987. Retrieved on March 6, 2014.
6. "トーランス校 Archived 2014-03-30 at the Wayback Machine." Other Campuses include Orange County and Santa Monica. Asahi Gakuen. Retrieved on March 30, 2014. "TORRANCE SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL 4801 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, CA 90505 "
7. Internet Movie Database: American Beauty filming locations Retrieved November 5, 2011.
8. "Skaterdater: the story of the world's first skateboard movie". SurferToday.com. SurferToday. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

External links

• Greater Los Angeles portal
• Schools portal

• Official South High School website