Southwood Middle School
| Southwood Middle School Center for the Arts | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Palmetto Bay, Florida United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Public middle |
| Established | 1975 |
| School district | Miami-Dade County Public Schools |
| Principal | Raul Garcia |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| Enrollment | 1,524 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Blue and Gold |
| Mascot | SuperStar |
| School hours | 9:10 am - 3:50 pm |
| Website | southwoodmiddleschool.org |
Coordinates: 25°37′10″N 80°19′19″W / 25.619455°N 80.322074°W
Southwood Middle School Center for the Arts, more commonly known as Southwood Middle School, is a public secondary school located on 16301 Southwest 80th Avenue in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Its principal is Raul Garcia.
The mascot for the school is the SuperStar, a cartoonish star who wears a top hat and carries a cane.
The school was formerly located in the census-designated place of Cutler until the incorporation of Palmetto Bay on September 10, 2002.
Southwood received national attention when, on February 3, 2004, eighth-grader Jaime Rodrigo Gough was stabbed to death in a second-floor bathroom by classmate Michael Hernandez. When a fellow student found his body in a bathroom stall, the school went into lockdown. Parents who found out from other parents had gathered in front of the school, and "many tears were shed," said a student at the school.
Southwood celebrates "Peace Week" during the first week of February as a memorial for Gough, and to spread messages of tolerance and diversity. During the 2005 Peace Week ceremony, monarch butterflies were released in memory of Gough.
In late 2015, the convicted student's case was brought back to court for a re-sentencing.
During the 1984-85 school year, Southwood Jr. High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.
Southwood contains five magnet programs, for which students must audition and be accepted in order to take: Music (which contains the orchestra, band, and chorus strands), Photography, Theatre, Art, and Dance. Southwood takes in non-magnet students as well, who live within the designated area, but those students take regular electives instead of magnet classes. Magnet students do not have to live within this district in order to attend.
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