Greetings, Fellow Firebirds!
Welcome to the first edition of the Southern Nash High School Alumni Association
newsletter. As the school year is rapidly winding down and the Class of 2015 is
making preparations for the big day in June, let’s take a look back at what has been
an exciting and eventful year for all Firebirds, present and past.
August marked the return to school for all students, with the seniors ready to take
their place as the leaders of our school and over 300 members of the Class of 2018
being welcomed into the Firebird Family. The excitement and nervousness of a new
school year soon gave way to research papers, math equations, and chemistry
experiments. Students’ styles of learning and teachers’ methods of teaching
continue to evolve as technology changes and improves. Each student at Southern
Nash has access to a personal laptop computer to use to help prepare them for an
ever-changing world and ultra competitive job market.
Fall meant the return of Friday Night Lights and high school football! This year’s
edition of the Firebirds made its mark on Southern Nash history winning the
school’s first conference championship in football since 1991. Although the team
eventually fell in the second round of the state playoffs, the team won the hearts of
all Firebird fans with its display of teamwork and never-say-die attitude. Our band,
under the direction of Southern Nash alum Mr. Matthew Ray, also had an
outstanding fall season as well. Mr. Ray has gone to great lengths to rebuild our
band program in hopes of increasing membership and continue the rich tradition of
success achieved by former band members. The marching Firebirds attended
several competitions and came away with multiple first place showings. In addition
our Wind Ensemble was honored with both Superior and Excellent ratings at the
annual Music Performance Adjudication.
As the weather became cooler and leaves began to change colors, improving our
local community became a common theme as students and clubs immersed
themselves in service-based projects. From individuals collecting supplies to
benefit organizations such as My Sister’s House and various food banks, to volunteer
work at animal shelters and nursing homes, Southern Nash has affected local towns,
businesses, and citizens in many positive ways. Our Health Occupations classes, led
by Mrs. Crystal Kennedy (Southern Nash, Class of 1996), have hosted three on
campus Blood Drives throughout the year and collected over 350 pints of much
needed blood.
While snow, ice, and brutally cold temperatures have made our spring semester an
adventure, warm weather has finally arrived and campus is buzzing with
excitement! Southern Nash recently hosted its third annual “Southern Sizzlin BBQ
Showdown,” an event designed to interact with the community and raise funds for
various school programs and needs. On a beautiful, sun swept, spring day, students,
staff, and community members participated in a school-wide yard sale, a 5K Color
Run, games and contests, powder puff football, all the while sampling delicious
barbeque from the five pigs slow cooked to perfection by local amateur chefs. Cow
Chip Bingo capped off an amazing day that saw Southern Nash raise over $11,000 to
benefit various programs and needs at our school. Thank you to all the volunteers
and participants whose time and effort greatly contributed to the success of the
event. Be sure to look for details about next year’s event, which promises to be
bigger and better than ever!
Our spring sports season is quickly coming to a close, but we have several
outstanding individual accomplishments to recognize. Congratulations go to senior
golfer Josh Harden who capped off a great season by qualifying to compete in the
2015 3-A State Golf Tournament. Congratulations also go out to Jaquay Mitchell and
Nadir Thompson who qualified for the 3-A State Track Meet by winning the triple
jump and 200 meters respectively at last week’s Eastern Regional. Seniors Daron
Harris and Amanda Johnson also qualified for the State Track Meet. Daron finished
second in the triple jump, while Amanda finished second in the 400 meters.
Members of the Southern Nash Chorus recently completed a trip to Pigeon Forge,
TN, where they were recognized with their first Superior rating. Also, over 500
members of our student body are preparing for an end of the year celebration at the
Ice House in Wake Forest. The celebration recognizes those students who have
achieved academic excellence throughout the school year combined with positive
behavior stipulations.
Awards Day, exams, and Graduation are fast approaching, so we will close for now.
Make sure to come back and visit school-related functions when you can to witness
the next generation of Firebirds in action, because once a FIREBIRD…always a
FIREBIRD! FIREBIRD STRONG!