North Atlanta High School

For schools of the same name, see Northside High School (disambiguation).

North Atlanta High School
Location
2875 Northside Drive Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Coordinates	33°49′57″N 84°24′22″W / 33.832621°N 84.406244°W / 33.832621; -84.406244Coordinates: 33°49′57″N 84°24′22″W / 33.832621°N 84.406244°W / 33.832621; -84.406244
Information
Type	Public secondary
Motto	Diversity, Scholarship, Community
Established	1991
School board	Atlanta Public Schools
School district	Atlanta Public Schools
Principal	Mark Mygrant
Grades	9–12
Number of students	1211
Color(s)	silver and black
Mascot	Warriors
Average SAT scores	1442
Yearbook	Invictus
Website	North Atlanta High School

North Atlanta looking South

North Atlanta High School is a high school of approximately 1,100 students in Buckhead, an upscale area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The school is a part of Atlanta Public Schools.

The school was formed after North Fulton High School combined with Northside High School during the 1991–1992 school year. This merger resulted in North Atlanta High School being the only high school in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) to host two magnet programs: the International Studies Program and the Performance Arts. The Performance Arts program is now technically defunct but North Atlanta continues to encourage students' artistic abilities and talents in performance.

History

North Fulton High School (1920–1991)

The Fulton County School Board formed North Fulton High School in September 1920. Population grew rapidly during the 1920s along the Peachtree Road corridor, which was considered north of the city at that time, and the census tract of Buckhead increased from 2,603 in 1920 to 10,356 in 1930. North Fulton was the first and for a number of years the only high school serving the urban and predominantly affluent Peachtree Road corridor. APS took control of the school when the area was annexed into the city of Atlanta.

North Fulton High School started out as a segregated school under the state-mandated system that prevailed until the early 1960s. The school reached a racial balance under the majority-minority program. In the 1970s the school developed a more racially balanced faculty as well.

Through the years, North Fulton acquired a large international student body, and ranked at the top academically. In 1981, North Fulton became the site for the School of International Studies, a magnet program that became nationally recognized. Today this program continues at North Atlanta High School.

Northside High School (1950–1991)

Fulton County School Board opened Northside High School in 1950 at the current location of the NAHS building. Northside High School became part of the APS when the property was annexed into the city of Atlanta. The school colors were purple and white and the school nickname was the Tigers. In 1969, APS opened a planetarium at the Northside campus. Originally, it was one out of three planetariums owned by Atlanta Public Schools (the other two being at Fulton and Harper High). It can seat 110 people.^[1] A magnet program in the Performing Arts was started in 1972^{[citation needed]}.

North Atlanta High School (1991–)

In September 1991, by consolidating North Fulton High School and Northside High School, the Atlanta Board of Education formed North Atlanta High School. The students attended the North Fulton campus until June 1994, while the Northside campus underwent a $15 million renovation. In 1998, North Atlanta was designated as a Georgia School of Excellence from the Georgia Department of Education.^[2] After the 2001–2002 school year, West Fulton High School and Harper-Archer High School closed. Since there wasn't adequate capacity at Douglass High School, the closest school, the students in the Scott and Boyd Elementary school districts were rezoned to North Atlanta. This area encompassed both Hollywood Courts and the former Perry Homes. Starting in 2004, Newsweek rated North Atlanta as being one of the best high schools in the country for three consecutive years.^[3] In Spring of 2008, the Aga Khan visited and gave a speech at North Atlanta as a part of the annual IB conference.

As of the 2008–2009 school year, the incoming 9th grade class will be zoned to Douglass High School (see Feeder Patterns). In 2008, North Atlanta began its partnership with the Juilliard School. Juilliard began its inaugural Summer Jazz program in June 2008, and it plans to continue the camp in future years. In the summer of 2009, APS is starting its $40 million renovation on the building. Phase 1 will include the expansion and modernization of the instructional classrooms, while Phase 2 will include the grounds and rooms such as the theatre and the cafeteria.

Future developments

North Atlanta High School will experience three major changes within the next five years. Phase Two of the SPLOST 3 renovation, which will occur in the summer of 2010, will include renovations and modernization of all non-instructional facilities such as the media center and athletic areas.

Starting in the 2010–2011 school year, it will be transformed on the third wave of Atlanta Public Schools' High School Transformation Initiative. The new changes would include extending the IB Diploma Programme to each SLC, eliminating the status of a Magnet program from the International Studies SLC, as well as various other initiatives aimed at increasing student achievement. A fourth SLC is tentative for the transformation.

In order to alleviate overcrowding at Sutton Middle School, APS is proposing to build a new state of the art high school in Buckhead and use the current NAHS building as a new middle school for Buckhead. Currently, Sutton is the only one. The new school is slated for completion for the 2012–2013 school year.^[4]

Campus

Outside of the Library

North Atlanta High School sits on a 17-acre (69,000 m²) campus on the corner of Northside Drive and Kingswood Lane. The campus only consists of one main building surrounding a courtyard. However, due to the distinct floor plan of the building, it has a grand total of 5 floors in the main section. In addition to these, there is a large hall that starts at the Northside Drive entrance (almost at grade with the third floor) and steadily decline down the length of the school to the second. In this section, there is the media center, main office, theatre, lecture hall, and the former planetarium.On the northeast side of the building, the curving wall is entirely composed of granite. At the lecture hall, there is a display of flags from around 20 different nations.

Outside of the building, North Atlanta has a track, a multi-purpose field, and a baseball field that APS uses for many of its games.

Academics

International Baccalaureate

North Atlanta's curriculum model is the International Baccalaureate program.^[5] In 1982, it became the first IB school to open in the Southeastern United States. All students in the 9th and 10th grades are in the IB Middle Years Programme. All students have the option of studying under the IB diploma, regardless of their SLC.

Foreign Language is one of the focal areas of study in the IB program. At North Atlanta, four foreign languages are available to all students: Spanish, French, Arabic, and Chinese. It was the first school in APS to offer Mandarin (five other schools, including Maynard Jackson High School and the New Schools of Carver, now offer it) and remains the only school in the City of Atlanta that offers Arabic.

The IB Diploma program at North Atlanta offers the following classes:

Standard Level

• Arabic (ab initio)
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Economics
• Mandarin (ab initio)
• Math Studies
• Mathematics

Higher Level

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English
• French
• History
• Spanish
• Visual Arts

• Theory of Knowledge (not a SL or HL class)

Small Learning Communities

A View of the Center for the Arts office (left) and the Lecture Hall (Right)

The model for North Atlanta and all APS high schools is Small Learning Communities. A Small Learning Community chooses an area of emphasis to teach (usually for a career or simply as an area of interest), but all of the state and district required classes are still taught. They each have approximately 400 students, and they are each led by an assistant principal and a coordinator. North Atlanta has three Small Learning Communities: the Center for the Arts, the Center for Business and Marketing; and the Center for International Studies

• Center for the Arts:The Center of the Arts was the former Performing Arts magnet program. Since it is no longer a magnet program, the enrollment for this SLC primarily consists of students zoned for North Atlanta. However, there is still a four year program emphasizing in the fine arts and the performing arts. Apart from the state required classes, this SLC offers beginning, intermediate, and advanced instruction in band, orchestra, music technology, chorus, piano, guitar, dance, visual arts, drama, set design, and jazz band. Any student in the CFA is required to take a minimum of two arts classes every semester, with some opting for taking as many as four during junior and senior year. With the addition of IB in all SLCs next year, IB Dance and IB Music will be added to the list of courses offered. IB Visual Arts is already being taught at North Atlanta.

• Center for Business and Marketing: The Business, Leadership, and Hospitality includes the departments of Business Education, Family and Consumer Science (FACS), and JROTC.^[6] This SLC also houses a culinary studio as well as the technology department.

• Center for International Studies: The Center for International Studies (CIS) was founded in 1982 by the Atlanta Board of Education. It serves as the magnet program for North Atlanta. For its first decade, the Center was located at North Fulton High School. In 1991, North Fulton and Northside High Schools merged to form North Atlanta High School. The Center for International Studies was incorporated into the curriculum of the new school and has continued to thrive. The International Studies magnet is a college preparatory program that seeks to develop foreign language competence and to instill intercultural and global awareness through humanities-based, interdisciplinary study. IS students have the option to choose to pursue the IB Diploma Programme during their Junior and Senior years. The IB Middle Years Programme, which serves all NAHS students in the 9th and 10th grades, is also administered by this SLC.^[7] Any IS students who do not participate in the IB Diploma Programme learns under the International Business Program. In addition to core classes, there are electives such as Multicultural Literature, Comparative Religions, Anthropology, and US & World Affairs. Any student in this program is also allowed to take one of the classes offered by the Arts or Business SLC.

• Center for Broadcast Communications and Journalism: The Center for Communication and Journalism is expected to open in August 2010. It is a component of the High School Transformation at North Atlanta.

Advanced Placement

In addition to IB classes, the following AP classes are at North Atlanta: AP Statistics, AP Calculus, AP English Literature and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, and AP Music Theory.

Student activities

Clubs

There are several dozen extraxurricular activities open to North Atlanta students. Among these are:

The North Fulton Quiz Bowl team won the 1990 AA state title in the tournament sanctioned by the Georgia Academic Team Association, and Northside won the 1991 AAA title. In 1998, the North Atlanta Quiz Bowl team won the state championship^[8] before going on to finish with a No. 16 national ranking at the Tournament of Champions in Chicago, Illinois.^[9] The team also earned a berth in the 2000 Tournament of Champions.^[10]

Athletics

North Atlanta High School has many athletic organizations as well. The school has the following teams during each season:

Fall sports

• Cheerleading- Varsity & JV
• Cross Country- Varsity
• Fastpitch Softball- Varsity
• Football- Varsity & JV

Winter sports

• Basketball- Varsity & JV
• Cheerleading- Varsity & JV
• Competitive Cheerleading- Varsity
• Riflery- Varsity
• Swimming- Varsity
• Volleyball- Varsity
• Wrestling- Varsity & JV

Spring sports

• Baseball- Varsity & JV
• Golf- Varsity
• Soccer- Varsity & JV
• Tennis- Varsity
• Track and Field- Varsity

State championships

Northside

• Football: 1957 (AAA)^[11]
• Boys' Track: 1956 (AA)^[12]

North Fulton

• Girls' Swimming: 1957, 1958, 1959^[13]
• Football: 1966 (AA)^[14]
• Boys' Cross Country: 1953–54, 1955, 1956, 1966 (Div. II), 1971 (AA), 1972 (AA), 1973 (AA), 1974 (AA), 1975 (AA), 1979 (AA)^[15]
• Boys' Basketball: 1953 (AA)^[16]
• Boys' Track: 1954 (AA tie w/ Griffin), 1967 (AA), 1974 (AA)^[17]

North Atlanta

• Girls' Basketball: 2000 (AAA)^[18]

Feeder schools

Elementary Schools: Bolton Academy, Brandon Elementary, Garden Hills Elementary, Jackson Elementary, Smith Elementary, and E. Rivers Elementary.

Middle School(s): Sutton Middle

Notable alumni

• David Cross, American actor best known for his role in Arrested Development and the sketch comedy show Mr. Show^[19]
• Jasmine Guy, American actress best known for her role as Whitley Gilbert in A Different World^[20]
• Bobby Valentino, American R & B singer^[21]
• James Dickey (North Fulton High School), author of Deliverance^[22]
• RuPaul Andre Charles (Northside High School), American drag queen/musician/actor^[23]

References

1. ^ North Atlanta Planetarium Home Page
2. ^ Atlanta Public Schools – Schools of Excellence
3. ^ America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com
4. ^ http://www.wtjackson.org/forms/SuttonRecommendation.pdf
5. ^ North Atlanta High School
6. ^ NAHS web site – Business/Hospitality/Leadership
7. ^ NAHS web site – International Studies
8. ^ "GATA History". Georgia Academic Team Association. 5 November 2011. http://www.georgiaquizbowl.org/gatahist.htm. Retrieved 16 January 2009. 
9. ^ "1998 Tournament of Champions rankings". Quiz Bowl Wiki. 2 March 2009. http://www.qbwiki.com/wiki/1998_TOC. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 
10. ^ "2000 Tournament of Champions rankings". Quiz Bowl Wiki. 5 November 2011. http://www.qbwiki.com/wiki/2000_TOC. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 
11. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/171)
12. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/183)
13. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/180)
14. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/171)
15. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/169)
16. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/166)
17. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/183)
18. ^ (http://www.ghsa.net/index.php?q=node/167)
19. ^ "David Cross". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800343908/bio. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
20. ^ "Jasmine Guy". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800020881/bio. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
21. ^ "Bobby Valentino – Biography". Hip Hop Lead. http://www.hiphoplead.com/features/hip-hop-artists/bobby-valentino-biography-discography-photos/. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
22. ^ "James Dickey biography". wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dickey/. Retrieved 4 March 2010. 
23. ^ "RuPaul bio". RuPaul website. http://www.rupaul.com/bio/index.shtml. Retrieved 5 November 2011. 

External links

	Atlanta portal
	Schools portal

• North Atlanta High School
• North Atlanta "Northerner" Newspaper Online
• North Atlanta High Boys Soccer Team
• North Atlanta High School Performance