Milton High School (Georgia)

Milton High School
Address
13025 Birmingham Highway Milton, Georgia, 30004 United States
Coordinates	34°05′54″N 84°20′10″W / 34.09841°N 84.33621°W / 34.09841; -84.33621Coordinates: 34°05′54″N 84°20′10″W / 34.09841°N 84.33621°W / 34.09841; -84.33621
Information
Type	Public
Established	1921[1]
Oversight	Fulton County School System
Principal	Brian Jones
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,009
Color(s)	Red, White and Navy Blue
Mascot	Eddie the Eagle
Nickname	Eagles
Rival	Roswell High School
Website	www.miltonhighschool.com
Milton High School front lawn

Milton High School is a high school in Milton, northwest Fulton County, Georgia, United States.

History

Milton High School was founded in the shadows of metropolitan Atlanta within the city of Alpharetta, Georgia. It opened in 1921, serving all of Milton County and including grades one through eleven. The school initially had no buses, school lunches, central heating, or plumbing. Its first principal was W.T. Harrison.

With the merger of Milton and Fulton counties in 1932, improvements began at a rapid pace.

Due to the initiative of the Fulton Farmers of America, a cannery operated during the summers on the Milton Campus. An authentic log cabin, also an FFA project, still stands as a memorial.

The 1950s brought more positive changes and the building of an elementary school allowed Milton to house only grades eight through twelve.

The addition of a concrete football stadium drew the entire community on Friday nights to cheer for the Milton Eagles. F football and other sports in remained so important that the Latin club only earned official support from then-principal (and ex-coach) Max McBrayer when local JCL teams held a volleyball contest and the Latin team therefore brought home an athletics trophy.^[2]

The 1970s represented a time of tremendous economic and social transition for Alpharetta and Milton High School. A new cafeteria, library, and front office were added.

Tapped as Fulton County's first comprehensive high school, in the 1980s, programs began for learners with all exceptionalities, abilities, and interests. A middle school was opened to meet the specialized needs of students in grades six through eight. This left Milton as a grade 9 - 12 facility.

As the 1990s rolled in, an enlarged modernized Milton High School (encompassing the MHS Center for the Arts, a new greenhouse, music facilities, and health/physical education facilities) established a stellar reputation for strong community ties, presenting a broad and relevant curriculum supported by state-of-the-art technology and a caring spirit. The school then added a state-of-the-art science wing, an enlargement of the school cafeteria, and renovations to the front office.

In the 1997-98 school year, Milton was named a Georgia School of Excellence and a Blue Ribbon Nominee. In the 1998-99 school year, U.S. News & World Report named Milton High School an outstanding high school and a model of excellence.

Milton continued to be a vital part of the Fulton County School System, characterized by economic and geographic diversity. This sprawling comprehensive high school became a unique and warm blend of the old and new.

With the new millennium came increasing numbers of students and new ideas about how best to serve young people whose adult lives would be spent in the 21st century. Unlike the schools which prepared graduates of the 1930s and 1940s for jobs right out of high school, the school was challenged to prepare students for a rapidly-changing world. Its need to expand again was in conflict with its landlocked campus in the heart of Alpharetta. After much discussion, the Fulton County Board of Education decided to build a new school.

In the 2005-2006 school year, Milton High School moved from its original location in downtown Alpharetta to a new foundation near Northwestern Middle School in Milton.

The old Milton High School facility now serves as the alternative high school, Independence.

Today

Today, Milton High School teaches grades 9-12 and started the 2008-09 school with 2,314 students. Enrollment grew to over 2600 students for the fall of 2010.^[3]

Once the new building was opened, Milton adopted an academy system that allowed students to choose a "track" to personalize their education. In 9th grade, all students take the Freshman Academy. From 10th grade on, students chose among the Math and Science Academy, Social Sciences Academy, and Arts and Humanities Academy. Each Academy contained the courses required for graduation, taught in a way similar to the academy's particular theme. This model was done away with after just two years of use, and Milton went back to the traditional system.

Milton offers these Advanced Placement courses: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB & BC, AP Drawing, AP 2D Design, AP 3D design, AP Environmental Science, AP French, AP Gov/Politics, AP Human Geography, AP Language & Composition, 12th Grade AP Literature, AP Macro, AP Music Theory, AP Physics B, AP Spanish, AP U.S. History, and AP World History.^[4]

Following years of service, former Principal Ron Tesch retired after the 2009-2010 school year, but returned as interim principal for the 2014-2015 year after the resignation of Nathan Buhl. Buhl stepped down from his position following a DUI and an arrest 2 weeks before the school year started.^[5]

Student, staff and school awards

In 2008-09 Milton's Teacher of the Year was Meredith "Academic Maturity" Reddy (Language Arts), who was also the Fulton County Teacher of the Year. Employee of the Year was Bev Bailey.

In 2009, Newsweek Magazine named Milton High School #307 in its annual list of 1,500 top-ranking public high schools in the nation. Seven other Fulton County schools also made the list, which represents the top 6% of US schools. The entire report is online at www.newsweek.com/id/201160.

Milton was the only high school in Georgia to receive the prestigious "No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools" distinction for 2008, the U.S. Department of Education announced. Schools must demonstrate dramatic improvement in a school environment with significant populations of students from disadvantaged backgrounds or score in the top 10 percent on state assessments. Milton was recognized for its high achievement on assessments.

Principal Ron Tesch credited Milton's quality of teachers and the school's culture for academic excellence as keys to its success. "To steal from the real estate motto, 'location, location, location' - at Milton, it's 'academics, academics, academics,' Tesch said. "We have such wonderful teachers - truly, the finest in the nation - who really look for ways to unlock students' potential. They do whatever it takes to help students succeed."

Tesch also acknowledged the community's support of the school. "The Milton community really values education, high standards and rigor. When we announced the award, everyone was jubilant. You could feel the pride throughout the school. Our teachers and students know the significance of this kind of award and what it means. Parents are stopping me in the hall to say how proud they are and what it means to the community." Tesch and assistant principal Cliff Jones attended a special awards ceremony October 20–21 in Washington, D.C. to accept the award.

The arts at Milton

Milton is known for its strong arts programs.

Band program

www.miltonband.org

The Milton Band includes the Milton High School Marching Band, two jazz ensembles, a jazz combo, three concert bands, a Percussion Ensemble, and the Milton Indoor Drumline. The marching band has competed in many regional competitions, and has a history of being very successful at marching band competitions. They have received many awards, including the honor of participating in the London New Year's Day Parade in 2000. In recent years, the Wind Ensemble has received invitations to perform at the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia. The Milton Band is under the direction of Chris Shumick, with the percussion directed by Mark Kapral. Milton's indoor drumline has won regional and national awards as well. In 2010, 2011, and 2012, the MID was one of the finalists in the WGI Championships in Dayton, Ohio.

Choral department

www.miltonchorus.com

Since choral music was added to the curriculum in 1951, the Milton Choral Department has enjoyed great success. The Milton Choral program consists of three choirs.

• Chorale - The Milton Chorale is the Advanced Mixed Ensemble at Milton. The members of this ensemble are selected by audition and are 10th - 12th grade men and women.
• Women's Select - Women's Select is the Advanced Women's Ensemble at Milton. The members of this ensemble are selected by audition and are 10th - 12th grade women.
• Concert Choir - The Concert Choir is open to all 9th - 12th grade men and women. No audition is required. This is the entry level choir for all freshmen.

The Milton choirs consistently receive Superior Ratings in Performance and Sight-Singing at the Georgia Music Educators Large Group Performance Evaluation, as well as at other festivals across the south. They have performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City three times. The groups have also had the opportunity to perform in Honolulu, Hawaii; Orlando, Florida; and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

All three choirs perform in the twice yearly concerts held at the Milton High School auditorium, one in the fall and one in the spring. Various other group and solo performance opportunities occur during the year.

Students have been selected to participate in Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Chorus, the Governor's Honors Program, District Honor Chorus, American Choral Director Association Honor Choruses, Spivey Hall Honor Choruses, and other honor choirs. Students from Milton have gone on to study music and participate in college music programs including Belmont University, Columbus State University, Georgia Southern, Louisiana State University, Mercer University, Shorter College, Stetson University, and the University of Georgia.

Drew Bowers has been the Director of Choral Activities at Milton High School since his appointment in 2007. He conducts the Chorale, Women's Select, and Concert Choir, and teaches Advanced Placement Music Theory.

Drama department

www.miltontheatrecompany.com

Milton has an award-winning theatre program led by Renee Denney and Sim Jones. Milton Theatre recently came second in the State One Act Competition with their play "A Piece of my Heart." They also broke ground with their performances of "Cirque Glosoli," a cirque show brought to the school by director Larry Smith.

Orchestra program

www.miltonorchestra.com

The Milton High School Orchestra is directed by Richard Bomba. He is the longest tenured member of the fine arts department at Milton High School. Since his arrival, the orchestra has grown from 32 members to over 110. The orchestra program consists chamber, Sinfonia, and concert orchestras. The orchestras perform individually and together at least four times per year. The orchestra often arranges a full symphony concert with members from the elite MHS Band program. The orchestra also hosts multiple ensembles and quartets and encourages them (and individual players) to perform throughout the local area in an outreach program. The MHS Orchestra has been invited to the National Orchestra Festival and has been a recent past winner of the Smoky Mountain Music Festival. Individuals in the MHS orchestra have earned chairs at All-State, ASYO, MYSO, LSO, FCHO, and Spivey Chamber Orchestra, including first chair placement on several occasions.

Athletics and extracurricular activities

The Athletic Director at Milton High School is Gary Sylvestri. Milton is a member of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and currently competes in Region 5 of the AAAAAA Classification. Sports at Milton include IEA Equestrian Team, lacrosse, soccer, football, tennis, dance team, cross country, Track and Field, golf, swimming, baseball, volleyball, ice hockey, gymnastics, cheerleading, wrestling, basketball, and softball.^[1] Academic sports include mathematics, debate team, and mock trial.

Team GHSA State Champions

As of the 2013 school year, Milton has won 34 state championships in 13 sports or activities. The girls' lacrosse program has won the most state titles (nine).^[6][7] The boys' program with the most GHSA State Championships is baseball.

• Boys' Basketball: 2010, 2012
• Baseball: 1955, 2004, 2013^[8]
• Debate: 2009 ^[9]
• Boys' Golf: 2012
• Girls' Golf: 2012
• Girls' Gymnastics: 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999^[6]
• Girls' Lacrosse: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 ^[7]
• Boys' Lacrosse: 2010, 2012
• One Act Play: 2011 2012 2013 2014
• Girls' Soccer: 2012
• Boys' Tennis: 1985, 2003^[10]
• Girls' Tennis: 1980, 1983, 1985^[11]
• Wrestling: 1978^[12]

Individual Georgia High School Association State Champions

(list believed to be complete through the 2012-13 school year)

• Boys' Cross Country -- 1965: John Wolf; 1998: Ian Dickinson; 1999: Ian Dickinson

• Boys' Golf -- 2002: Robert Castro; 2010: Patrick Grahek

• Girls' Golf -- 2012: Rachel Dai

• Girls' Gymnastics -- 1990: Keely Dunston, Balance Beam; 1991: Christa Cully (3), Uneven Parallel Bars, Balance Beam & All Around; 1997: Loren Simpson (4), Uneven Parallel Bars, Vault, Balance Beam, & All Around; 1999: Loren Simpson, Uneven Parallel Bars; 2000: Loren Simpson (2), Uneven Parallel Bars & Floor Exercise; 2004: Marisa Schneider, Vault; 2005: Marisa Schneider (2), Vault & All Around; 2006: Marisa Schneider (2), Floor Exercise, & Vault

• One Act Play -- Best Actress -- 2012: McKenzie Kurtz

• Boys' Swimming -- 2008: Jeff Cox, 200 yd Individual Medley (1:54.69); 2009: Jeff Cox (2), 100 yd Freestyle (46.04) & 200 yd Individual Medley (1:52.18); 2012: Sam Lewis, 100 yd Backstroke (48.85)

• Girls' Swimming -- 2001: Melissa Klein (2), 100 yd Breaststroke (1:02.75; 5A state meet record) & 200 yd Individual Medley (2:02.59; 5A state meet record); 2002: Melissa Klein, 100 yd Breaststroke (1:03.24); 2003: Melissa Klein (2), 100 yd Breaststroke (1:02.15; 5A state meet record) & 200 yd Individual Medley (2:01.44; 5A state meet record); 2012: Katie Grover, 100 yd Freestyle (51.14); 2013: Katie Grover (2), 100 yd Backstroke (55.21) & 100 yd Butterfly (53.55)

• Girls' Tennis -- 1970: Lynn Gloria Bates, Singles; 1972: Michele Flowers & Kathy Pledger, Doubles; 1980: Tracy Burke & Leighann Tareton, Doubles; 1983: Patti Belling & Kristi Overton, Doubles; 1985: Kristi Overton, Singles

• Boys' Tennis -- 1974: Phil Parrish & Robbie Bagwell, Doubles; 1976: Phil Parrish & Robbie Bagwell, Doubles; 1985: Robi Soni & Mike Rossen, Doubles

• Boys' Track & Field -- 1957: Marshall Sims, High Jump (6'1"; 1A state meet record); Don Devore, 120yd Hurdles (16.0s; 1A state meet record); 1960: Melvin Cochran, Shot Put (46'11.5"); 1961: Melvin Cochran, Shot Put (54'1.5"; 2A state meet record); Bobby Coleman (2), 180yd Hurdles (21.2s) & 120yd Hurdles (15.2s); 1962: Arthur Letchas, 440yd Dash (51.0s); Melvin Cochran, Discus (148' 2.5”); 1965: John Wolf (2), 1-Mile Run (4:32.6) & 2-Mile Run (10:07.7, 1A state meet record); 1966: John Wolf (2), 1-Mile Run (4:23, All Classification state meet record) & 2-Mile Run (9:50, 1A state meet record); 1967: John Wolf (2), 1-Mile Run (4:26.9) & 2-Mile Run (9:51.5); Kendall Wolf, 1/2 Mile Run (2:00.5, 1A state meet record); 1980: Kevin Duncan, 330yd Hurdles (39.77s); 2000: Ian Dickenson, 3200 Meter Run (9:21.71).

• Girls' Track & Field -- 1973: Susan Lipscomb (2), 70 yd Hurdles (10.3s; 1A state meet record) & 220yd Dash (27.2; 1A state meet record); 1974: Lydia Beavers, 80yd Hurdles (11.9s); 2010: Samantha Becker, Pole Vault (12'0", 5A state meet record; tied all-class record)

• Boys' Wrestling -- 1978: Ricky Scott, 167 lb class; 1984: Thomas Harris, 98 lb class; 1995: Andrew Stolz, 220 lb class; 2011: Blake Roytek, 135 lb class; 2013: Phillip Anderson, 126 lb class

Football

www.MiltonEaglesFootball.com

The Milton Football team is led by Head Coach Howie DeCristofaro, who has coached for over 31 years. The Milton Eagles are the 2014 Region Champs, and have made the state playoffs four years in a row (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014). The Milton football team plays in the largest GHSA classification, AAAAAA, and therefore plays against the most competitive teams in the state, having played against Norcross, Camden County, Roswell, and others.

In the spring of 2012, seven senior football players signed on to play college football, more than any other high school team in the region. In the spring of 2013, 13 senior football players signed on to play college football, again, more than any other high school team in the region, and five in the Spring of 2014. The Class of 2013 sent three to Auburn, two to Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Army, Davidson, Northern Illinois, and other schools. Milton's class of 2013 included the nations' #2 player, Carl Lawson, Jr., earning Milton a live broadcast of their game against Walton on ESPN. The 2012, 2013 and 2014 spring practices saw over 100 college teams come through the week of spring practice to observe. Milton expects the same demand for their 2015 spring practices, with several nationally ranked players.

Milton currently has 22 active football players in the college ranks, and many players who have finished their college careers. Three have gone on to play professional football.

Notable alumni

• Roberto Castro (class of 2002) - professional golfer and All-American at Georgia Tech

• Jon Cox - Atlanta Silverbacks forward in the North American Soccer League (2005)

• Nadine Jolie Courtney - blogger, author,^[13] Bravo TV personality Newlyweds: The First Year (1998)

• Kyle Farnsworth - Major League Baseball (1994) ^[14]

• Dexter Fowler - Major League Baseball (2004)

• Daniel Pope (class of 1994) - former punter in the National Football League, played for Kansas City Chiefs in 1999, Cincinnati Bengals in 2000, New York Jets in 2001, with his longest NFL punt being 64 yards^[15]

• Danyelle Sargent - Fox Sports (1995)

• Bobby Scales - Major League Baseball (1995)

References

GHSA Class AAAAAA Region 5 Cherokee Warriors Etowah Eagles Lassiter Trojans Milton Eagles Pope Greyhounds Roswell Hornets Walton Raiders Wheeler Wildcats Woodstock Wolverines