Courtesy of Savannah Hale.
Oak Cliff’s second high school is celebrating their centennial this year with a weekend full of celebration.
Sunset High School began their 100 Year Anniversary events with the kickoff of the Oak Cliff Super Bowl: Sunset vs W.H. Adamson, where the Bisons were successful in defending their championship win on August 31.
Principal David Lee said he is honored to be here during this time, as many schools don’t have the luxury of celebrating their centennial.
“Sunset is a school with such rich history and heritage and a lot of school pride,” he said, “and that those things just really make the centennial celebration such a fun experience for me. And as principal, being able to serve as a 25th principal of Sunset, it truly is quite an honor.”
Preparation for the anniversary year began last school year, with several student groups practicing performance material through the summer. In the spring, the school hosted a contest for students to design the centennial logo honoring the traditional logo which has been used for branding throughout the year.
The Sunset High School Alumni Association, which Lee describes as robust, has been meeting regularly and creating buzz to get the word out about this week’s events which include: the centennial game, class reunion dance, inauguration of new facilities, a pop-up hall of fame, showcase and golf tournament.
“Tomorrow is going to be a huge game. We play against Newman Smith and I know for a fact that it’s going to bring the whole community out again, and it’s going to be a huge celebratory event for us,” Lee said.
At the alumni mixer Friday, sections of the gymnasium will be labeled with decades to represent the graduating classes in attendance. Lee said he thinks alumni will be represented from the 1950s to the 2020s, which spans over 70 years of the 100 years of the school.
“We’re going to have a book, like an alumni book, where they can write their messages for the next generation of Sunset,” he said. “Hopefully by the time the next centennial rolls around, they’ll be able to pull out some of the wishes from the first centennial celebration.”
Saturday’s celebration will include a parade down Tenth Street running into Sunset High School featuring guest speakers such as the superintendent and distinguished alumni, along with a purple ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the updates to campus that occurred within the past few years and photos on display capturing the school from 1925 to 2020.
“I think one of the things that’s just very exciting about the Sunset Centennial Celebration is it’s really bringing the community together,” Lee said. “And we’re truly seeing a lot of how we’re connected in many different ways through Earth’s end.”
Besides the regularly ticketed football games, all events are free to attend to truly create an experience where everyone could come out and celebrate our centennial, he said.
Here is the full schedule of remaining events for the centennial celebration:
Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025
7 p.m. Centennial Game Sunset vs Newman Smith, Alumni Recognized (Sprague Stadium)
Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
7-11:30 p.m. Class Reunion Dance (Sunset High School Gymnasium)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
9-11:30 a.m. Inauguration New Facilities, Hall of Fame Museum and School Tours (Sunset High School)
12:30 p.m. Centennial Showcase (Sunset High School Auditorium)
Monday, Sept. 22, 2025
8 a.m. Centennial Golf Tournament (Stevens Park Golf Course)
Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025
Centennial Band Holiday Concert (Sunset High School Auditorium)
