Sprayberry High School is a

public high school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

located in northeastern

Cobb County Cobb County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area in the north central portion of the state. As of 2020 Census, the population was 766,149. Its county seat and largest city is Marietta, Georgia, Mar ...

Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States, a north-northwestern suburb of

metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. It is a comprehensive senior high school (grades 9–12) with approximately 1700 students. It opened in 1952 and moved to its current location at 2525 Sandy Plains Road in 1973. Sprayberry is a microcosm of Cobb County in that it serves students from a variety of ethnic groups, religions, socio-economic levels, and academic abilities Middle schools feeding upcoming students into Sprayberry are McCleskey, Daniell, and Simpson in the

Cobb County School District The Cobb County School District (CCSD) is the county government agency which operates public schools in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. The school district includes all of Cobb County except for the Marietta City Schools, though a number ...

. The school's teams are called the

Yellowjacket Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...

History

Sprayberry High School opened to students the day after

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

in 1952. It was founded in the building now occupied by The Walker School (a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

), on

Cobb Parkway U.S. Route 41 (US 41) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In the U.S. state of Georgia it travels from the Florida state line so ...

( U.S. 41) at the north corner of Allgood Road. Sprayberry is now located on the west corner of Sandy Plains Road at

Piedmont Road State Route 237 (SR 237) is a state highway located entirely within the city limits of Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its path is entirely within Fulton County. Route description SR 237 begins just south of SR 13 ( ...

. The exposed-aggregate concrete and dark brick of the original building is an example of the

brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

common at the time. Since then, the area historically known as Sandy Plains has now come to be known as Sprayberry, stretching somewhat northeast from the intersection to Post Oak Tritt Road, and to the Sprayberry post office at Ebenezer Road. Several

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

s and other businesses bear the name. The campus football stadium was one of a few local schools' used in filming ''

Remember the Titans ''Remember the Titans'' is a 2000 American biographical sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denzel W ...

'', released in 2000.

Academics

Sprayberry High School is known for its academics and programs in the arts. It has been named a National School of Excellence and Georgia School of Excellence twice, an accomplishment made by only two other schools. It has been recognized by ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' and the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' as one of the top 5% of high schools in the nation five years in a row. The school's SAT and ACT scores have remained well above the national average, with students continuously achieving above state average scores in all GHSGT subject areas. Georgia High School Graduation Test scores in the 2010–2011 school year were the highest in school history. Sprayberry has met AYP for the past eight years, and since 2005, Sprayberry has been a Demonstration level Advanced Placement Certified School with over 20

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses.

Sports

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

* Boys'

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

* Girls' basketball *

Cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

* Cross country * Fast pitch

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

- 2008 7AAAA Region Champions *

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

* Boys'

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

* Girls' lacrosse *

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

Tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

Track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

Sprayberry High School's football stadium (Jim Frazier Stadium) was used in part of the movie ''

''.

Music

*Band of Gold *Orchestra *Chorus Sprayberry High School's band program has also hosted the Southern Invitational Music Festival. Marching bands from all across the Southeast compete and perform while Sprayberry performs in exhibition.

Publications

* Sprayberry's ''Vox Humana''

Notable alumni

Marcus Bagwell Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was a fi ...

- professional wrestler (Class of 1988) *

Kris Benson Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played for several teams between 1999 and 2010. A highly touted prospect, Benson was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996. ...

- baseball player,

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Rodrigo Blankenship Rodrigo John Blankenship (born January 29, 1997), nicknamed Hot Rod, is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Georgia, where he kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history. He has received co ...

- football player

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

Marlon Byrd Marlon Jerrard Byrd (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, New Yo ...

- baseball player,

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Michael Chavis Michael Scott Chavis (born August 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball infielder in the Washington Nationals organization. He has played professionally since 2014 and made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Boston Red Sox, and has also pla ...

- baseball player,

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Costaki Economopoulos Constantinos Christos Vassilis "Costaki" Economopoulos (born December 25, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian. A Florida native, he grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia. He began his comedy career in 1993 while attending graduate school at the Univers ...

- comedian *

Michelle Malone Michelle Malone is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born and raised in Atlanta, she started performing in bands and writing songs as a teenager. Initially, she would sign with Arista Records after performing around parts of Atlanta ...

- musician * Christopher Martin - Principal Trumpet, Chicago Symphony Orchestra *

Jerick McKinnon Jerick Deshun McKinnon (born May 3, 1992), nicknamed Jet, is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was drafted by the Minnesota Vik ...

- football player,

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

* Jim Nash - baseball player,

Kansas City Athletics The history of the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise spans the period from 1901 to the present day, having begun as a charter member franchise in the new American League in Philadelphia before moving to Kansas City in 1955 for 13 seas ...

Chuck Nevitt Charles Goodrich Nevitt (born June 13, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, known primarily for his great height. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he played the center position throughout his nine-year career (1983, 1985–1 ...

- former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player *

Ty Pennington Tygert Burton "Ty" Pennington (born Gary Tygert Burton) is an American television host, artist, carpenter, author, and former model and actor. His rise to prominence began with his role as carpenter on the TLC home improvement reality show ' ...

- TV personality *

Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Ear ...

- professional wrestler *

Rick Richards The Georgia Satellites are an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They achieved mainstream success with their 1986 self-titled debut album, featuring their best-known single " Keep Your Hands to Yourself", which peaked at No. 2 o ...

- lead guitarist of the Georgia Satellites and the Ju-Ju Hounds *

Parvati Shallow Parvati Shallow ( ; born September 21, 1982) is an American television personality and was the $1 million winner of the reality television series '' Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites''. She had previously competed in '' Survivor: Cook I ...

- contestant on '' Survivor: Cook Islands'' and '' Survivor: Micronesia'' *

Brynden Trawick Brynden George Trawick (born October 23, 1989) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Troy. Early life Trawick was born on October 23, 1989 in Marietta, Georgia. He attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta and wa ...

- former football player,

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 20 ...

- country musician * Austin Watson - professional wrestler for the

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

under the ring name Xavier Woods (Class of 2004) * Kevin Young - Assistant Coach for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA *

Jabari Zuniga Jabari Zuniga (born August 14, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2 ...

- former NFL player,

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

* Trey Sermon - NFL running back for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

References

External links

Sprayberry High School website
{{authority control Public high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Educational institutions established in 1952 Schools in Cobb County, Georgia 1952 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)