Samoana High School

{{Short description|High school in Utulei, American Samoa, United States}} {{Use American English|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} '''Samoana High School''' ('''SHS''') is a prominent high school in Utulei,<ref name=Hist>"[http://americansamoasea.cyberschool.com/shs/1787-Untitled.html History]." Samoana High School at Cyberschool. Retrieved on May 12, 2019.</ref> a community in Maoputasi County, Eastern District, American Samoa. It is a part of the American Samoa Department of Education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=600003000028|title=Samoana High School|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=2019-05-12}}</ref>

It opened in 1946 as '''High School of American Samoa''', making it the first such school in the territory.<ref name=Hist/> It was established through the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Matsinger from Kamehameha Schools in Hawai'i. Success was immediate and twenty graduates went on to colleges on the mainland or Hawai'i after the first two years. New buildings for the school were dedicated on May 20, 1949.<ref>Sunia, Fofo I.F. (2009). ''A History of American Samoa''. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. Page 247. {{ISBN|9781573062992}}.</ref>

In a 1975 hearing in the U.S. Congress the school was referred to as the "Downtown" high school of American Samoa. Around that period the enrollment was expected to increase to 800–1,000.<ref>''Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1975: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, Ninety-third Congress, Second Session, Deel 1''. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1974. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gkwdAAAAMAAJ&q=Samoana+High+School 748].</ref>

A fire in 1979 burned down the school.<ref>''Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1982: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Ninety-seventh Congress, First Session, on H.R. 4035, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on the Dept. of the Interior and Related Agencies''. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1992. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Iq6ir9F69jAC&q=Samoana+High+School 350]. "Samoana High School which was destroyed by fire in 1979."</ref>

==Notable alumni== *Velega Savali, politician *A. U. Fuimaono, politician *Lolo Matalasi Moliga, 57th Governor of American Samoa *Togiola Tulafono, 56th Governor of American Samoa *Faoa Aitofele Sunia, former Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa *Save Liuato Tuitele, politician *Isaac Sopoaga, football player *Marion Malena, Multiple Pageant Titleholder *Deutsch Nuuelua Puu, MMA World Champion *Tapai Alailepule Benjamin Vaivao, politician *Kurt Taufa'asau, Head Football Coach at New Mexico Highlands University

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://americansamoasea.cyberschool.com/shs/ Samoana High School] at Cyberschool * [https://www.doe.as/SHS/ Samoana High School] (page under construction?)

Category:American organizations established in 1946 Category:Educational institutions established in 1946 Category:Schools in American Samoa Category:Public high schools in the United States Category:Secondary schools in Oceania