{"id":298084,"date":"2026-06-06T04:09:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T04:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/298084\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T04:09:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T04:09:09","slug":"st-pete-school-building-celebrates-100th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/298084\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Pete school building celebrates 100th anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community members gathered at the 1701 10th Street S. education building in south St. Petersburg Thursday evening to celebrate its 100th anniversary.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When the facility first opened, it was known as Southside Junior High School. Architect Henry Taylor, who also developed plans for the Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, designed the structure. It cost $400,000 to build, St. Petersburg Museum of History executive director Rui Farias explained at the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The institution first shut its doors in 1972. A year later, it would reopen as Southside Alternative School. By 1980, the building became the home of Southside Fundamental Middle School. This iteration lasted until the end of the 2008 \u2013 2009 academic year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, the site was utilized by the University Preparatory Academy charter school. However, it closed in 2016. The property is now occupied by the K \u2013 5th grade Midtown Academy Center for Cultural Arts, Gifted Studies and Literacy Innovation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg City Council member Corey Givens Jr. is one of Southside Fundamental Middle School\u2019s most notable alumni. He is a member of the Class of 2006.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Midtown Academy\u2019s current principal Keila Victor reached out to Givens to see if he would be interested in co-chairing the Thursday event. It was an opportunity he could not say no to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been more than a brick and mortar building,\u201d Givens told the Catalyst. \u201cIt\u2019s a living breathing testament to the power of education, especially in south St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg City Council member Corey Givens Jr. speaking at Thursday\u2019s centennial celebration.<\/p>\n

During the Council member\u2019s time at the school, he participated in the show choir, which was led by instructor Don Wharton. Wharton, who died in 2020, also taught a television production class. This course inspired Givens to study journalism and communications in college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, he was a member of the school\u2019s band and got to participate in the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Tennessee.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSouthside was more than a school for me,\u201d Givens said. \u201cIt really was a place where my dreams were nurtured and it prepared me for service.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He has family ties to Southside Fundamental Middle School as well. Givens\u2019 grandfather\u2019s brother served as the institution\u2019s principal in the 1970s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chris Touchton was the band director from 2003 to 2009. Givens played the flute for him. Currently, he works at Tarpon Springs Middle School.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first school as a teacher was Southside,\u201d Touchton explained. \u201cThose six years to this day, our family calls it the golden era.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What stood out was the \u201ctight-knit\u201d environment and the school\u2019s culture, he added. Many of his students have \u201cbecome professional musicians or teachers in their own right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph McCoy taught academically gifted children at the school from 1993 to 2009. He explained that the Southside community was \u201clike a family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

To make history more fun, McCoy even wrote songs. Topics included the Colorado River and the Civil War. This, he said, helped the students remember important information including dates.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many of the school\u2019s attendees, McCoy added, have become \u201cwell respected\u201d professionals. \u201cTo have a part in that, it was pretty special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before he opened Ferg\u2019s Sports Bar and Grill in St. Petersburg, Mark Ferguson was a physical education and health teacher at Southside Fundamental Middle School. He worked there from 1982 to 1998. His children also attended the institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ferguson particularly enjoyed the students\u2019 basketball and flag football games. \u201cI told kids to do push ups every day and run,\u201d he said. \u201cI had fun every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before joining the Southside team, Ferguson was employed at Pinellas Park Middle School. After 10 days on the job, he was transferred to the St. Petersburg educational institution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ferguson, who attended Bay Point Middle School, added that he has memories playing basketball against the Southside team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steve Harris was a student in the early 1960s. The Thursday event was an opportunity to reminisce. He even brought his yearbooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harris enjoyed being a member of the band. He said that the parades were particularly memorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re in seventh grade, it\u2019s all new,\u201d Harris remembered. \u201cA lot of the kids seemed to be in a time warp and seemed to be a lot older. They had five o\u2019clock shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Steve Harris, who was a student in the 1960s, brought his yearbooks to the event.<\/p>\n

In the 1970s, Cassandra Jackson attended Southside. Her children would later follow suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, Jackson\u2019s connection with the building is much larger. She would eventually serve as a front office clerk and community liaison. Jackson retired in May 2025 and now volunteers at Midtown Academy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bonding with families was the most important aspect of the job. \u201cThe joy of it was that I was mindful to remember the students\u2019 names and their families.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This allowed Jackson to build \u201ctrue\u201d and \u201cgenuine\u201d relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pinellas County School Board member Dawn Peters was among the elected officials at the Thursday gathering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said that the school\u2019s anniversary \u201cproves how important public education has been to the foundation of St. Petersburg.\u201d The institution\u2019s longevity, Peters added, \u201creflects resiliency, diversity and just how embedded the public school system is in the Pinellas communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renovations, she explained, have allowed the building to \u201cmaintain its character and history.\u201d Future students will know \u201cwhere we came from.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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