South Garland High School
| South Garland High School | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Address | |
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600 Colonel Drive Garland, Texas, Dallas County 75043-2302 |
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| Coordinates | 32°52′18″N 96°37′06″W / 32.8717°N 96.6184°WCoordinates: 32°52′18″N 96°37′06″W / 32.8717°N 96.6184°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public High school |
| Motto | "A Tradition in Excellence" |
| Established | 1964 |
| School district | Garland Independent School District |
| Principal | Tracy Curtis |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,267 (2016) |
| Language | English |
| Color(s) | |
| Mascot | Colonels |
| Website | South Garland High School Website |
South Garland High School (SGHS) is a secondary school located in Garland, Texas. The school is part of the Garland Independent School District. The mascot for SGHS is the "Southern Colonel," and the school colors are red and Columbia blue. In 2009, the school was rated "academically acceptable" by the Texas Education Agency.
South Garland High School opened in 1964. It was the second public high school to open in Garland.
In 1991 a black activist named Melvin "A'Vant" Thomas picketed the school since it had a flag resembling the battle flag of the Confederate States of America; for a period of almost two years he had written numerous letters to the GISD school board asking them to remove the mural.
In 2015 the GISD school board agreed to remove symbolism reminiscent of the Confederacy.
Until the early 1990s, a Confederate flag was the predominant image in the school shield. A group of students voted against changing the school flag in August 1988 with African American resident M.T. A'Vant (formerly Melvin Thomas), protested. A'Vant ended his protests in April 1991.
A group of South Garland High School parents developed a multiracial committee that same year to discuss the symbols and traditions they considered offensive that continued to be used by the school, including its fight song. The group met about 12 times before making a proposal to the school board in the summer of 1991. The group reached a compromise with the board members on only two items.
The Garland independent school Board voted 6 to 1 at its August 1, 1991, meeting, to discontinue use of the altered Confederate flag as the school flag and to also change the color of the mascot's uniform from gray to blue and red. The sole dissenting vote was cast by Randy Clark, who maintained that he was voting as his constituents had advised him. The president of the local chapter of the NAACP said the issue would not be over unless all symbolism referring to the Confederacy, including the fight song and a plantation mural, were removed.
At the start of the 1991–92 school year, a contest was held to replace the flag. The crossed sword design, created by junior Sean Wood was chosen by the student body to replace the rebel flag.
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