George Walton Comprehensive High School

Infobox Secondary school

name = George Walton Comprehensive High School
established = 1975
type = Public (charter) high school
principal = Mrs. Judy McNeill
grades = 9–12
address = 1590 Bill Murdock Rd.
city = Marietta
state = Georgia
country = United States
campus = Suburban
newspaper = The Raider Script
yearbook = "The Legend"
enrollment = 2,600
colors = Red, White, and Blue
mascot = Raiders
website = [http://waltonhigh.org/ www.waltonhigh.org]

George Walton Comprehensive High School, usually referred to simply as "Walton High School," is public high school located in suburban Marietta, Georgia in the United States. It resides in eastern Cobb County and is a charter school in the Cobb County School District. It is a School of Excellence and one of the top schools academically in Georgia.

For many years Walton has been among the top high schools in Georgia in SAT scores. [ [http://www.gov.state.ga.us/press/2006/press1247.shtml Governor Perdue, Superintendent Cox Announce Georgia’s Top 25] . Retrieved April 5, 2007.] In 2006, almost 800 Walton students took over 1,800 Advanced Placement exams, making it the school with the greatest number of test-takers in Georgia. Walton was also 1 of 6 featured "Outstanding American High Schools" out of 96 total by "U.S.News & World Report" in 1999 because of its high parental involvement and overall high level of achievement. [http://www.cobb.k12.ga.us/~walton/charter/charter2.pdf George Walton Comprehensive High School Charter School Renewal Petition September 2002] (Appendix A). Retrieved April 5, 2007.]

History

Walton High School was established in 1975. When it was built, construction was heavily influenced by the open classroom movement of the 1970s. Various sections of the school have been renovated in the past, and entirely new halls have been added continuously, each time with their own distinct type of architecture and style. Throughout these many years of construction, especially in recent years, mobile classrooms, colloquially called "trailers," were added to accommodate for the classrooms rendered unavailable. A small number are still in use today, primarily for required Health classes.

Walton has been a Georgia School of Excellence since the program's creation in 1984 and in the same year was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. [http://doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/support/recognition/soe_all.pdf Past Schools of Excellence] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] [http://doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/support/recognition/blue_ribbon_schools.pdf Blue Ribbon Schools from Georgia] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] Walton became a charter school in 1998. [http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/cs_history.pdf?p=4BE1EECF99CD364EA5554055463F1FBB77B0B70FECF5942E12E123FE4810FFF5BCC5B826721EFEAB63F732F8F1AC3761&Type=D Charter School History Since 1993] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] This charter, renewed in 2002 and currently up again for renewal, has allowed Walton to alter and transcend certain regulations the state school board put into place to further academic and extracurricular success. Jacob Perlow ran the halls of this great High School for 4 years. (2004-2008)

Accomplishments

• Almost fifty percent of Walton seniors graduate having passed one or more Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses.
• In May, 2006, almost 800 students in grades 9-12 took over 1800 AP exams by participating in 31 AP courses offered by the school. This participation is twice the rate of 2001 and an increase of 1000 exams taken.
• Walton now offers 32 AP courses with the addition of AP Chinese.
• The class of 2005 led the metro Atlanta area by posting the highest SAT in the history of the school. This score was achieved with 100 percent of the class taking the test.
• With the format change of the SAT for the class of 2006, Walton led the metro area again with a Reading score of 566, a math score of 585, and a writing score of 554, a total of 200 points above the national average. This score was achieved with 99 percent of the class taking the test.
• Walton was one of only two regular (non-magnet) high schools statewide to receive the 2005-06 Platinum Award for High Percentage of Students Meeting State Standards based on the junior class performance on the High School Graduation Tests.
• Over half of the graduating class of 2006 graduated with Honors (i.e., a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher).
• Walton teachers and parents rated Walton more favorably that the district average on the climate survey administered in January, 2007.
• In 2006, Walton students achieved excellence on the National Social Studies Tests in U.S. History and World History by placing first in the nation.
• Mock Trial, Model UN, Literary Team, and Debate Team have all won numerous awards at regional, state, and national competitions.
• The Science Bowl team has placed first in the Regional Competition for the last five years. The team placed first at the State Competitions in 2004, 2005 and 2008. The first place finishes at the State earned the team a place at the National Science Bowl Competition where the team placed seventh in 2004 and third in 2005. In 2008, they tied for first in their bracket but did not advance in to the top 16 due to coming in third on the tie breaker. This roughly constitutes a 17th place finish.
• In 2006, 165 Walton Latin students took the National Latin exam. Of these students, 108 gained recognition with 34 receiving a gold medal for the highest recognition.
• The Academic Bowl Team won the state championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The team won the WSB High Q championship in 2004 and 2006. In national competition the team finished in the top 10 in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
• A Walton student has been one of the two State AP Scholars for both 2005 and 2006.
• In 2005, a student in the Creative Writing class won a school, county, and state award for her creative writing piece.
• In 2006, students wrote prose pieces for the Creative Writing class and won first place and third place at the state competition. Another student wrote a poem that came in third in the state.
• The yearbook has won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Award Silver Medal for 2004 and 2005, the National Scholastic Press Association First Class with two marks of distinction award for 2005 and 2006, the American Scholastic Press Association first place with special merit in 2005 and most outstanding high school yearbook for 2005, and the Georgia Scholastic Press Association awards of Excellent in 2004, Superior in 2005, and General Excellence in 2005.
• The school newspaper has won the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Award Gold Medal for 2005.
• The French Department had 12 students place in the top 10 in the state and nation at the Grand Concours (National French Exam) in 2004; 8 students in 2005; and 13 students in 2006.
• In 2005-2006, the math students were the State JV Champions.
• The Graphic Arts students have won 14 National Gutenberg Awards for the 2005-2006 school years.
• Walton continues to implement a student exchange program, established during the last charter, with its sister school in Beijing.
• Service clubs such as the Beta Club, Environmental Club, Habitat for Humanity, Interact, Junior Civitan, and Community Outreach perform annual community service from building houses to conducting blood drives.
• The last two years, Walton has raised more money to support Relay for Life than any school in Cobb County.
• Walton currently offers 23 varsity sports and has won more than 40 state championships.
• Walton consistently earns some distinctions in the AAPT Physics Bowl. In 2005 Walton took second place in Region 6 (GA, FL, SC) for Division I. Walton also won the region for Division I in 2006, 2007, and 2008, and had the two highest scoring Division I students in 2006 and 2008 for the region. In 2008, Walton took second in the region for Division 2. (Division 1 is for AP students and lower, division 2 is for post-AP students, but is open to anyone.)

In The News

Mailbox bashing controversy

In days after August 12, 2000, William Newsome and Vincent Errico, seniors at Walton, were charged with "Theft by Taking" of a GMC Suburban that had been found abandoned with the keys in it, bashing 20 mailboxes, and dumping the car in the Chattahoochee River during the night. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MT&s_site=macon&p_multi=MT&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB76C8A50282C58&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM GRAND JURY INDICTS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER ON THREE FELONIES] . Retrieved May 6, 2007.] Newsome was charged with 3 felony charges and over 20 misdemeanors, while Errico was not indicted or charged in part to his cooperation with authorities in the investigation. Newsome was eventually sentenced to a year in jail, serving the sentence in two periods attending school between, he was also given five years of probation, and reparations of $24,000. The event was highly publicized in local and national media. The case became more economicial class and politics than act of vandleism. The two were somewhat condemned by the community for tarnishing the school "image" while the school was in the wake of national accomplishments. It had been just one year previous that the school was named one of the "Outstanding American High Schools" by U.S. News & World Report. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EC5D191C63EA0F2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Cobb student gets year in jail for mailbox bashing, theft] . Retrieved May 6, 2007.]

Much of the controversy concerned the two football players' eligibility to be on the Raider football while awaiting formal charges. Walton's then-current principal, John Flatt, proclaimed their innocence and stated he would allow them to play in the coming week's opening football game. A day later, however, the two were ejected from the team and all other extracurricular activities until their cases were resolved. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EADA54BCFD945C8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Suspects in mailbox case kicked off team Reversal follows reaction to plan to let them play football tonight.] . Retrieved May 6, 2007.] While Errico was allowed back on after he was cleared of charges, Newsome's suspension from school was upheld. Errico returned in time for the homecoming game.

"Dumb & Dumberer"

Portions of the 2003 box office bomb "" were filmed in the Walton auto shop, science rooms, and cafeteria. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329028/locations Filming locations for Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)] . Retrieved May 6, 2007.]

Campus

Walton's campus is not especially large for its number of students, and it resides amidst several suburban neighborhoods. The school building today is a conglomeration of many years of separate renovations: the B Hall and G Hall are each only a few years old, lying on opposite ends of the school, while the Technology Wing (T Hall) remains relatively unchanged after many years. A new rotunda entrance was added at the same time as the B Hall, and the cafeteria was expanded.

Outside of the building, the campus includes football, baseball, softball, and soccer fields, as well as tennis courts. The football and baseball fields are often referred to as Raider Valley and Raider Mountain, respectively, due to their elevation below and above the school. Several parking lots provide spaces for teachers and limited spaces for students, who must participate in a raffle to receive one. The lower parking lot, or E Lot, is sometimes called Pride Field by marching band members due to it being the band's practice space during the fall. Prior to its christening as "Pride Field," the lower lot was known as "The Cage," as it was surrounded by a chain-link fence.

In 2005, the bleachers for the football field were remodeled to be covered with metal, rather than concrete. A timing tower was erected nearby soon after for the track and field team in honor of Case McKee, a student who died while at Walton in 2004.

Almost directly across the street is Dodgen Middle School, which partially feeds into Walton (some students are zoned to go to Pope High School).

tudent life

Walton High School contains about 2,800 students in grades 9-12, making it the 4^th-largest school in Cobb County. The class of 2012 has 680 students in its class. The class of 2006 contained 572 students, 95% of whom enrolled in a 4-year college or university. The ethnic composition of the school is approximately 79% white, 15% Asian, 4% black, and 2% Hispanic. [http://www.cobbk12.org/~walton/Walton%20Charter.pdf George Walton Comprehensive High School Charter School Renewal Petition June 2007] . Retrieved April 29, 2007.] The average income in the area is over $140,000. [http://www.cousinsproperties.com/retail/Avenue-East-Cobb-Demos.html The Avenue East Cobb Demographics] . Retrieved September 13, 2008.] [http://www.househuntnews.com/neighbor/neighbor.php?agent_id=yoriko&zip=30068 Demographics for Zip Code 30068] . Retrieved July 11, 2007.] These figures are at least partially due to the many families that move to the district primarily for the educational opportunity.

Most Walton students take 6 classes a semester, making 7 periods a day, including 1 lunch period usually either 3^rd, 4^th, or 5^th. Some students opt to forgo lunch, or "audit," in place of another academic or elective class. Seniors are allowed the option of "Minimum Day" in which students may only take 5 classes (dropping a lunch period, as well) and leave to go to their occupation outside of school. Also, homeroom, or "advisement," is between 1^st and 2^nd period instead of before all classes like in most high school schedules.

Students and parents are also given access to grade, attendance, and behavior reports and updates online at the school website. This, along with the already large parent participation in school activities, organizations, and events, provided for even more parental involvement in each student's education.

Dodgen and Dickerson Middle Schools are Walton's feeder schools.

Walton has received national press attention for the intensity of the student attitudes; the students often taken an extra class before school ("zero period"), and every year, some take as many as seven APs, often skipping lunch to do so. A 4.28/4 is commonly the GPA cutoff for the top 10% of the class, and a 3.9/4 for the top 25% Fact|date=March 2008.

Faculty

121 full-time and 15 part-time teachers are employed at Walton, as well as 7 full-time and 2 part-time administrators. Including other special resource teachers and support staff, Walton has 174 full-time and 21 part time employees. The student-teacher ratio is 20:1, above the state average of 14:1. Most students in the school believe Mr. Domineco is the best teacher.Eleven teachers attended Walton themselves. [ [http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2005/10/10/89/10197652.txt Nose to the grindstone] . Retrieved May 6, 2007.]

Charter

Walton gained charter status in 1998, renewed in 2003, and is in the process of renewing again for 2008. Walton's administration has made several changes to the school's policy and schedule, among other areas, through this. One of the changes is the Walton Governance Council, which replaces the original local council in matters pertaining to the maintenance of the charter and its renewal every 5 years. This larger and more diverse council was also a change given by the charter itself to better represent its stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, administrators, and others).

Possibly Walton's most noticeable change is the "Walton Enrichment Block," or WEB, which shortens classes one day a week (usually Wednesday) to provide students several hours to complete missed assignments, receive individual instruction, or simply leave early. WEBs only occur on weeks without any other events, such as county-mandated teacher workdays or early releases.

Walton also allows students to take additional classes before and, if the new charter renewal petition passes, after school. Many students today take advantage of "0 Period" to take an additional course each day before the normal school day begins. 0 period is also included the "Flex Schedule," in which students may leave after 6th period by taking a 0 period class, thus still giving six classes and a lunch period. The proposed 8^th period would likely serve similar purposes as 0 period.

The use of online grade, attendance, and discipline reports on the school's website is another long-standing addition. Parents are encouraged to visit the site to keep track of their student's progress and to maintain overall parental involvement in each student's education. Other changes to Walton's policy include using textbooks other than those specified by the county and having local control over funds given by the state.

One other significant change Walton makes, though not specifically regulated by the charter, is known as the "Incentive policy". If a student has A averages (90-100%) in any classes, he or she may exempt the final exams at the end of the semester for any two of them. The same is allowed if the student has two or fewer absences in that class. Tardies are also included in determining incentive, with three tardies equating to one absence. The student will also receive an additional 10% on each final taken with the attendance incentive.

The new petition also proposes a new method of evaluating teachers called the "Collaborative Growth Model," a release from mandated End of Course Test days that conflict with AP exams, and recognition of Project Lead the Way courses as being worthy of half a quality point towards a grade point average.

Extracurricular activities

With a large number of students in the school, many clubs, groups, and societies exist for a variety of interests. Walton has, for example, a Beta Club, a National Honor Society, and a Habitat for Humanity group. It also has Young Democrats and Young Conservatives clubs and a Future Physicians Club. [ [http://www.cobbk12.org/~walton/clubs/clubs.htm Clubs & Organizations] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] Aside from general interest groups, service clubs, and honor societies, students may participate in various sports, fine arts, and academic organizations.

Athletics

.

Teams

* [http://www.waltonbaseball.com/ Baseball]
* [http://www.raidersbasketball.net/ Basketball]
* [http://www.raiderrugby.org/ Rugby]
* [http://www.waltoncheerleading.com/ Cheerleading]
* [http://www.waltontfxc.com/ Cross Country]
* [http://www.raidersfb.com/ Football]
* [http://www.cobbk12.org/~timberridge/WGG/index.htm Golf]
* [http://www.waltongymnastics.com/ Gymnastics]
* [http://www.waltonlacrosse.com/ Lacrosse]
* [http://eteamz.active.com/waltonsoccer/ Soccer]
* [http://www.waltonfastpitch.org/ Softball]
* [http://waltonswim.com/ Swimming]
* [http://www.waltontennis.net/ Tennis]
* [http://www.waltonvolleyball.com/ Volleyball]
* [http://www.waltonwrestling.net/ Wrestling]

Music

Walton's [http://www.waltonband.org/ band] and [http://www.waltonorchestra.org/ orchestra] are composed of over 200 students. Both consistently receive superior ratings at District Large Group Performance Evaluations (LGPE). In 2002, the orchestra performed in New Orleans at the National School Board Association Convention. [http://www.waltonorchestra.org/ Orchestra Home Page] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] The orchestra completed a 10-day concert tour of Austria in 2004 and another tour of Prague, Vienna, and Berlin in 2007. The Walton Philharmonia performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2005, the second time in its history, and two chamber music groups will perform in 2008 as the first high school string ensembles to do so.

The band is under the direction of Mike Back, an accomplished musician in Drum Corps International for the Spirit of Atlanta's drumline. The band at Walton participates in marching competitions as well as the annual District LGPE. In 1998, the Walton Marching Raider Band performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. [http://www.waltonband.org/ourprogram.htm Our Program] . Retrieved April 6, 2007.] The marching band performed in the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2003. In 2005, it performed in front of the USS "Missouri" in Hawaii and placed 3^rd in the Bands of America Regional Competition in Atlanta. In 2006 the band placed 21^st at the Bands of America Grand Nationals Competition in Indianapolis.

Walton's [http://www.waltonchorus.com/ chorus] is composed of four choirs that have performed in the cathedrals of St. Bartholomew and St. Patrick in New York City and the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. In Spring 2002, a select choir performed in Carnegie Hall. They have been featured on a local FOX station and have performed in many events around the city.

Academic

The Walton Academic Bowl team has won the GATA varsity state championship from 2004 to 2006. It has won numerous prestigious awards and its members were National Champions in 1995. The team also consistently wins the annual High Q competition.

The Science Bowl team won the state championship in 2004, 2005, and 2008 and also in 2005 placed third in the national competition.

Other academic extracurriculars include Math Team, which hosts a tournament (MathFest) in the spring, Debate Team, and the Raider Script (Newspaper).

Traditions

*Walton's primary high school rivals are Wheeler High School, Pope High School, and Lassiter High School.
*On the first day of school, seniors are expected to wear all black dresses with Hawaiian leis if female or a Hawaiian shirt if male.

Fight song

Walton has two fight songs. The "first" fight song is known to have been chosen because it was the first and "easiest one in the book." The words are sung, albeit rarely, to the tune of "Minnesota Rouser:"

"We're the Raiders of Walton High,"
"We sure do have a whole lot of pride,"
"And we're here to say, "Raiders fight!"
"F-I-G-H-T!"
"Go Raiders, fight tonight!"
"Raiders, raid on and on!"

Walton Fight Song #2 is a rendition of On, On, U of K. It has no words and is usually only played after a successful extra-point conversion (or two-point conversion) during football games.

Non-traditional Fight Song

A non-traditional fight song, usually used at pep rallies (A leader sings the bold, and the line is echoed by the crowd).

Way Down In The Valley,"Way Down In The Valley"
I Heard a Great Noise"I Heard a Great Noise"
Was a Mighty, Mighty Raider"Was a Mighty, Mighty Raider"
Just A Beating Them Boys"Just A Beating Them Boys"
Singing Hi-di-hi-di-hi"Singing Hi-di-hi-di-hi"
Lo-oh-o-oh"Lo-oh-o-oh"
We're Gonna Win This Game"We're Gonna Win This Game"
And We'll Send Them Back Home"And We'll Send Them Back Home"

Alma mater

To the tune of Chester (song).

"Raise up your voices, hold your heads up high,"
"George Walton's loyalty is calling to your heart,"
"I will remember when I must depart,"
"Honor, wisdom, and fraternity."
"Our alma mater be."

Notable alumni

*Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes [http://www.robinfinckfans.com/biography.htm Robin Finck Biography] . Retrieved April 22, 2007.]
*Robin Finck of Guns N' Roses
*Blaine Boyer of the Atlanta Braves [ [http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=430641 Blaine Boyer Player File] . Retrieved April 22, 2007.]

References