South Side High School

I've come from a few different schools now, both of which were "early college" schools providing a plethora of advanced college courses and busy work schedules. When I came to Southside I expected to not be challenged. But, it proved my assumption wrong. This school has challenging courses regardless of the teacher you have. There is homework and reading to do outside of class sometimes and there are AP classes for those who are... Ahead of other students. The problem is, the majority of students at Southside just don't care about their grades or education as a whole. This school has so much integrity and passion, and staff try their best to make sure students feel comfortable and actually understand the work that is given. Also, college credits can be earned as well. Early college classes are provided to students. Also, the only reason why I wouldn't consider this school to be particularly safe, is because a lot of the students are... rough... and initiate fights over little drama. People are very violent here.

Apologies for the long review!South Side often gets a bad reputation, but I don't believe that this is fair. Yes, not all teachers are perfect, and neither is the administration, but the students aren't perfect either. It can be a challenge managing a school where the student body is so diverse and simply large. However, I was lucky enough to have some amazing teachers while I was a student at South Side who really helped me and cared about me as a person, and without them I don't think I would be who I am today. (But as with any school, not all teachers are perfect.) The new principal who came in I believe the 2018-2019 school year is also absolutely fantastic! If you have a real problem, he will work to help you to the best of his abilities (keep in mind that there is only so much the school can do; the biggest issues are often with a higher authority than the high school principal). Student counselors have regular check-ins with students twice a year to talk about their progress and any concerns the student may have, and it's easy to set up an appointment with guidance if one needs. As long as you are respectful, you will be treated with the same respect. Extracurriculars are also pretty great across the board (particularly band/guard! The band director is the best human in the world), and there it's pretty easy to start up a new club if you have an interest. Although there can be some craziness (and isn't there some at every high school?), there are some pretty awesome communities to be a part of and I always felt the school was very accepting of everyone, regardless of background.The one complaint I ultimately have about South Side is the IB Program. I was a part of it, and while I managed to get through it, I simply do not believe the school has the ability or resources to effectively run such a complicated program. They keep it because it's their "magnet," but it's hard for them to even get the teachers the training they need. While there are some classes that are beneficial to take (IB sciences, history, foreign language, English, possibly the arts), going for the full diploma will ultimately not be worth it. IB classes are great when there's no dual credit or AP option, but ultimately most U.S. colleges won't care if you get the full diploma, and neither should you. I did not get my diploma due only to a teacher's lack of ability to get training, which sucked, but I am currently thriving at my college of choice despite that, so don't stress!

It was an amzing expirence I loved being there and enjoyed all the teachers . I learned so much and made many memories !

If I could score Southside high school with zero stars I would. First the guidance administration doesn't even know the students that they're supposed to be guiding nor do they help them figure out what they want to do and help prepare for college. They are basically there for students to come talk if they choose to instead of reaching out to students to make sure they succeed secondly the classes are so over full that the teachers can't even effectively teach the students I have a student there who is a sophomore who has no teacher support at all because her response was I have X amount of students I don't have time to email parents And students about assignments and answer questions. They don't keep the online grades up to date and when you reach out to find out how your student is doing they either don't respond or don't know. This school deserves an F rating