Southwest DeKalb High School (SWD) is a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

located in unincorporated

DeKalb County, Georgia DeKalb County (, , ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 764,382, making it Georgia's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat is Decatur. DeKalb County is inclu ...

, United States. It is a part of the DeKalb County School System. It houses one of the two High Achievers Magnet Programs in DeKalb County, the other being Chamblee High School. There are also three Special Interest Magnet schools in Dekalb County. Arabia Mountain High School - Environment, Energy, and Engineering, Columbia High School - Math, Science, and Technology, and the Dekalb School of Arts. (Dekalb County Schools, January 2022)

Awards and recognitions

In 2006 SWD was honored by the College Board as a model of excellence for AP class implementation. In 2009 school administrators reported that students were enrolled in AP courses in chemistry, biology, physics, calculus, English, European history, French, Spanish, government, U.S. history, world history, economics, statistics and psychology. In 2011 the school was one of 14 recognized nationally by the College Board for leading the nation in helping African American and/or Latino students to succeed on Advanced Placement exams. It was the only Georgia school to be honored.

Band

The SWD High School Band was the only marching band to perform in the opening ceremonies of the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. They were also featured in the hit movie ''

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

'' in 2002; the movie used students from Southwest DeKalb High School band as well as from other DeKalb County high schools as extras. After the movie,

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tapped the marching band for a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

was not interested in the production of a sequel, so instead Austin decided to produce a

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

show, ''Drumroll: SWD'', which aired on Peachtree TV, a Turner Broadcasting Station. The band were invited to Italy for the Tournament of Roses parade. The SWD High School Band were also credited on Mariah Carey's album ''

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ''Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'' is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009, by Island Records. After promotion for her previous album, '' E=MC²'' (2008) ended, Carey began to ...

'' on the track "Up Out My Face (The Reprise)." The marching band were invited to perform in the movie '' Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming''. They also performed on season four of '' America's Got Talent''. As well The Marching Panthers rival is Stephenson High School located in Stone Mountain Georgia, which is one of the south's most prestigious rivalries of all time

Athletics

The football team has won numerous region titles: 1972, 73, 77, 78, 81, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 94, 96, 99, 00, 09 , 2015. They won the Georgia AAA state championship in 1973 and the AAAA state championship in 1995. The SWD boys'

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

teams have won ten state titles, most recently in 2022, including national championships in 1996 and 2007. The SWD girls' track and field teams have won five state titles, in 1984, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011. The SWD wrestling also have seven state championships, including those won by Rock Yasin, Daquan Warner, and Gabe Echols. The SWD girls'

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team won the Georgia 4A state championship in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and the 5A title in 2013 and in 2016. The SWD boys basketball team won the Georgia 5A region championship in 2003 and 2019, the 4A region title in 2011.

Notable alumni

* Steve Berry - novelist *

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- former NFL quarterback *

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- former NFL offensive guard *

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- lead singer of

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and

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- lead singer of

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; cast member on ''

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'' * Fred Jones - former NFL wide receiver (Chiefs) * Eddie Miller - former NFL wide receiver (Colts) * Jonathon Mincy - NFL cornerback with the Chicago Bears *

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- singer-songwriter *

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- rapper *

Morgan Snow Morgan Sannette Snow-Goodwin (born July 26, 1993) is an American hurdler who specializes in the 100 metre hurdles. She was a 9-time All-American at the University of Texas at Austin. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Snow attended Southwest DeKal ...

- track and field athlete; hurdler * Terrance Smith- NFL linebacker with the

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gold medalist, track and field, suspended by

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for sexual misconduct *

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- Olympic silver medalist, track and field * Khalil "Saint Cassius" Walton - Grammy Award-winning songwriter and musician *

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- granddaughter of civil rights activist Hosea Williams; cast member on ''

'' * Rodney Williams - football player (New York Giants 2001) * Rock Ya-Sin - cornerback for the NFL Indianapolis Colts

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1948 DeKalb County School District high schools Magnet schools in Georgia (U.S. state) 1948 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)