What’s a Sudhian Anyway? The History Behind South’s Newspaper
May 23, 2022
In 1967 Fargo South’s first ever school newspaper was produced. This was after South students switched from Central High after it burned down, to North High School. Finally, they moved to South. After an interview with James Ferragut, a para who was a South student when it was founded.
South High was originally opened in the fall of 1967, a year and a half after the fire at Central High. James was in the first graduating class of 1968, having been at South for two years until his return as a para.
For Sudhian staff and readers alike, the name Sudhian has always been something of a mystery. He says Sudhian may be a Hindi word for bear in reference to our mascot, the Bruin. The word south in French also means Sud, which could be the beginning of the name. There has also been speculation that it is the combination of the names Sue and Diane, although there isn’t evidence supporting this theory.
The original Journalism students of South High also worked for the yearbook. In the 1967 edition it says, “In order to produce this college size yearbook, students from the first year journalism classes were invited to bring their many fresh ideas and talents to the staff.”
The Sudhian has had a rich history, making its way from the original founders to today’s staff. We’ve come from black and white newspaper pages to our modern magazine style. Although there is still mystery surrounding the origin of the word Sudhian, and it’s meaning to our school, we’ve found many creative possibilities.
With another year coming to an end, and another monthly edition distributed, we can only admire how far we have come as a staff, and look forward to more captivating, funny, informative, and eye catching stories in the Sudhian’s promising future.