South Point High School (North Carolina) Explained

South Point High School
Mottoes:-->
Address:906 South Point Road
City:Belmont
State:North Carolina
Zipcode:28012
Country:United States
Other Names:-->
Former Name:Belmont High School
Type:Public high school
Founders:-->
District:Gaston County Schools
Principal:Josh Allen
Teaching Staff:52.33
Grades:9–12
Enrollment:955 (2022–2023)
Ratio:18.25
Campus Size:28.4acres
Campus Type:Suburban
Colors:Red and black
Athletics Conference:Big South (3A)
Mascot:Raider
Nickname:Raiders
Accreditations:-->
Affiliations:-->

South Point High School (formerly Belmont High School) is a public high school in Belmont, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1964 and is part of the Gaston County Schools district.

History

South Point High School was completed on South Point Road in 1964 as Belmont High School, replacing a building on North Central Avenue which became Belmont Middle School, and adopted its present name in 1969 after it merged with Cramerton High School and Reid High School. It lost approximately 200 students to Stuart W. Cramer High School in nearby Cramerton (but with a Belmont address) when the latter school opened in 2013.[1] [2]

Mascot

The school's mascot is the Seminoles. The origins of the mascot are in dispute, being either derived from soldiers who rubbed red clay on their faces during the Battle of Kings Mountain or adopted from the Colgate University mascot, which was formerly named the Red Raider before being recognized as racially insensitive in 2001. In 2015, a letter to the school board from a Native American tribe member complained that the Red Raiders logo promotes racism.[3] In 2020, rival petitions to either remove or retain the mascot circulated.[4]

Notable alumni

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History . South Point High School . November 17, 2019.
  2. News: New middle school almost ready for move in. Stewart. Gavin. Gaston Gazette. April 19, 2021.
  3. News: Wildstein . Eric . School logos racist? Red Raiders, Warriors imagery sparks complaint . Gaston Gazette . November 2, 2015 . en.
  4. News: Stone . Augusta . In Gaston County, petitions battle to remove or keep 'offensive' high school mascot . The Charlotte Observer . July 2, 2020.
  5. Web site: Mitch Harris . The Baseball Cube . September 30, 2019.
  6. Web site: Devon Lowery . The Baseball Cube . September 30, 2019.
  7. Web site: 15 Apr 1955, Page 5 - The Gastonia Gazette at . Newspapers.com . 1955-04-15 . 2022-06-05.