Roswell High School (Georgia)
Roswell High School is a secondary public school in Roswell, Georgia. It serves the entire city of Roswell west of Georgia 400 and the city of Mountain Park. The school first opened in 1949 and is the second oldest in Fulton County north of the Chattahoochee River. Roswell High School is a member of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) for athletic competition. Until 2004, when Alpharetta High School opened, Roswell High School was the only High School in Fulton County to be named after the community it served. Roswell High School has an enrollment of 2,400.
History of Roswell High School
Though Roswell High School did not officially exist until 1949, the origins of the school can be traced back to the 1800's. Starting out as a private school, the Roswell Academy was changed into the Roswell Public School which housed elementry and high school students in the same building. There were at first only ten grades.
During the Great Depression, the city of Roswell and Milton County were merged into Fulton County which caused Roswell Public School to be a part of the Fulton County School System. Roswell tenth and eleventh graders were sent to Milton High School in Alpharetta or North Fulton High School in Atlanta.
In 1949 tenth and eleventh grades were reinstated at the school allowing Roswell Public School to divide into Roswell High School and Roswell Elementry School, though they still shared the same building. Sports, clubs, and other activities became a part of the school, including Basketball in 1949 and a Football spring game in 1950. In the fall of 1950 a twelfth grade was added and in the spring of 1951 Roswell High School had its first graduating class. The elementry school was split from the high school building in 1952. Roswell High School moved from it's original location to it's current building in 1990.
Academics
Roswell High School has a winning tradition where it counts the most, in the classroom. The school was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1997-1998 by the US Department of Education. It is also designated a Georgia School of Excellence. 26 AP Classes are offered and SAT scores regularly exceed the national average. RHS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Georgia Department of Education. It is a part of the Fulton County School System.
Athletics
At Roswell High School, athletic teams are considered an extension of the classrooms and are ambassadors of not only the school, but also the community as a whole. The school's motto, "A Tradition of Excellence," exemplifies the hard work of the student athletes both on and off the field of play. The Roswell High mascot is the Hornet and the school colors are Green, Black, and White. The Hornets compete in 24 sports at the Varsity level. 11 are Men's sports, 11 are women's, and 2 are Co-ed.
The Hornets have won multiple state titles in athletics, including three in Baseball, and 2 each in boys Basketball, and American Football. In 1970-71 Roswell completed a then-unprecidented threepeat in the GHSA, winning a state title (including a back-to-back campaign in Baseball) in the three above sports within 12 months of each other. Sports Illustrated named Roswell "Sport Capital USA" that year.
Roswell's most dominate sport in this decade has been Gymnastics in which they won four straight from 2000-2003. A sixth overall Gymnastics title was won in 2005 after finishing second in 2004. In total the Roswell Hornets have won 17 team State titles and numerous Region titles in the school's 24 sports. Each sport has had some degree of success in competition over the years.
Roswell's primary rival is Milton High School, the oldest high school in northern Fulton County. The two have competed since 1950 in every sport the schools offered. In 1966 a fight broke out between the fans of the schools at a football game and the series was banned for several years. The football series then went uninterrupted from 1970-1997 but was temporarily ended when the GHSA moved Milton to a different Region, which made scheduling difficult. The series was restarted in 2000 when Milton and Roswell were again in Region 6-AAAAA. The Roswell-Milton rivarly is one of the oldest football rivalries in the Atlanta Metro area. Since 1970 Roswell holds a 27-7 advantage over their archrival. Roswell-Milton Series
Roswell also has a strong rivarly with Centennial High School, the city's other high school, in which the two teams play for the Roswell Cup in Football. In soccer, Centennial is the bigger rival then Milton.
Sport by Sport Honors
American Football: 1968, 1970 State Champions. 1956 State Runner-Ups. 10 Regional Championships, latest in 2005. Made the State Playoffs 24 times.
Baseball: 1970, 1971, 1986 State Champions. 1969, 1976 State Runner-Ups. Multiple Region Titles and Playoff runs. Has been a recent fixture in Baseball Amercia's National rankings.
Boys Basketball: 1971, 1997 State Champions. Is 2-0 in State title games. Multiple Region titles and Playoff berths.
Girls Basketball: Highly competitive program, yet to win a State title or Runner-Up honor.
Competetion Cheerleading: Still a growing sport, but the team has made a State Playoff berth every year of the team's existence. No State titles yet.
Cross Country (Boys and Girls): Boys State Runner-Up 1973. Several individual State placers and champions, the most recent individual State Championship was in 1999.
Boys Golf: 1990 State Champions, 1983, 1992, 1993, 2006 State Runner-Ups.
Girls Golf: Finished 2nd in Region in 2005 and went to the State Tournament for the first time.
Gymnastics: 1997, 2000-03, 2005 State Champions. 1994, 1995, 2004 State Runner-Ups. The most dominate program at the school. Finished 2006 3rd in the State.
Lacrosse: Considered one of the founders of the Sport in Georgia. Along with city rival Centennial, was one of two first public schools in the State to offer the sport in 1999. Host of the first GHSA sponsored tournament in the State in May of 2003. The 2006 Boys Lacrosse team made the State playoffs for the first time by finishing second in their region and made it to the second round.
Riflery: 2000 State Runner-Up.
Boys Soccer: 1987 State Runner-Up. Multiple State Playoff appearances.
Girls Soccer: 2003 State Semi-Finals
Softball: 1992 State Champions, finished 3rd in 2004.
Swimming: Multiple individual State placers, no team titles.
Tennis: Many playoff appearances, no State titles.
Track and Field: 1959, 1961 State Champions, many individual champions as well. A former Roswell Pole Vaulter currently holds the Girls State record in the sport.
Volleyball: State Semifinalists in 2003.
Wrestling: Multiple Individual Championships and placers at State level. Several team Region championships.
RHS in the Movies
Coach Bill Yost, portrayed by Will Patton in the movie Remember the Titans, was a Roswell High American Football Coach from 1954-1960 before leaving for Virginia. In the movie, game film from Roswell is used in several scenes.
Famous alumni
- Jeff Bower, head football coach at University of Southern Mississippi
- Alec Kessler, former NBA first round pick
- Jermaine Phillips, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety, played during the Super Bowl victory of 2002
- Tony Phillips Major League Baseball player from 1982-1999.