Midtown High School (Atlanta)

Midtown High School, formerly Henry W. Grady High School, is a public high school located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It began as Boys High School and was one of the first two high schools established by Atlanta Public Schools in 1872. In 1947, the school was named after Henry W. Grady, a journalist, orator in the Reconstruction Era. In December 2020, the Atlanta Board of Education announced the new name of Midtown which took effect June 1, 2021.

Midtown High School
Midtown High School seen from its new front entrance (Renovated 2020) on Charles Allen Dr.
Address
929 Charles Allen Drive

Atlanta
,
Georgia

United States
Coordinates33°46′50″N 84°22′18″W
Information
Former namesBoys High School (1872-1947)
Henry W. Grady High School (1947-2021)
TypePublic secondary
Mottoscientia est potestas (Knowledge is Power)
Established1872 (1872)
School districtAtlanta Public Schools
PrincipalDr. Betsy Bockman
Faculty90.70 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,545 (2021–22)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.69[1]
Color(s)   Grey and cardinal red
MascotKnight
NewspaperThe Southerner
YearbookThe Orator
WebsiteMidtown High School

Midtown is located adjacent to Piedmont Park at 929 Charles Allen Drive, between 8th and 10th Streets, in Midtown Atlanta.

Areas served

In addition to Midtown Atlanta, the school serves Inman Park, Virginia-Highland, Poncey–Highland, Lake Claire, Candler Park, Old Fourth Ward, Morningside-Lenox Park, Home Park, Atlantic Station, Ansley Park, 10th and Home, the designated family housing unit of Georgia Tech, and parts of Downtown Atlanta.[2]

Elementary schools feeding into Midtown High are: Centennial Place, Mary Lin, Hope-Hill, Morningside, and Springdale Park. David T Howard Middle School also feeds into Midtown.

History
Dedicatory plaque in the 1924 wing

Initially known as Boys High School, it had a Technical Department which expanded in 1909 to become a separate school: Tech High. The "Henry W. Grady Senior High School for Boys" moved to the current campus site in 1924. The 1924 structure (the wing of the campus facing Charles Allen Dr.) still stands, and has been renovated three times (1950, 1987, and 2004). Between 1909 and 1924, Tech High also moved to the campus' current location. Tech High and Boys High merged in 1947 under the name Henry Woodfin Grady High School.

Grady served as the communication magnet in the Atlanta Public Schools system from 1991 until 2011, when the school closed the magnet following a system-wide grant from the Gates Foundation to open small learning communities. From 2011 to 2015, Grady was home to four small learning communities: Communications and Journalism, Public Policy and Justice, Business and Entrepreneurship, and Biomedical Science and Engineering. In 2015, Grady High School course offerings expanded to include the following pathways: Advanced Academic, World Languages, Fine Arts, Instrumental Music, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts, and Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE).[3] In 2016–17, it was used during the production of the 2017 Marvel Studios film Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Controversy over name

Grady's advocacy of white supremacy has resulted in his name being removed from a number of institutions. In January 2016, Henry W. Grady Middle School in Houston was renamed.[4]

In February 2016, the school newspaper argued that Henry Grady's name should be removed from the school as well.[5]

In July 2020, the Atlanta Board of Education formed a committee to consider a new name.[6] On December 15, 2020, the Board officially announced the name change to Midtown High School effective June 1, 2021.[7]

Curriculum and activities

Knights of Sound

The school has a band, Knights of Sound Band (made of a marching band, a concert/symphonic band, and a jazz band).[8]

Chorus

The school also has a chorus.[9]

The Unmasking

The Unmasking literary magazine was founded in 1988 as a collection of student art, literature, and criticism edited by Midtown students, published every spring. The magazine was named "Best in Show" by the National Scholastic Press Association twice, in 2005 (Seattle) and 2001 (Boston).[10]

The Southerner

The Southerner is a monthly newspaper written by Midtown students. Part of the High School National Ad Network, it has been published since 1947. The Southerner has won numerous awards, such as the Pacemaker Award and the Quill & Scroll Award, earning the publication nationwide acclaim.[11]

GNN and Gametime

Grady News Now and Gametime were Midtown High School's programs in broadcast journalism, and are also recipients of many awards. GNN won its first Pacemaker in November 2005. Gametime is a weekly show dedicated to the coverage of prevalent sports stories as well as scores and highlights from all scholastic athletic events. It won the GSPA (Georgia Scholastic Press Association) award for the best new breakthrough production.[12]

Nexus

Nexus, written by Midtown students, was a bimonthly magazine. Its success in the 2004–2005 school year was at first limited, with only a handful of editions, as that was its first year and it started late. Its second year (2005–2006) saw great success when Nexus gained the Start-Up achievement award from the Georgia Scholastic Press Association. In the 2008–2009 school year Nexus won "All Southern" from SIPA.[13]

Sports
As of the 2021–22 season.
Type Competition State Titles Season(s) Sources
Boys Sports Baseball 0
Basketball 0
Cross Country 0
Football 1 1953 [14]
Golf 0
Ice Hockey 0
Lacrosse 0
Soccer 0
Swimming 0
Wrestling 0
Tennis 0
Track & Field 0
Girls Sports Basketball 0
Cheerleading 0
Cross Country 0
Golf 0
Lacrosse 0
Soccer 0
Softball 0
Swimming 0
Tennis 0
Track & Field 1 1988
Volleyball 0

Key:

  School Boys' Record
  School Girls' Record
  • Fall sports
    • Water polo - boys' and girls'; girls 3rd place in state, 2013
    • Cheerleading (2006 Regional Champions)
    • Cross-country (boys: 2017 Regional Champions; 2017 APS city champions; 2005 Regional Champions; 2003 2nd at state; 2009 APS city champions, 2010 APS city champions, 2011 APS city champions; 2016 APS city champions, 2018 APS city champions, 2019 APS city champions, 2019 2nd at regionals; 2019 3rd at state; girls: 2017 Regional Champions; 2017 APS City Champions)
    • Football – varsity and junior varsity (1953 State Champions, 2016 Regional Champions, 2014 Regional Champions, State Football Semi-Finals)
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
  • Winter sports
    • Swimming - girls 2014 City Champs, boys 2014 City 2nd Place
    • Basketball – boys' and girls' varsity and JV (2006 Regional Champion Runner-up)
    • Cheerleading (2006 Regional Champion)
    • Debate – novice, JV and varsity (see below, under "Speech and Debate")
    • Riflery – co-ed
  • Spring sports
    • Baseball – varsity and JV
    • Golf
    • Lacrosse - varsity (boys and girls)
    • Soccer (boys: 2004, 2005 Regional Champions; girls: first state playoff win ever in 2006, Final Four in 2007) - Grady soccer teams compete in region 5-AAA.
    • Tennis (varsity boys: 2017,2018, 2019 6AAAAA Region Champions, 2019 AAAAA State Runner Up)
    • Track (girls, 1988 State Champions, 2013 Atlanta City Champions; boys, 2000, Team 3rd State Class AA, 2001, Team 3rd State Class AA, 2002 Team Region Runner-up, 2003, Team 3rd State Class AA, 2005, Team Class AA State Runner-up, 2007, State runner-up and nationally ranked 4x100 relay, 2011 Atlanta City Champions, 2012 Atlanta City Champions)[15][16][17][18]
    • Ultimate frisbee - boys' and girls' varsity and JV (2012, 2017, 2018, 2019 varsity Boys state champions, 2017 Varsity Boys Southeast-Region Champions, 2018 Varsity Boys National Champions)

Demographics of student body

As of October 2021, the school had 1,473 students.[19]

Several rap videos have been shot on campus, including videos by popular artists Dem Franchize Boyz, Freak Nasty, and Outkast. In 2011, the campus hosted MTV's hit show Teen Wolf as it made its television debut. Several movies have been shot on campus, including Remember the Titans, Ride Along, The Duff, Love, Simon, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Notable alumni

The following are notable alumni of Boys High (pre-1947), Henry W. Grady High (1947-2021) or Midtown High (2021-present), listed with their graduating class and notable accomplishments:

References
  1. "Grady High School". National Center for Education Statistics.
  2. "Grady Zone" (PDF). Atlanta Public Schools.
  3. "HENRY W. GRADY HIGH SCHOOL" (PDF). Atlanta Public Schools.
  4. Rhone, Nedra (January 15, 2016). "Henry Grady school in Houston renamed because of Confederate ties". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  5. Bloom, Molly (February 10, 2016). "Atlanta school newspaper calls for renaming Grady High School". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  6. McCray, Vanessa (July 2, 2020). "Grady High, Brown Middle among schools Atlanta board could rename". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  7. "APS school board approves new names for Grady High, Brown Middle schools". WSB-TV. December 15, 2020.
  8. "Midtown Bands".
  9. "Grady High School Chorus".
  10. "The Unmasking".
  11. "The Southerner".
  12. "Grady News Now" – via Facebook.
  13. "Nexus Magazine" – via Twitter.
  14. "GHSA Football Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  15. Taylor, Bruce (March 29, 2011). "Georgia High School Track and Field". ga.milesplit.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  16. Taylor, Bruce (March 29, 2012). "Georgia High School Track and Field". ga.milesplit.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  17. Taylor, Bruce (March 30, 2013). "Georgia High School Track and Field". ga.milesplit.com. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  18. Figueroa, Steve. "Georgia High School Association". Georgia High School Association. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  19. "APS Enrollment Data 1994-2019". December 6, 2019.
  20. Goodwin, George. "Boys' High memories: In 1983, 36 years after its closing, alumni gathered for first time". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  21. "IN MEMORIAM: Chief Justice P. Harris Hines" (PDF). Supreme Court of Georgia.
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