Nashua High School South

Nashua High School South, formerly known as Nashua High School, is a public high school located in Nashua, New Hampshire. The school's current location was erected in 1975 with its first class graduating in June 1976. The school was remodeled between 2002 and 2004 when a second school, Nashua High School North, was built. The existing high school building was renamed Nashua High School South. The school serves approximately 1800 students, making it the largest public high school in New Hampshire, and the second largest high school overall, after the private Pinkerton Academy.

Nashua High School South
Address
36 Riverside Drive

Nashua
,
New Hampshire
03062-1395

United States
Coordinates42°45′12″N 71°29′45″W
Information
TypePublic high school
Motto"Where Panthers Roar and Students Soar"
Established2004 (2004)
School districtNashua School District
SuperintendentMario Andrade[1]
PrincipalKeith Richard[2]
Teaching staff139.50 (on an FTE basis) [3]
Grades9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment1,813 (2021–22)[3]
Student to teacher ratio13.00∶1 [3]
CampusSuburban[3]
Color(s)   
  • Purple
  • silver
  • white
Team namePanthers
RivalNashua North Titans
Websitenashua.edu/South

History

Nashua High School (as the south campus was referred to prior to the split in 2004) has been located at three different locations throughout the city, originally at a location at Spring Street (the site is now occupied by the Hillsborough County Superior Courthouse South), followed by the building that is now Elm Street Middle School, before finally coming to the current location on Riverside Drive. The campus, located on the southeast side of the Nashua River, is in fact located slightly farther north than Nashua High School North, located on the northwest side of the river.[4]

From the 1975/1976 school year through the 2004–2005 school year, the Nashua School District followed a non-standard system that had the high school comprising grades 10 through 12, with grade 9 being held in with the city's three junior high schools (now following the middle school system/curriculum). During the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 school years, juniors and seniors attended classes at the newly constructed Nashua High School North campus, while sophomores attended school at the South location while it was being renovated. Meanwhile, freshmen still attended class at their respective junior high schools, but received credit and report cards from Nashua High. Finally, in the 2004–2005 school year, the 9th through 12th grades were held at both high schools.

1980 Republican presidential debate

In February of 1980, the school was the chosen venue for a Republican presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, the top two contenders for the Republican nomination; the debate was funded by the Reagan campaign and hosted by the Nashua Telegraph, but was originally slated to have only Reagan and Bush until they both requested that all candidates be allowed to participate, which Reagan also funded. At the beginning of the debate, during a discussion over which candidates were being allowed to take part, Telegraph editor Jon Breen, acting as the moderator, ordered Reagan's microphone be turned off; Reagan rebuked him saying, "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green!" [sic]. The rebuke became a standout moment in New Hampshire primary history; the remark was wildly cheered by the audience and even applauded by most of Reagan's opponents.[5]

2008 presidential campaign

Nashua High South briefly was in the public eye during 2007–2008 of the United States presidential campaign. Alex Chen, valedictorian of the class of 2009, wrote to all the candidates running in both the Democratic and Republican primaries and invited them to come to the school to speak. Most of the primary candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain and Ron Paul, accepted his invitation. They gave speeches and answered questions from the school's auditorium as well as gave televised interviews with the Nashua Telegraph in the school's TV studio. In 2008, after his defeat in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, Barack Obama gave his famous "Yes We Can" speech in the school's gym. In 2010 President Obama returned to the Nashua School District for a public forum on job creation, but for security reasons, the forum was held at Nashua High School North instead.

Athletics

Nashua High School South offers students the opportunity to participate in various sports teams through its athletic program. The school fields teams in sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, and wrestling.[6]

The school's athletic teams, known as the "Panthers," compete in the NHIAA Division I conference, the highest level division reserved for the largest schools in the state.[7] Most recently, the division one boys' soccer team took first place in the 2021 and 2022 state championships.[8]

In addition to its competitive teams, Nashua High School South also offers opportunities for students and athletes to use their athletic facilities, including two large-sized gymnasiums, a weight room, and athletic fields, which allow students to engage in physical activity and participate in intramural sports.

Nathaniel Tejeda aka "Smiley"

On January 6, 2020, Nashua High School South underwent a renovation and upgrade of its weight room in honor of former student Nathaniel Tejeda, also known as "Smiley." The renovation was made possible through the efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in response to Tejeda's lymphoma diagnosis in March 2020. As a result, the 2019 graduate was able to have the Nashua South weight room entirely refurbished.[9]

Academics

Subjects at Nashua High School South are divided into eight departments: English, Social Studies, Information and Computer Technology, Science, Mathematics, Health, Physical Education, and Fine Arts. Students are given the option to take courses at the "Foundations," "Extensions," "Honors," or "Advanced Placement" level.[10]

Nashua High School South is ranked 36th among all New Hampshire high schools. About 34% of its students participate in Advanced Placement coursework and exams. Within all schools in the United States, Nashua High School South is ranked #6,348 out of approximately 18,000 schools.[11]

The school has four class periods daily, starting at 7:20 am until 2:03 pm.[12] The class schedule refers to each class period as "blocks." Each block has an allocated 80 minutes of class time. Before the third and fourth blocks start, students are given a recess period known as "E-Block" to study or participate in school clubs. South teachers are also available for extra help and tutoring during e-block and after school.

School Clubs

Nashua High School South has over 80 clubs available for students to get involved in. Clubs are run by faculty advisors who provide their classroom space for the club and oversee any meetings. Clubs are Nashua High School South are mostly lead by students. Some clubs elect presidents and vice presidents to establish a formal structure.

Some of the school's clubs include the Programming Club, which competes in American Computer Science League competitions, and the school robotics team participates in FIRST Robotics Competitions.[13]

Demographics
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity
School
Year		 American Indian /
Alaska Native		 Asian Black Hispanic Native Hawaiian /
Pacific Islander		 White Two or
More Races
2020–21[14] 1 (0.1%) 243 (13.3%) 79 (4.3%) 471 (25.7%) 0 (0%) 970 (52.9%) 68 (3.7%)
Enrollment by gender (2020–21)[3]
Gender Enrolled pupils Percentage
Female 878 47.93%
Male 954 52.07%
Non-binary 0 0%
Total 1,832 100%
Enrollment by grade (2020–21)[3]
Grade Enrolled pupils Percentage
9 547 29.86%
10 443 24.18%
11 436 23.8%
12 406 22.16%
Ungraded 0 0%
Total 1,832 100%

Notable alumni

As of the start of the 2004–2005 school year, anyone who graduated from the school when it was simply known as Nashua High School is considered an alumnus of Nashua High School South (including those who attended classes at the North campus until 2004). Notable alumni include:

References
  1. "Office of the Superintendent / Superintendent Mario Andrade". Nashua School District. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  2. "About Us / Administration". Nashua High School South. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  3. "School Detail for Nashua High School South". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. "City of Nashua, NH - School Districts" (PDF). NASHUA SCHOOL DISTRICTS.PDF. January 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  5. "Nation: We Were Sandbagged". Time. March 10, 1980.
  6. "Nashua High School South". nashuasouthathletics.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  7. "NHIAA | New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association | NH Sports - Schools". www.nhiaa.org. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  8. "PURPLE POWER! South wins second straight boy soccer title". nashuatelegraph.com. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  9. Marchilena, Joe (January 7, 2020). "Nashua South unveils new weight room, dedicated to former student (video)". New Hampshire High School Sports. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  10. "Program of Studies / Overview". www.nashua.edu. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  11. "Nashua High School South in Nashua, NH - US News Best High Schools". USNews. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  12. "Bell Schedule / Overview". www.nashua.edu. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  13. "SOUTH CLUB LISTINGS". Google Docs. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  14. "Search for Public Schools - Nashua High School South (330498000323) (2018–2019 School Year)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)


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