South Eugene High School

South Eugene High School is a public high school located in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

South Eugene High School
Address
Map
400 East 19th Ave.

, ,
97401

Coordinates44°02′20″N 123°05′13″W / 44.0388°N 123.087°W / 44.0388; -123.087
Information
TypePublic
School districtEugene School District
PrincipalCarey Killen[1][2]
Faculty63.99 (FTE)[3]
Grades9-12
Number of students1,531 (2019–20)[3]
Student to teacher ratio23.93[3]
Color(s)Purple and white    [1]
Athletics conferenceOSAA Southwest Conference 6A-6[1]
MascotThe Axe[4]
RivalSheldon High School
NewspaperThe Axe
Websitewww.sehs.4j.lane.edu

History edit

The school was founded as Eugene High School around 1900, and was located at Willamette Street and West 11th Avenue in a brick building that later served as Eugene's city hall. The Eugene school district in 1915 built a new high school on a one-block site on West 17th Avenue between Lincoln and Charnelton Streets.[5]

By 1943, the Eugene School District had outgrown the cramped old high school, and voters approved a bond measure to build a new facility. World War II and other factors delayed construction for a decade, but the current building at 400 E. 19th Avenue was completed and occupied in September 1953. The old high school then served as Woodrow Wilson Junior High School until 1967 (the previous Wilson building was converted to Lincoln Elementary School in 1953).

In the fall of 1957, Eugene High was renamed South Eugene High School, when North Eugene High School opened in the River Road area north of the city.[6]

In April 2018, after more than 90 years as the Axemen, the name of the school mascot was officially changed to The Axe.[7]

Academics edit

In 1983, South Eugene High School was honored in the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest honor a school can receive in the United States.[8]

In 2008, 89% of the school's seniors received a high school diploma. Of 410 students, 363 graduated, 40 dropped out, and seven were still in high school the following year.[9][10]

The school has regularly received a silver ranking in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best High Schools" survey.[11][12][13][14]

In 2010, a student at the school was honored as a Presidential Scholar, one of three from Oregon.[15] A student at the school won the Intel Science Talent Search in 2009 after another South Eugene student placed third in 2007; other students have been named finalists or semifinalists in recent years.[16][17]

South Eugene High School hosts a branch of the Eugene International High School, which offers International Baccalaureate courses as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma. The main campus of South Eugene High School offers numerous Advanced Placement courses as well as honors courses.

South Eugene High School offers 14 Advanced Placement (AP) classes and opportunities for college credit through Lane Community College and the University of Oregon.[18]

Activities edit

The school has many athletic teams (men's and women's ultimate frisbee, volleyball, football, lacrosse, cheerleading, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, softball, baseball, cross country and track and field) and other student activities, such as band, choir, theater, orchestra and visual arts, as well as various student clubs.[19]

South Eugene High School also offers a wide variety of clubs and programs. These include Speech and Debate, Alpine and Nordic Ski teams, National Honor Society, Rowing Club, Red Cross Club, Rotary Interact, Black Student Union, Feminist Union, Figure of Speech, Jewish Student Union, Habitat for Humanity, Key Club, Latino Student Union, Model United Nations, Mock Trial, Gender & Sexuality Alliance, South Eugene Robotics Team (First Robotics Competition Team 2521), and the Yiddish Club.[20]

State championships edit

  • Boys soccer: 1998, 2002[21]
  • Girls basketball: 1987, 1999[22]
  • Baseball: 1961, 1962[23]
  • Boys track and field: 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983[24]
  • Girls track and field: 1975, 2019[25]

Bomb Threats of 2023 edit

On May 3rd of 2023, the first of a series of bomb threats were made against the school. This happened again on May 10th, May 16th, and May 24th. Following an investigation that involved both the Eugene PD and the FBI, it was determined that two students had been paying someone to call in the threats.[26] No further information has been released and no threats have since been made.

Notable alumni edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c OSAA.org :: Schools
  2. ^ "Oregon School Directory 2008-09" (PDF). Oregon Department of Education. p. 139. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "South Eugene High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Roemeling, Alisha (February 13, 2018). "In a fell swoop, the 'Axemen' of South Eugene High School become the 'Axe'". The Register-Guard. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  5. ^ http://home.teleport.com/~casey/School%20History.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "History – South Eugene High School".
  7. ^ "South Eugene "Axemen" Changing to "Axe"".
  8. ^ Archived: Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 (PDF)
  9. ^ "State releases high school graduation rates". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  10. ^ "Oregon dropout rates for 2008". The Oregonian. June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  11. ^ "Best High Schools". U.S. News & World Report. December 9, 2009. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  12. ^ Williams, Anne (January 30, 2008). "Small schools, big result". The Register-Guard. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  13. ^ Graves, Bill (January 15, 2010). "Nine Oregon high schools ranked among best in nation". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  14. ^ Williams, Anne (June 23, 2010). "Tardy South Eugene [temporarily] absent from 'best schools' list". The Register-Guard. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  15. ^ Hammond, Betsy (May 3, 2010). "Presidential scholars: Oregon scores three". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  16. ^ Brugger, Joe (March 10, 2009). "Eugene high school student wins $100,000, a laptop and a bright future". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  17. ^ Owen, Wendy (January 11, 2012). "Three Beaverton area students are among the Intel Science Talent Search semifinalists". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  18. ^ "Navigating South: Opportunities at Our School". South Eugene High School. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "South Eugene High School »". Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  20. ^ "Clubs 2018-2019 - South Eugene High School". sehs.4j.lane.edu. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "OSAA Boys Soccer Championships" (PDF). Oregon School Activities Association.
  22. ^ "OSAA Girls Basketball Championships" (PDF). Oregon School Activities Association.
  23. ^ "OSAA Baseball Championships" (PDF). Oregon School Activities Association.
  24. ^ "OSAA Boys Track & Field Championships" (PDF). Oregon School Activities Association.
  25. ^ "OSAA Boys Track & Field Championships" (PDF). Oregon School Activities Association.
  26. ^ https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/police-2-students-paid-person-to-make-4-bomb-threats-at-south-eugene-high-school/
  27. ^ "Sam Adams Wants Another Chance".
  28. ^ "Oregon Secretary of State".
  29. ^ May 2006 Oregon Voters' Pamphlet
  30. ^ Tim Hardin Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ "Rick Hawn MMA Bio". Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  32. ^ "Old Friends - Class of 1968 - South Eugene High School - $3 Lifetime subscription".
  33. ^ former player for Seattle Sounders FC: Roster: Player Bio
  34. ^ Lamberson, Carolyn (October 27, 2005). "Hometown boy takes an unlikely path to Nashville". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  35. ^ "Following a Passion – Eugene Weekly". Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  36. ^ 'Band on the Run'. The Register-Guard. February 19, 1996.
  37. ^ The Grove Dictionary of American Music. OUP USA. January 2013. ISBN 978-0-19-531428-1.
  38. ^ "Edwin J. Peterson (1930–)".
  39. ^ "Brian Rowe".
  40. ^ Lininger, Tom (December 18, 2003). "The Sound of Silence". Eugene Weekly. Retrieved March 14, 2010.

External links edit