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Decatur High School (Georgia)
Encyclopedia
Decatur High School is a high school
in Decatur
, Georgia
, United States
. It is the sole high school in the Decatur City School District. The school was established in 1912 in the heart of Decatur, walking distance from the city square
, courthouse
, and MARTA
station.
classes on a 7 period schedule with 2 block days a week. The school met Adequate Yearly Progress
for the 2010-2011 school year. Typically, 85 percent of the graduating class plans for college and receives the HOPE Scholarship
.
In the heart of old Decatur,
With its skies of blue,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Glorious to view.
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises cry,
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, Decatur High!
Walls of knowledge, hope, and courage
In tradition bound,
Reared against the arch of heaven,
Looks she proudly down,
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises cry.
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, Decatur High!
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the sole high school in the Decatur City School District. The school was established in 1912 in the heart of Decatur, walking distance from the city square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
, courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
, and MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
station.
Administration
- Principal: Lauri McKain
- Assistant Principal: Rochelle Lofstrand
- Assistant Principal: Arlethea Williams
- Career and Technical Education Director: Duane Sprull
- Athletic Director (System Position): Carter Wilson
Academics
The school offers General, Advanced, and Advanced PlacementAdvanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
classes on a 7 period schedule with 2 block days a week. The school met Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
for the 2010-2011 school year. Typically, 85 percent of the graduating class plans for college and receives the HOPE Scholarship
HOPE Scholarship
The HOPE Scholarship Program created in 1993 under the supervision of Georgia Governor Zell Miller, is a merit-based higher education scholarship that is funded entirely by revenue from the Georgia Lottery and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission...
.
AP classes offered
- Biology
- Calculus AB
- Calculus BC
- Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Language and Composition
- Literature and Composition
- Macroeconomics
- Music Theory
- Psychology
- Spanish Language
- Statistics
- United States Government & Politics
- United States History
- World History
Alma mater
With its skies of blue,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Glorious to view.
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises cry,
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, Decatur High!
Walls of knowledge, hope, and courage
In tradition bound,
Reared against the arch of heaven,
Looks she proudly down,
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises cry.
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, Decatur High!
2005-2006
- Erin Lowe Vickery named a finalist in the national competition by Young Epidemiology ScholarsYoung Epidemiology ScholarsYoung Epidemiology Scholars is a United States scholarship program in the area of public health. It is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board.- Goals :...
.
2006-2007
- William Slack won the national competition by Young Epidemiology ScholarsYoung Epidemiology ScholarsYoung Epidemiology Scholars is a United States scholarship program in the area of public health. It is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by the College Board.- Goals :...
. - Daniel Simms received a perfect score on the ACTACT (examination)The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
, the first Decatur High student to do so. - Luci Cook, William Slack, and Daniel Simms named National Merit Scholarship ProgramNational Merit Scholarship ProgramThe National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
finalists.
2007-2008
- Jennifer Campbell, Juan Cardoza-Oquendo, John Morgan, and Robert Nuttall named National Merit Scholarship ProgramNational Merit Scholarship ProgramThe National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
finalists.
2000-2001
- Simon Dunham wins Wrestling State Championship at 140 lbs
- Aubrey Florence wins 1600-meter and 3200-meter Track State Championships
2002-2003
- Boys Soccer State Champions in A/AA after outscoring opponents 24-2 in State Tournament
- Boys Basketball AA State Finalists
- Samuel Gillespie is AA cross country state runner-up and State Champion in 1600 meters
- Chris Tavel leads the JROTC Raiders to win their second successive State Championship
2003-2004
- Football AA State Semi-Finalists
- Chad Gorbatkin is Area Champion, County Champion, and 3rd at Wrestling State Championships (189 lbs.).
- Joe Gillespie 5th in Wrestling State Championships at 103 lbs.
- JROTC Raiders place 2nd in State Championship.
- Varsity Wrestling coach Joe Winterscheidt loses an exhibition wrestling match to a 94 lb female Chinese exchange student. While the tiny girl was pinning him, she laughed and mocked the bald coach, referring to him as a 'nutless leprechaun'.
2004-2005
- Boys and Girls Lacrosse inaugural season in Spring.
- Joe Gillespie 5th in Wrestling State Championships at 125 weight class.
- JROTC Raiders place 2nd in State Championship.
2005-2006
- Girls Varsity Volleyball 1st in Area 4 A/AA, competed in Final Four in State AA
- Boys Cross Country 3rd in Region 5, 4th in State AA, Parks Miller and Mac Fidler make All-Region 5 team
- Softball 1st in Region 5-AA, competed in State AA tournament for first time in DHS history
- Varsity Football 2nd in Region 5-AA, made AA State Playoffs for third consecutive year
- JROTC Raiders win State Championship led by Captains Kirk Riley and Glen Cornell
- Boys Varsity Basketball 3rd in Region 5-AA, competed in Elite Eight for AA State Playoffs; ranked #8 in Final Poll by the GA Sportswriters
- Girls Track/Field 2nd in Region 5-AA; 1st in State
- Boys Track/Field 2nd in Region 5-AA and 3rd in State (Rodney McDowell set a school record with 5 gold medals at Region and 1st at State for 300 IH )
- Boys Varsity Soccer finished 1st in Area 5-A/AA; competed in Elite Eight of State Playoffs, ranked 7th in state
- Girls Varsity Soccer finished 1st in Area 5-A/AA, competed in Final Four in State A/AA
- JV Lacrosse was extremely successful, leading to varsity boys and girls teams in the 2006-2007 school year.
- Decatur High School ranked #6 in the State of Georgia in overall Athletic Excellence
2006-2007
- Girls Varsity Volleyball competed in Final Four in State AA. SR Yates Marie Guinn named all state
- Boys Cross Country 3rd in Region 6 AA, 3rd in State AA ( JR Mac Fidler 2nd in state AA individually at 16:37). Fidler was followed by SR Robel Hadgu, SO Henry Farley, SR Liam Ainslie, SR Peter Webb, SR Danny Cortese, JR John Morgan. Fidler records second fastest 5k5000 metresThe 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
personal record in Decatur High history. - JROTC Raiders 2nd in state
- Boys Basketball team goes for another state play-off run and go 12-2 in region during the regular season. SR Sam Shew and SR Jerron Stone named all-region.
- Wrestling team has state champ individual SR Joe Gillespie (145 weight class) and 5th place individual JR Jimmy Spearman (125 weight class)
- Boys Soccer team ranked top ten in state AA by coach's polls.
- Girls Soccer Team makes the sweet 16. Senior team co-captain Karman Duchon makes the GHSA senior all-star soccer team as a forward
- Boys Lacrosse team makes the elite eight on the first year of having a Varsity Team. Liam Ainslie makes the GHSA senior all-star Lacrosse team
- Girls track team finished 2nd in state, also Bree Bennett ranked #1 in the nation in the 300 hurdles.
- Boys track- JR Chris Sams first in region in the 110 hurdles, JR Mac Fidler 3rd in 1600, and 2nd in 3200 at region. Finished 3rd at state in 3200.
2007-2008
- Boys Track-Finished first in region 6AA. SR Chris Sams finished first in the 110 hurdles, second in 300 hurdles. Finished first at state in the 110 hurdles.
- Boys Basketball- SR Corey Spraggins was named First Team All-Region.
- Girls Basketball- Sr Andrienne Terrell was named First Team All- Region.
- Boys Lacrosse beat Lakeside-Evans Lacrosse.
Current Buildings
- A main classroom building with a protruding libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
above the front doors, built in 1965 - A new career tech building, completed Summer 2011. Connected to the main building via a breezewayBreezewayA breezeway is an architectural feature similar to a hallway that allows the passage of a breeze between structures to accommodate high winds, allow aeration, or provide aesthetic design variation. Often a breezeway is a simple roof connecting two structures ; sometimes it can be much more like a...
- A new stadium; construction completed September 19, 2008
- A new gymnasium; construction completed October 7, 2009
Past Buildings
- A gymGymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium that held the district administration offices until a recent relocation, demolished in April 2008. - A stadiumStadiumA modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
with a small number of classrooms, and athletic locker room facilities, was the oldest lighted stadium in continuous use in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was demolished in January 2008. - The former north building.
- The former South building, from before the current classroom building was built.
Notable alumni
- Roy Blount, Jr.Roy Blount, Jr.Roy Alton Blount, Jr. is an American writer. Best known as a humorist, Blount is also a reporter, actor, and musician with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed entirely of writers. He is also a former president of the Authors Guild....
, writer and humorist - Felipe ClaybrooksFelipe ClaybrooksFelipe Claybrooks is a former defensive end in the National Football League and NFL Europa. He played for the Cleveland Browns and the Cologne Centurions. He was a standout athlete at Decatur High School, and went on to attend Georgia Tech for college....
, NFL player - DeForest KelleyDeForest KelleyJackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.-Early life:...
, Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
actor - Matthew O'BrienMatthew O'BrienMatthew "Matt" O'Brien is an American author and journalist who's lived in Las Vegas since 1997.- Career :O'Brien, who grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, graduated in 1988 from Decatur High School, where he was a point guard on the basketball team, and from the University of West Georgia in 1995...
, authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A... - Daniel WilcoxDaniel WilcoxDaniel Wilcox is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Jets and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has played in the National Football League since 2001...
, NFL player