Southwest DeKalb High School
Encyclopedia
Southwest DeKalb High School, commonly referred to as SWD, is a high school
located in Decatur
, Georgia
. It houses one of the two High Achievers Magnet Program
in DeKalb County, Georgia
, the other being at Chamblee High School.
. They were also featured in the hit movie Drumline
in 2002; the movie used students from Southwest DeKalb High School band as well as other DeKalb county high school students as extras.
After the success of Drumline, record producer
Dallas Austin
tapped the marching band for a sequel
. 20th Century Fox
was not interested in the production of a sequel, so instead Austin decided to produce a reality television
show, titled "Drumroll: SWD." The reality show premiered on November 27, 2007 on Peachtree TV's -- a new local Atlanta television station -- first original television series.
The SWD High School Band were also credited in Mariah Carey
's album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
on the track "Up Out My Face (The Reprise)". The marching band were invited to perform in Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming
. Most recently, they have performed on America's Got Talent
Season 4.
The football team has won numerous region titles, 1972,73,77,78,81,83,84,87,88,89,90,94,96,99,00,09. Winning the Georgia AAA state championship in 1972 and the AAAA state championship in 1995. The SWD Boys Track and Field
teams have won 9 state titles including a national championship in 1996 with the most recent coming in 2007. The SWD Girls Track and Field teams have won 5 state titles with the most recent titles coming in 2007,2008, 2009 and 2011. The SWD Girls Basketball
team won the Georgia 4-A state championship in 2008,2009 and 2010.
Notable alumni=
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It houses one of the two High Achievers Magnet Program
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
, the other being at Chamblee High School.
Awards and recognitions
The SWD High School Band was one of two high school bands to perform in th Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
. They were also featured in the hit movie Drumline
Drumline (film)
Drumline is a 2002 American film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by The Southwest Dekalb High School Drumline , was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps...
in 2002; the movie used students from Southwest DeKalb High School band as well as other DeKalb county high school students as extras.
After the success of Drumline, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
tapped the marching band for a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
. 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
was not interested in the production of a sequel, so instead Austin decided to produce a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show, titled "Drumroll: SWD." The reality show premiered on November 27, 2007 on Peachtree TV's -- a new local Atlanta television station -- first original television series.
The SWD High School Band were also credited in Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
's album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 through Island Records in the U.S. and November 23, 2009 with Mercury Records in the UK...
on the track "Up Out My Face (The Reprise)". The marching band were invited to perform in Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming
Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming
Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming, the sequel to 2007's Stomp the Yard, is a 2010 direct-to-video drama film directed by Rob Hardy. The film is produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on October 12, 2010. The original release date was October 12, but the...
. Most recently, they have performed on America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
Season 4.
The football team has won numerous region titles, 1972,73,77,78,81,83,84,87,88,89,90,94,96,99,00,09. Winning the Georgia AAA state championship in 1972 and the AAAA state championship in 1995. The SWD Boys Track and Field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
teams have won 9 state titles including a national championship in 1996 with the most recent coming in 2007. The SWD Girls Track and Field teams have won 5 state titles with the most recent titles coming in 2007,2008, 2009 and 2011. The SWD Girls Basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team won the Georgia 4-A state championship in 2008,2009 and 2010.
Notable alumni=
- Hason Graham (former NFL wide receiver)
- Terrence TrammellTerrence TrammellTerrence R. Trammell is a track and field athlete who won the silver medal in the 110 meter hurdles at both the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, as well as three silver medals at the World Championships.The 1997 Track & Field News Male High School Athlete of the Year attended the University of...
(OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
silver medalist, track and field) - Quincy CarterQuincy CarterLavonya Quintelle "Quincy" Carter is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys...
(former NFL quarterback) - Angelo TaylorAngelo TaylorAngelo F. Taylor is an American athlete, winner of 400 m hurdles at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics....
(OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist, track and field) - Cosey ColemanCosey ColemanCosey Casey Coleman is a former offensive guard for the Cleveland Browns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Coleman now is a licensed Sandwich Artist at a greater Tampa Subway shop...
(former NFL offensive guard) - Gale HaroldGale HaroldGale Morgan Harold III is an American actor widely known for his roles on Queer as Folk, Desperate Housewives and Hellcats.-Early life:...
(actor - attended but did not graduate from the school) - Shamari FearsShamari FearsShamari Fears–DeVoe is the lead singer from the R&B group, Blaque. She is married to Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe.She was born in Detroit, Michigan.-Album Appearances:-Filmography:-Television:...
(Lead singer of BlaqueBlaqueBlaque is an American Urban-R&B group that had a string of hits in the late 90’s. The group's name stands for Believing, Life, Achieving, Quest, Unity, Everything. Their debut album sold more than 1.5 million copies and was certified Platinum...
* - Andre 3000André 3000André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
(member of rap group OutkastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
) Attended but did not graduate from the school - William DuVallWilliam DuVallthumb|200px|right|William DuVall performing with [[Alice In Chains]] at Roskilde Festival 2010William DuVall is an American musician, best known as current lead singer for Alice In Chains, following the death of the band's original lead singer Layne Staley.DuVall is also co-founder, lead singer,...
(Current lead singer of Alice in ChainsAlice in ChainsAlice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and Comes With The FallComes With The FallComes with the Fall is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. Since 2001, the line-up has been composed of William DuVall , Adam Stanger and Bevan Davies . Nico Constantine was the band's second guitarist before departing in 2001...
) - Khalil "Cassius D. KalbCassius D. KalbKhalil "Cassius D. Kalb" Walton is an American Grammy Award-winning songwriter, and musician based in Atlanta, Georgia.-Music career:...
" Walton (Grammy-Award Songwriter and Musician) - Hason Graham WR (New England Patriots 1995-96)
- Fred Jones WR (Kansas City Chiefs 1990-93)
- Rodney WilliamsRodney WilliamsRodney Colin Williams is a former American and Canadian football punter who last played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.-College career:...
P ( New York Giants 2001) - Chris Ward DE (Baltimore Ravens 1997)