# Sunnyside High School (Tucson, Arizona)

Sunnyside High School, opened in 1955, is home to two thousand students located on the south side of Tucson, Arizona. Sunnyside offers a 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:
* Automotive Collision Repair Technology
* Automotive Technology
* Business/Business Information Technology
* English Language Development
* FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) – Business Management and Administrative Services
* Fine Arts
* Graphic Communications
* Health
* Industrial Technology
* Information/Computer Technology
* Language Arts
* Library
* Life Management
* Marketing
* Mathematics
* Medical Careers
* Music
* Photography
* Physical Education
* Precision Metals Technology
* Publications
* Radio and Television Technology
* Science
* Social Studies
* World Languages
* Choir
* Sports Medicine Club
* Skills USA
* Education professions

## Courses or college credit

Below are courses available to students, for both high-school:
* Writing 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, Dancing, Drum Line, Folklorico, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, Mariachi, Orchestra, Painting, Photography, and Pottery
* Publications: media video communications, and yearbook
* Clubs: Anytown, Blue Wires, DECA, HOSA, MESA, National Honor Society, Student Government, YES Club, Sunnyside Web Company, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)
* Sports: Division 5A: boys volleyball, baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, Gymnastics
* Sunnyside Blue Devil Dance Team
* Wildcat Society
* Sunnyside Cheer Team

### Athletics

Sunnyside High School is a member of the Arizona Interscholastic Association and is classed in its 6A 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. However, Sunnyside Wrestling regained its championship title in 2018. 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. Their girls' basketball team won region in the 2023/24 season and was ranked #1 in the 6a state division. Their season was cut short by the Perry Pumas in the 6a state playoffs round 2. They had an impressive season being led by Nayeli Nidez-Acuna, Dora Medina, and Ylena Gross.
The varsity football team was featured on the Great American Rivalries Series in 2009 against Salpointe Catholic High School.

#### Arizona State Championship titles

* Boys 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, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,2022,2023
* Cheerleading: 2000
* Softball: 2007
* Boys Cross-Country: 1966, 1975, 2008
* Boys Soccer: 2019
* Girls Volleyball: 1990

### Music

There are various musical performing groups at Sunnyside.
Performing groups as well as their director(s):
* Sunnyside Jazz Ensemble, Erik Ellison.
* The Pride of Sunnyside Marching Band, Erik Ellison.
* Sunnyside Wind Ensemble, Erik Ellison.
* Sunnyside Choir, Erik Ellison.
* Los Diablitos Azules Mariachi.
* Sunnyside Orchestra, Hayley Britt.

#### The Pride of Sunnyside Marching Band

History
* 2006: Scott Matlick, Drum Major for The Pride of Arizona (2002–2004), 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
* 2008–2011: Matthew Hoolsema
* 2011: Armando Salas
* 2012–2019: Rusty Carle-Ogren
* 2019–2022: Erik Ellison
* 2023-Present: Christian Del Rosario
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 Carle-Ogren:
* 2012: Symphonic Passions
* 2013: 80s and Gentleman
* 2014: Les Misérables
* 2015: Cirque De Solei
* 2016: When the Stars Come Out
* 2017: The Labyrinth
* 2018: Macabre

## Notable alumni

* David Adams, former NFL player
* Raul Grijalva, Representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district
* Harry Holt, former NFL player
* Matthew Lopez, professional UFC fighter; RFA most wins and finishes in history; Sunnyside's first 4x state wrestling champion
* Ned Norris, Jr., Chairman of the Tohono O'odham Nation since 2007
* Mike Scurlock, former NFL player
* Michael Smith, former NFL player
* James Terry, professional MMA fighter
* Roman Bravo Young, freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, two-time NCAA champion for Penn State University

## Notable faculty

Two faculty members have been recognized as Arizona Teacher of the Year, Marguerite Johnson Caldwell in 1983 and Rich Mayorga in 2003.