Southwest Miami High School
| Southwest Miami Senior High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Olympia Heights, Florida United States | |
| Coordinates | 25°43′21″N 80°20′18″W / 25.72246°N 80.33839°WCoordinates: 25°43′21″N 80°20′18″W / 25.72246°N 80.33839°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public secondary |
| Established | 1956 |
| Founder | Emmanuel Comas |
| School district | Miami-Dade County Public Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 5,361 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Purple, White, and Black |
| School hours | 7:20 AM to 2:20 PM |
| Average class size | 22 |
| Website | sweagles.org |
 | |
Southwest Miami High School is a secondary school located at 8855 SW 50th Terrace in Olympia Heights, a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.[1][2]
Its principal is Carlos Diaz. School colors are purple and white. Southwest is currently an A school and has been since 2010.[3] Of the more than 30 public schools that are neither all magnet schools nor charter schools, Southwest is ranked second best in Miami-Dade county by U.S. News & World Report.[4]
History
Southwest Miami High School was founded on September 1956 as Southwest Miami Junior Senior High School. The school was built to alleviate overcrowding at neighboring Coral Gables Senior High School. Featuring grades 7-10, it was eventually converted to a high school in 1959 upon graduating its first senior class.
Southwest's athletic rival is Miami Coral Park Senior High School.
In 2003 a portion of the ceiling over the school library collapsed.[5]
Demographics
Southwest Miami High School is 93% Hispanic, 55% Black and 6% other.[6]
Student media
The student newspaper is the Lancer, the yearbook is Aquila (Latin for "eagle"), and TV production students are responsible for the morning announcements.
Performing arts
The Royal Lancer marching band performs at halftime of football games and the Illusion dancers perform throughout the school year.
Athletic achievements
Southwest has a rich history in athletics. By the time the first graduating class (1959) donned their caps and gowns, the Eagles had already won state championships in boys' basketball and boys' track. On May 7, 1964, Southwest became the first Dade County white school to face a black school in a sport other than track when it took on George Washington Carver Senior High School in baseball. The Florida High School Athletic Association began sponsoring state championships in boys' volleyball in 2003 and, in the first eight years of the state tournament, the Eagles took home two state championships.[7]
In 2010, alumnus Andre Dawson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.[8] The baseball field at Southwest is named in his honor.
State championships
| Girls' cross country (individual)
1976: Katherine Moore - 1.5 miles |
| Boys' swimming (individual):
1965: Michael W. Sheeler - 100 yard breaststroke, Michael W. Sheeler - 200 yard medley, 1966: Michael W. Sheeler - 200 yard medley, 1969: Gregory Gibble - 50 yard freestyle, Gregory Gibble - 100 yard freestyle |
| Girls swimming (individual):
1964 Linda Sheeler - 500 yard freestyle, 1965 Linda Sheeler - 200 yard freestyle, Linda Sheeler - 500 yard freestyle, 1978 Julie Olson - one meter diving |
| Boys' basketball: 1959 |
| Boys' bowling: 1977 Stanley Kodish Bowler of the Year |
| Wrestling (individual):
1965: Jim Hammack - 185 lbs, 1970: Mike Williams - 145 lbs, 1971: John Williams - 167 lbs, 1972: Charles Mack - 135 lbs, Robert Horback - 155 lbs, 1974: Bob DeMarco - 112 lbs, 1976: Luis Alvarez - 135 lbs, 1988: Ivan Huergo - 145 lbs, 1989: Joel Mendez - 119 lbs, Gus Hernandez - 130 lbs, 1996: Wesley Woodrome - 140 lbs, 2005: Denys Ribot - 152 lbs, 2012: Yoanse Mejia - 145 lbs, 2013: Nosomy Poso - 132 lbs, 2014: Franco Valdes - 120 lbs |
| Boys' volleyball: 2003, 2008 |
| Softball: 2004 |
| Boys' track (team): 1959, 1971 |
| Boys' track (individual):
1959: John DeCosta - 120 yard high hurdles, John DeCosta - 180 yard low hurdles, Paul Skeans - discus, 1960: Richard Dobbs - discus, 1961: Ron Pascarella - discus, 1962: Ron Pascarella - discus |
| Girls' track (individual):
1977: Katherine Moore - one mile run, Katherine Moore - two mile run, 1988: Barbara Ortiz - two mile run |
Notable alumni
Athletics
Baseball
- Dave Augustine, Class of 1967 - outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1973-1974)
- Ray Bare, Class of 1967 - pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals (1972, 1974) and Detroit Tigers (1975–1977)
- Carlos Castillo, Class of 1994 - pitcher with the Chicago White Sox (1997–1999) and Boston Red Sox (2001)
- Andre Dawson, Class of 1972 - outfielder with the Montreal Expos (1976–1986), Chicago Cubs (1987–1992), Boston Red Sox (1993–1994) and Florida Marlins (1995–1996)
- Fernando Hernandez, Class of 2002 - pitcher with the Oakland Athletics (2008)
- Hansel Izquierdo, Class of 1995 - pitcher with the Florida Marlins (2002)
- Dane Johnson, Class of 1981 - pitcher with the Chicago White Sox (1994), Toronto Blue Jays (1996), and Oakland Athletics (1997)
- Juan Peña, Class of 1994 - pitcher with the Boston Red Sox (1999)
- Michael Tejera, Class of 1995 - pitcher with the Florida Marlins (1999, 2002–2004) and Texas Rangers (2004–2005)
- Jeff Urgelles, Class of 2000 - bullpen coordinator with the Miami Marlins (2010–present)
Basketball
- Jose Fernandez, Class of 1989 - head coach of the University of South Florida women's basketball team
Football
- Randy Burke, Class of 1973 - wide receiver with the Baltimore Colts (1977, first round pick)
- Tony Chickillo, Class of 1979 - defensive line with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1983, fifth round pick), also played for the San Diego Chargers (1984-1985) and the New York Jets (1987)
- Steve Tannen, Class of 1966 - defensive back with the New York Jets (1970, first round pick)
Swimming
- David Marsh, Class of 1977 - won 12 national titles as coach at Auburn University
Professional wrestling
Government
- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Class of 1970 - Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1989–present)
- Carol Browner, Class of 1973 - administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (1993-2001)
- Dario Herrera, Class of 1991 - member of the Nevada Assembly (1997-1999); Clark County, Nevada commissioner (1999-2003)
Other
- Ed Calle, Class of 1977 - musician
- Alberto Cutié, Class of 1987 - Episcopal cleric, former Roman Catholic priest
- Jonathan Demme, Class of 1962 - film director
- Teresita Fernandez, Class of 1986 - artist
- Lissette Garcia, Class of 2003 - Miss Florida USA 2011
- Lindsay Hyde, Class of 2000 - founder and President of Strong Women Strong Girls
- Jim Lampley, Class of 1966 - sportscaster
- D. S. Lliteras, Class of 1967 - author
References
- ↑ "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Olympia Heights CDP, FL" (Archive). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on January 3, 2015.
- ↑ Home page. Southwest Miami High School. Retrieved on January 3, 2016. "8855 SW 50th Terrace Miami, FL 33165"
- ↑ "Miami-Dade County Public Schools".
- ↑ "U.S. News & World Report".
- ↑ Cenziper, Debbie. "Collapse of school ceiling scrutinized" (Archive). Miami Herald. Thursday October 16, 2003. Retrieved on October 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Southwest Miami High School - Miami, Florida/FL". PublicSchoolReview.com. Retrieved 2013-01-18.
- ↑ "Florida High School Athletic Association".
- ↑ "Baseball Hall of Fame".
External links
- Southwest Miami High School's official site
- Southwest Miami High School on Facebook
- Southwest's student newspaper, Lancer
- Southwest Miami High School Alumni Association
- Southwest Miami High School football, boys' basketball and baseball
- Miami-Dade County public schools