Traditions
SCHOOL SONG
We’re gonna cheer for the Black and the White.
Come on let’s fight, fight with all of our might.
We’ll never lose, NO! We’ll always win,
Victory must always be in sight.
RAH, RAH, RAH!
Fight for the Black and the White
South High will always do it right
S.O.U.T.H. We’re the Colts of the great
South High.
C.O.L.T.S.
V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.
Black and White, FiGHT!
Black and White, FIGHT!
S.O.U.T.H. FIGHT!
We’re gonna cheer for the Black and the White.
Come on let’s fight, fight with all of our might.
We’ll never lose, NO! We’ll always be in sight,
RAH, RAH, RAH!
Fight for the Black and the White
South High will always do it right.
S.O.U.T.H. We’re the Colts of the Great
South High
©
ALMA MATER
Below the snow-capped mountains
‘Cross the wind-swept prairies wide
A place that we all cherish
With reverence and pride
We honor those who’ve served here
And the ones who who have their all
With the pride and dedication
In victory or fall.
As we roam the halls of South High
Our memories will grow
With faith in our traditions
Of family, friend or foe.
Below the snow-capped mountains
‘Cross the wind-swept prairies wide
We’ll sing our praise
And our voices raise
All hail the GREAT SOUTH PRIDE!
Mascot and Colors
The school’s colors and mascot were actually chosen a year before the school opened. In the summer of 1958, Sollie Raso from Central and Pat Kingery from Centennial spent most of their summer planning for the opening of two new major high schools. White was retained to be the common colors among all of the Pueblo schools. Green was considered but rejected due to Pueblo Catholic High. Purple was another consideration but was used for Denver South already. The principals decided on Gold/White and Black/White. When it came to mascots, the best teams in the NFL were Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Colts. The color scheme of gold with Eagles and black with Colts seemed to fit best. A coin toss between Raso and Kingery resulted in Raso winning and he favored the Black and White combination and along with that came the Colts.
The first yearbook came out in May 1960. The name, which means a gathering of horses, was chosen and of was a very appropriate. Since 1983, the senior pictures have been in color and the cost of the first yearbook was $5.00. South is the only high school in the city that has yearbook royalty. In 1960, each member of the student body nominated one senior boy and girl for the Remuda court. Candidates were sent to John Witcomb, a New York writer and Illustrator for their selection. The tradition continued to send to notable judges around the country through the 60s and 70s.
1959-1960 John Witcomb
1960-1961 Bobs Cummings
1961-1962 Jim Mutscheller
1962-1963 Loretta Young
1963-1964 Paul Newman
1964-1965 Connie Stevens
1966-1966 Johnny Unitas
1966-1967 AF Academy Cadets
1967-1968 Charles Schulz
1968-1969 Phyllis Diller
1969-1970 Denver Broncos
1970-1971 E.J. Peaker
1971-1972 Brandon Cruz, Bill Bixby
1972-1973 Pete Maravich
1973-1974 John Denver
1974-1975 Tony Orlando
1975-1976 Seals and Crofts
1976-1977 America
1977-1978 Denver Nuggets
1978-1979 Ron Palillo
1979-1980 Sam Rutigliano
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November 25, 1959 was the first issue of the school newspaper. The first staff chose the name of the newspaper. The choices were: The Spotlight, Scroll, Black and White, The Star, Pow-Wow, The Spur, Lariat, The Trail, Mustang, Trails End, Stampede, and ROUND UP. By the slimmest margin, we had our name. The Round Up was the first high school publication to adopt the news magazine format. Printing process remained the same until October 1988 when the format went to Macintosh computers.
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Pegasus was introduced as the literary magazine in 1963.The first issue was printed in the business dept. using a mimeograph machine. During the 70s, it featured material from the art and craft department. The Pegasus left only to return as the Phoenix. That lasted for one year and the Pegasus name was back. The magazine was published during the spring each year.
SOMETHING EXTRA FOR SOUTH
Excerpt from Dave Wilkerson, First Principal opening day speech to the student body.
“We are all obligated- students, teachers, administrators – to do everything in our power to make this school the best. To reach down inside where we have the power that maybe we don’t even know we have. And if you reach down for something that’s beyond what you believe is your human endurance, that’s the way you become great and if you will do something extra for South, you will also be doing something extra for yourself.”
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The Emblem
Phyllis Thomson and Charlotte Gallegos (Slaughter) came up with the horseshoe and bar. They took it to a commercial artist who made the final design.