Construction for Southwest High School began in 1938[5] and the building opened as a school in 1940, with the main entrance at Beard Avenue South and West 47th Street.[6] The school drew 841 students from Minneapolis, Edina and Richfield its first year.[5] Several additions were made to the original structure. The first - a second gymnasium and several new classrooms in an area later known as the "North" building - opened in 1956; additionally, Southwest became a 7-12 school that same year. The second was an entirely new building that became Southwest Junior High and was connected via a single hallway, opening in 1968; the new building containing another gymnasium, a new library, and a pool. With the new gymnasium in the "East" building, the gymnasium in the original structure was turned into a 700-seat auditorium.[5]
With the reorganization of Minneapolis schools in 1982, Southwest returned to just grades 9–12, with seventh and eighth graders going to Anwatin and Anthony Middle Schools.[5] Most of the students who attended West High School were transferred to Southwest when it was closed the same year.[citation needed]
Also in 1987, Southwest High School was one of the first high schools in the country to stop using a Native American for its mascot and nickname.[9] The Southwest student body voted to change the nickname of the school from the Indians to the Lakers.[10]
In 1998–1999, the classrooms in the North building were enlarged to become science laboratories. This same renovation included more new classrooms, a new gymnasium floor, and bleachers.[5]
In 2006, a new equipment and weight lifting area was designed in the vocational end of the North building. Over the next few years, the entire interior structure of the auditorium was removed starting with the concrete floor and ending with the new roof. The stage and part of the original gym floor, now the orchestra pit, are all that remain of the previous structure. A new audio-video control booth, catwalks, seating, and acoustic walls were added as well.[5]
In 2016, the Minneapolis school board approved a $47+ million renovation which would add a new building and let the school have space for 450 new students.[11] The expansion was completed for the 2016–17 school year and added 20 new classrooms. The new 60,346 square foot building was constructed between the original east (Southwest Junior High building) and west buildings. As a part of the renovation, 12,400 square feet of the east building was demolished. The main offices of the school were moved to the new structure, and a large part of the 60,346 square foot building was the new 10,000 square foot lunch room. The renovation also included mechanical upgrades like air conditioning that classrooms in the school had never had before.[12]
Controversies and incidents
On March 2, 2018, there were several fights between students during the school's lunch period. School officials had known of the possibility of the fight breaking out beforehand and administrators had reached out to the students every hour prior to no avail. The police were not called, but fifteen school resource officers from other schools were brought in for backup.[13]
On March 14, 2018, exactly one month after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, students at Southwest participated in a nationwide walkout to honor the victims of the shooting and protest gun violence. During the walkout a student across the street from campus waved a "Trump" flag. Eight students confronted him, taking his flag and assaulting him. The student sustained minor injuries and a camera he was holding was damaged. Minneapolis Police stated that a school resource officer stopped the confrontation.[14]
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 1,918 students enrolled in 2021-2022 was:
Male – 51%
Female – 49%
Native American/Alaskan – 0.7%
Asian/Pacific islanders – 3.7%
Black – 26.7%
Hispanic – 10.2%
White – 56.2%
Multiracial – 2.5%
33% of the students were eligible for free or reduced cost lunch. This is a Title I school.[1]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(March 2017)
