Sunnyside High School, opened in 1955, is home to two thousand students located on the south side of Tucson, Arizona. Sunnyside offers a wide variety of extracurricular programs, advanced placement courses, and specialized career and technical training programs. It is a part of the Sunnyside Unified School District.
History
Sunnyside High School opened in 1955 with 9th and 10th grade classes.
The original mascot logo for Sunnyside used a variation of Arizona State University's Sparky mascot. The school was forced to change after the university learned of this use when Sunnyside played a championship game at ASU's Sun Devil Stadium.
Campus
Sunnyside High School is located on the south side of Tucson, Arizona.
Curriculum
There is a widespread of curriculum that is offered at Sunnyside High School.
Departments of Instruction
Sunnyside High School offers these courses either for class credits, or elective credit:
- Agro-science (FFA)
- Automotive Collision Repair Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Business/Business Information Technology
- Drafting Technology
- Drama
- English Language Development
- FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) - Business Management and Administrative Services
- Family and Consumer Science
- Fine Arts
- Graphic Communications
- Health
- Industrial Technology
- Information/Computer Technology
- Language Arts
- Library
- Life Management
- Marketing
- Mathematics
- Medical Careers/Nursing Services
- Music
- Photography: (Summer school photography)
- Physical Education
- Poetry
- Precision Metals Technology
- Publications
- Radio and Television Technology
- Science
- Social Studies
- World Languages
- Family and Consumer Science: Culinary Arts and Café Diablo, Up With Children, Fashion Design, Teachers of Tomorrow (Future Educators of America)
- Guitar
- Sports Medicine Club
- Welding Technology
- Skills USA
Courses or college credit
Below are courses available to students, for both high-school:
- Writing 100 and 101
- Computers Maintenance
- Web Design and Development
Academics and enhanced courses
- Advanced Placement Courses
- Honors Academy
- Honors Courses
- Medical Careers Academy
- Tech Prep/Work-Based Learning
- CISCO Academy-A+, Net+ Certifications
Extracurricular activities
- Fine Arts: Concert Band, Drama, Dancing, Drum Line, Folklorico, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, Mariachi, Orchestra, Painting, Photography, and Pottery
- Publications: newspaper, media video communications, and yearbook
- Clubs: Anytown, Blue Wires, DECA, Drama, HOSA, MESA, National Honor Society, Student Government, VICA, Sunnyside Web Company, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
- Hands Across the Border
- PRISM Club
- Sports: Division 5A: boys volleyball, baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, Gymnastics
- Mexican American Social Culture Club (MASCC)
- Sunnyside Blue Devil Dance Team
- Sunnyside M.E.Ch.A
- Wildcat Society
- Sunnyside Cheer Team
Athletics
Sunnyside High School is a member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association and is classed in its 5A conference. A wrestling powerhouse in Arizona, Sunnyside has won 30 state championships (14 in a row, 1998-2011). It lost a dual-meet December 12, 2015, where Green Valley (NV) snapped a 314 win streak stretching from 1999 to then, and only has lost ten since 1969. The teams are known as the Sunnyside Blue Devils. Athletic teams are fielded in boys volleyball, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, wrestling, and swimming.
The varsity football team was featured on the Great American Rivalries Series in 2009 against Salpointe Catholic High School.
Arizona State Championship titles
- Basketball: 1993 (4A)
- Football: 2001 (4A), 2003 (4A)
- Wrestling: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
- Cheerleading: 2000
- Softball: 2007
- Boys Cross-Country: 1966, 1975, 2008
- Girls Volleyball: 1990
Music
There are various musical performing groups at Sunnyside.
Performing groups as well as their director(s):
- Sunnyside Jazz Ensemble, Rusty Ogren.
- The Pride of Sunnyside Marching Band, Rusty Ogren.
- Sunnyside Wind Ensemble, Rusty Ogren.
- Sunnyside Choir, Rusty Ogren.
- Los Diablitos Azules Mariachi, Senor Cuco Del Sid.
- Sunnyside Orchestra, Wesley Hunter.
The Pride of Sunnyside Marching Band
History
- 2006: Scott Matlick, Drum Major for The Pride of Arizona (2002â€"2004), is hired as Director of Bands at Sunnyside High School. Reinvents the band, dawning the name The Pride of Sunnyside Marching Band. The band's show is Gladiator picked by previous Director Alli Coyle.
- 2007: Scott Matlick introduces the show "Adentro: The Music of Ricardo Arjona", based on Latin singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona's album Adentro. The tradition of the marching on to the field in the opening set known as the "S" is brought back to commemorate the school's 50th anniversary. After two years as Director of Bands at Sunnyside, Scott Matlick returns to the University of Arizona to be part of the Graduate Teaching Assistant program for the UA Bands and The Pride of Arizona.
- 2008: During the summer the band was temporarily under the direction of Joseph Molinar. The band plays "The Return of Aerosmith" the show Director Alli Coyle created in 2005 for the band. In early August the band gets Director of Bands Matthew Hoolsema from Michigan. Under the new direction of Matthew Hoolsema, the school's choir program is brought back.
- 2009: Matthew Hoolsema introduces the show Music of the Big Band Era. The program includes tunes "La Suerte De Los Tontos", " House of the Rising Sun", "Blue Groove", and "Big Noise from Winnetka". The band reached the state marching competition.
- 2010: Although not as successful as the previous year, the Pride of Sunnyside continued to a new season with the music of Journey.
Recent directors
- 2004-2006: Alli Coyle
- 2006-2008: Scott Matlick
- 2008â€"2011: Matthew Hoolsema
- 2011: Armando Salas
- 2012-present: Rusty Ogren
Recent field shows
Under Alli Coyle:
- 2004: Mask of Zorro
- 2005: The Music of Aerosmith
Under Scott Matlick:
- 2006: Gladiator
- 2007: Adentro: The Music of Ricardo Arjona
Under Matthew Hoolsema:
- 2008: The Return of Aerosmith
- 2009: The Music of the Big Band Era
- 2010: The Music of Journey
Under Armando Salas:
- 2011: Latin Sketches
Under Rusty Ogren:
- 2012: Symphonic Passions
- 2013: 80s and Gentleman
- 2015: Cirque De Solei
- 2016: When the Stars Come Out
Student groups
Notable alumni
- Matthew Lopez, professional UFC fighter; RFA most wins and finishes in history; Sunnyside's first 4x state wrestling champion
- Ben Chavis, businessman, educator, national spokesperson on education, and writer. He paid the college tuition for many of his former students to attend some of the top universities in the United States.
- Raul Grijalva, Representative for Arizona’s 3rd congressional district
- Ned Norris, Jr., Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation since 2007.
- Mike Scurlock, former professional football player
- Michael Smith , NFL running back for Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- James Terry (fighter), professional MMA fighter
Notable faculty
Two faculty members have been recognized as Arizona Teacher of the Year, Marguerite Johnson Caldwell in 1983 and Rich Mayorga in 2003.
See also
- Desert View High School
- Sunnyside Unified School District
References
External links
- Sunnyside High School
- Sunnyside Blue Devils Football