Westlake High School is a comprehensive public high school located in

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

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 ...

and is accredited by the

Georgia Department of Education The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is an American agency that governs public education in the state of Georgia. The department manages funding and testing for local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. The departmen ...

and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The academic growth rate for Westlake students was higher that 95% of schools in the state and was above the state average in college readiness in 2019.

History

As a part of the

Fulton County School System The Fulton County School System is a school district headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States. The system serves the area of Fulton County outside the Atlanta city limits (which are served by Atlanta Public Schools). Fulton County ...

consolidation plan, Westlake was formed in 1988 by the closing of Westwood and Lakeshore High Schools. The new school used the old Westwood facility until 2008, when Westlake moved into a new state-of-the-art school next to the old campus. Feeder schools include Sandtown Middle School and Camp Creek Middle School. In the 2012-13 school year, the school received favorable media coverage when CNN's HLN news broadcast a feature segment on then Westlake principal Dr. Grant Rivera and his efforts in engaging students, parents, and faculty in achieving academic and extra-curricular success in today's challenging social environment. In 2016 the old campus was used for exterior and interior shots for the

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

film, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. In 2020 students received tragic news that their beloved Principal Jamar Robinson and his wife, Ann Marie, a professor at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

, both drowned while on vacation. Mr. Robinson father stated that "It's just amazing how many lives he touched, and how far his reach was. I just think it shows how much he was loved and respected." while the county released a written statement stating that "Robinson was an inspirational leader who brought joy with his passion for education and his students. We join the community in remembering him and expressing our condolences to his family."

Magnet program

Westlake's Math/Science Magnet Program prepares students for the academic and career fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through rigorous instruction, relevant experiences, and supportive relationships.

Goals

The magnet program at Westlake seeks to provide an academically rigorous foundation for math,

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, and

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

-based careers. Students are exposed to courses that offer real-world problems and inquiry-based instruction. The program develops partnerships with universities and businesses so that students have access to relevant instructional and

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

experiences in

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

, and

. Students are also encouraged to participate in

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, athletic, and

artistic Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wh ...

extracurricular An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...

activities that support their achievement.

Magnet programs of study

Westlake's magnet program is modeled after college programs in medical science, engineering, and computer science. Each course of study has associated extracurricular clubs and teams, as well as junior and senior summer research internship opportunities available at both Georgia Institute of Technology and

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

. Students attend monthly forums with guest speakers from college and industry on topics ranging from college planning to careers.

Recent achievements

*National 1st place Biology Award in NAACP ACT-SO competition *National 2nd place Science Award in

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

competition *Regional Semi-Finalists Engineering Award in

Siemens Westinghouse Competition The Siemens Competition was a science competition for US high school students funded by the Siemens Foundation, which was administered by the College Board from 1999-2013 and by Discovery Education from 2014–2017. The Siemens Foundation releas ...

*Regional 1st place Tri-Math-Alon Award in National Society of Black Engineers competition

Application requirements

Students wishing to participate in the magnet program must live in Fulton County and must meet academic criteria, including having taken

Algebra I In contemporary education, mathematics education, known in Europe as the didactics or pedagogy of mathematics – is the practice of teaching, learning and carrying out Scholarly method, scholarly research into the transfer of mathematical knowled ...

in 8th grade, having a minimum grade of 80/100 in all math and science classes, failing no classes, and having a minimum cumulative average of 80.

Athletics Programs

Boys' Tennis

In both 2011 and 2012 the Westlake boys' tennis team made it to the GHSA state finals. This marked the first time that an all African American team made it Georgia's highest classification.

Boys' Basketball

* 1999 GHSA Boys' Basketball Champions * 2002 GHSA Boys' Basketball Champions *2016 GHSA AAAAAA Boys' Basketball Champions

Girls'Basketball

*2018 GHSA AAAAAAA Girls' Basketball Champions *2019 GHSA AAAAAA Girls' Basketball Champions *2020 GHSA AAAAA Girls' Basketball Champions *2021 GHSA AAAAA Girls' Basketball Champions *2021 Geico Nationals Girls' Basketball Champions

Girls' Track and Field

*2009 GHSA AAAAA Girls' Track Champions *2013 GHSA AAAAAA Girls' Track and Field Champions *2014 GHSA AAAAAA Girls' Track and Field Champions *2015 GHSA AAAAAA Girls' Track and Field Champions

Dance

*2012 UDA Jazz Dance Large Group Champions *2012 UDA Hip-Hop Dance Large Group Champions

New facility

Construction for a new Westlake facility began in October 2006 and the facility officially opened in August 2008, housing over 2,500

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 ...

students in 99 classrooms. The architectural firm of Gardner, Spencer, Smith, Tench & Jarbeau, P.C. designed the new building while H.J. Russell & Company handled the initial phase of construction. The school had previously been housed in the old Westlake High School building since its opening in 1988. Prior to 1988, the building housed Westwood High School. The MTV show '' Finding Carter'' was filmed at the older facility, adjacent to the new one.

Notable alumni

* Keith Adams, football player * Ian Allen, football player *

Christopher Eubanks Christopher Eubanks (born May 5, 1996) is an American professional tennis player. He played college tennis for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. There, he was a two-time All-American and twice named ACC Player of the Year. Early life and backgr ...

, tennis player * Keyaron Fox, football player,

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

champion * Edwin Jackson, football player * Adam "Pacman" Jones, football player * LaDawn Jones, Attorney and former member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

* Sean Jones, football player * Wallace Miles, football player * Anthony Mitchell, football player,

Super Bowl XXXV Super Bowl XXXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...

Champion *

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...

, football player,

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

, 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, 2015 NFL

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

Auburn Tigers' Cam Newton wins Heisman Trophy despite scandal
Sports.espn.go.com (2010-12-13); retrieved 2013-08-16. *

Chuma Okeke Chukwuma Julian "Chuma" Okeke (born August 18, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Okeke played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers before being drafted 16t ...

, professional

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 ...

player, Orlando Magic *

Kasim Reed Mohammed Kasim Reed (born June 10, 1969) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 59th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia's state capital and largest city, from 2010 to 2018. A Democrat, Reed was a member of the Georgia House of Represe ...

, attorney and 59th Mayor of Atlanta (as Westwood High School) *

Tyshun Render Tyshun Scott Render (born March 28, 1997) is an American football defensive end for the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Middle Tennessee. Professional career After playing four years ...

, NFL player *

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to ...

, musician (attended for a year) * Chris Tavarez, actor *

A. J. Terrell Aundell Terrell Jr. (born September 23, 1998) is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 202 ...

, football player, Atlanta Falcons * Kiante Tripp, football player *

Chance Warmack Chance Warmack (born September 14, 1991) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans tenth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama, and earned All-American honors. Hig ...

, football player * Ray Willis, basketball player

References

{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1988 Fulton County School System high schools 1988 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)