Marietta High School (Georgia)

Marietta High School (MHS) is a public high school in the Marietta City Schools system in Marietta, Georgia, United States. The school colors are navy blue, silver, and white, and its mascot is the Blue Devil. Marietta High School's main rivals are Harrison High School and McEachern High School.

History

When the Marietta City School district was established in 1892, there were two main high schools, Marietta High School (for white students) and Lemon Street High School (for black students). In the late 1960s, the Marietta City School System merged the two schools, allowing all students in the City of Marietta to attend Marietta High School.

Marietta High School has had six locations over the past 100 years - on Kennesaw Avenue, Waterman Street, Lemon Street, Winn Street, Haynes Street, and its current location on Whitlock Avenue.

Diversity

Marietta is home to approximately 2,000 students. 42 nationalities are represented. The makeup of the enrollment is 48% Black, 26% White, 19% Hispanic and 7% of other races.^[1]

Facts

^[2]

• Established 1893
• Four-year public high school
• Average class size: 25
• Faculty staff: 144
• Number of teachers: 131
• Teachers with a master's degree or higher: 72%
• Student:counselor ratio: 400:1
• Classes: block schedule
  • 4 classes - day A
  • 4 classes - day B
• Classes meet for 85 minutes. There are two semesters in the August–May year. Credit is granted each semester independently of any other semester.
• Diplomas: College Prep, International Baccalaureate, Tech Prep
• Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Band

The Marietta High School Marching Blue Devil Band is directed by James Michael Cahal and James McDaniel. The band program currently serves 240 students with Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Beginning Bands, as well as multiple percussion ensembles, Jazz Bands, and the Marietta Marching Blue Devils. About 100 students participated in the program in 2009, and it has grown every year and has seen great success on the field. James McDaniel is the Percussion instructor at Marietta.

The Band Program at the high school also houses the AP/IB Music Theory Courses and an IB World Music Studies class. The band program is an integral part of the school's IB program and has seen scores above the world average for the last five years.

The Marietta Marching Band has competed in numerous competitions and has earned first place in Percussion, Guard, Drum Major and overall.

Sports

• Baseball:^[3] MHS alum Dansby Swanson was selected first overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 MLB draft.^[4] Angels first round draft pick (30th overall) Chevez Clarke is also an alumnus of the school.
• Basketball: won state championships in 1983 and 1999.^[5] Legendary coach Charlie Hood led the Blue Devils from 1972 to 2009, accumulating over 700 wins (with only two losing seasons) and producing scores of college and professional players.^[6][7]
• Cheerleading
• Cross country: The boys' team were region champions in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. The boys won the state championship in 2014 and 2015 and were the 2015 NXN Southeast Champions. They then finished 15th overall at NXN National in Portland, Oregon, making history as the best team in Georgia history.^[8] The girls came in second place at the region championships in 2010.
• Football: The Marietta High School football team won the North Georgia championship in 1966-7 and the state championship in 1967-8, with several district and regional championships between 1921 and 2005.
• Golf: won the 1970 State Championship with a 5-foot putt made by Marietta High School Hall of Famer Chuck Little.
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis: State Champions in 1990; the 1980 boys' tennis team won the State Championship. In 1983 Lyn Huffstutler and Kelly Townsend won the girls' 5AAAA region doubles tennis championship.
• Track and Field: The team won the boys' state championship in 2006 and was runner-up in 2005 and 2007. They also had state championship wins in 2000, 2001, 2005, and 2008. Shadi Dix was the 110 hurdles State Champ in 2005.
• Volleyball
• Wrestling: In 1979 Marietta had Junior Nelson Foster as Region Champion at 101 lbs. The 1980 wrestling team was one of the most successful in school history, even leading eventual state champion Sprayberry in the region tournament after first day. The 2012-13 team featured State Champion Lawton Ward at 170 lbs.

Notable alumni

• Murray Attaway
• Alan Ball
• Curtis Crowe
• Dale Ellis
• Patrick Ewing Jr
• Anthony Jennings
• Rex Robinson
• Billy Joe Royal
• Traye Simmons
• Scott Sisson
• Dansby Swanson
• Joanne Woodward
• Eric Zeier

References

External links

• Marietta City Schools
• Marietta High School
• Marietta High School Band website (unaffiliated with the school)