Booker T. Washington High School’s 2024 Valedictorian & STAR Student, Kash Walton, discusses the importance of hard work.
Brooke Shelton discusses how she became Booker T. Washington High School’s 2024 Salutatorian.
Booker T. Washington High School hosted its inaugural Partnership Breakfast.
Atlanta Public Schools continues to celebrate the success of the class of 2024 and is proud to share that our scholars earned a total of $228,947,153 in scholarship offers!
North Atlanta led the charge with more than $40 million in scholarship offers earned, while both Midtown High School and Benjamin E. Mays High School pulled in more than $20 million in scholarship offers each. This year’s senior class surpassed the APS 2023 school year total of $221 million.
“This remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and talent of our students,” APS interim superintendent Dr. Danielle Battle said. “I want to congratulate each and every one of them for their outstanding accomplishments and wish them continued success in their future endeavors. I would also like to thank our amazing teachers and supportive families for helping our students reach this tremendous milestone. This is truly a proud moment for the APS community.”
Congratulations to the APS class of 2024 for this incredible accomplishment!
| School | Total Scholarships offered (including athletics) |
| Atlanta Classical Academy | $5,824,016 |
| Benjamin E. Mays High School | $20,531,832 |
| B.E.S.T. High School Academy | $3,104,645 |
| Booker T. Washington High School | $20,561,950 |
| Charles R. Drew Charter Jr. Sr. Academy | $14,144,060 |
| D.M. Therrell High School | $16,534,538 |
| Frederick Douglass High School | $6,735,125 |
| G.W. Carver High School Early College | $19,500,000 |
| G.W. Carver High School STEAM | $11,096,140 |
| Midtown High School | $26,115,384 |
| KIPP Atlanta Collegiate Charter School | $17,632,822 |
| Maynard Jackson High School | $10,624,460 |
| North Atlanta High School | $42,793,948 |
| South Atlanta High School | $9,529,339 |
| Total | $228,947,1153 |
APS is ready for baseball season! The APS baseball teams introduced themselves and shared their goals for the upcoming season during the APS Baseball Media Day event at Therrell High School.
This year will be an exciting year for APS teams.
North Atlanta High School will replace two MLB draft picks and several seniors after going 27-7 and finishing 18-0 in region play last season. Still, head coach Ricky Plante spoke highly of this year’s roster, and the team is keeping its own high expectations.
Therrell High School head coach Ryan Christian, who won coach of the year last season, has built the Panther program to improve each season. The Panthers won 10 games last season, 8-8 in region play, and aim to be even better this season.
The Jackson Jaguars didn’t have much to say as far as words go, but head coach Des Stegall has the team focused on one thing. Winning. The Jaguars went 22-8 last season with a 13-3 region record. The team starts the season off with an exciting matchup against Redan.
Best Academy, Carver, Douglass, Drew Charter, KIPP, South Atlanta, Washington, Midtown and Mays also had the opportunity to give their insights on their respective teams and the upcoming season.
BEST Academy baseball 
Carver baseball 
Douglass baseball 
Drew Charter baseball 
Maynard Jackson baseball 
Mays baseball 
Midtown baseball 
North Atlanta baseball 
KIPP baseball 
South Atlanta baseball 
Therrell baseball 
Washington baseball 
Kelli Stewart, cofounder of L.E.A.D. Center for Youth 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-Lead 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Mekhi Smith, Crawford Long Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D. Trevon Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle SchoolFirst Team All-L.E.A.D. 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Tristian Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Jalen Duboise, Crawford Long Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Tymeco Cameron, John Lewis Invictus Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Brandon Muldrow, Jean Childs Young Middle School 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D.: Julius Thames, Herman J. Russell West End Academy 
APS Middle School Baseball First Team All-L.E.A.D. 
Minority Baseball Prospects Founder Alex Wyche speaks at APS Baseball Media Day. 
MLB scout Clarence Johns spoke at APS Baseball Media Day.
The future of APS baseball also had a moment to shine as well. The L.E.A.D. Center for Youth, founded by C.J. and Kelli Stewart, recognized its inaugural First Team All L.E.A.D. team comprised of student athletes from the L.E.A.D. APS Middle School Baseball Development League.
First Team All-L.E.A.D. Honors Team
- Mekhi Smith, Crawford Long Middle School
- Jalen Duboise, Crawford Long Middle School
- Trevon Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Tristian Wilbourn, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Tymeco Cameron, John Lewis Invictus Middle School
- Brandon Muldrow, Jean Childs Young Middle School
- Julius Thames, Herman J. Russell West End Academy
APS also brought two guests with major league experience to speak at media day.
Alex Wyche, founder of Minority Baseball Prospects, gave his insights into how his database serves as a resource to help minority baseball players navigate recruiting and scouting. Clarence Johns, a professional major league scout, shared his journey through Major League Baseball and the professional side of evaluating talent for big league clubs.
Both provided insightful information for the APS student-athletes about their potential in the sport both on and off the field.
Opening Day is just around the corner for the 2024 APS baseball season, and the teams are ready to play ball.
The best and brightest at Booker T. Washington High School were beyond prepared for last week’s visit from Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who joined the students for a sit-down conversation covering a plethora of issues that matter to students.
The students took advantage of this open forum with the mayor of their hometown and asked important questions about issues ranging from human trafficking to food insecurity, transportation, crime and more.
“We encourage our students to be very vocal about all topics and to be very educated about all topics, so that they can speak wisely when they’re discussing these topics,” Booker T. Washington High School principal William Wade said. “What you witnessed here today was student-voice. These students are geared to lead. They’re leaders in our school community. They are our go to people, our positive influencers here in our building.”
Mayor Dickens not only answered the students’ questions and shared what the city of Atlanta has been working on to address the various issues raised by the students, but also encouraged the students to influence their peers to want to solve the problems as well.
“It really gave me a look behind the scenes as to how it’s not just one person solving all the problems and doing everything, and how it’s more of a group effort,” Washington High School ninth grade student Samiya Bryant said. “I saw how important it was to the mayor that we had these issues, and we are willing to discuss them and that we want to bring about change.”
Several students even offered alternative solutions for the mayor to consider when it came to addressing the Water Boys who are known to disrupt traffic while selling their goods on street corners.
“It meant a lot for me today to start off this year talking to high school students that care about their community and care about their school,” Dickens said. “They had great questions. They were very engaged, attentive; and they want to make change in society.”
“I think we’re raising a village of future leaders at APS and within the city of Atlanta, and I think that these kids understand the group project that we’re doing together to solve societal problems and move Atlanta forward together,” he added.
Booker T. Washington High School is celebrating 100 years of educating students in Atlanta. Many of our nation’s great leaders graduated from Washington High School, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose holiday will be celebrated the Monday, January 15, 2024.
“This is one of Atlanta’s treasures. Booker T. Washington High School has meant so much to so many,” Dickens said. “Coming to this school, this year is special to me, and I’m honored by them inviting me.”
Atlanta Public Schools is all over the GHSA football state playoff brackets with a district record eight teams reaching the postseason.
North Atlanta (9-1), Therrell (9-1) and Mays (6-4) all finished second in their respective regions and earned the right to host their opening round playoff matchups.
North Atlanta continues to build on their historic program run. They not only posted their best regular season record, again, this year, but it will also be the first time the Warriors have ever finished second in the region and hosted a playoff game.
Therrell, South Atlanta (5-5), and Washington (3-7) all clinched a playoff spot from AA-Region 6.
The Douglass Astros (6-4) finished in third place in AAA-Region 5, which was two spots ahead of Carver (2-7).
Last, but not least, Jackson (5-5) finished in fourth place in AAAAA-Region 5, two spots behind Mays.
Here’s the schedule for this weekend’s APS playoff matchups:
Friday, Nov. 10
Mays vs. Loganville, 7:30 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium
North Atlanta vs. Houston County, 7:30 p.m at Henderson Stadium
Carver vs. Stephens County, 7:30 p.m at Stephens County HS
Douglass vs. Oconee County, 7:30 p.m at Oconee County HS
Maynard Jackson vs. Jefferson, 7:30 p.m at Jefferson HS
Saturday, Nov. 11
Therrell vs. Model, 1 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium
South Atlanta vs. North Murray, TBA at North Murray HS
Washington vs. Rockmart, TBA at Rockmart HS
For the full GHSA state football playoff brackets, click here.
High school basketball season tips off this week, and the APS boys and girls basketball teams are ready for another exciting season.
Before hitting the court, APS coaches and players introduced themselves and set their goals and expectations for the 2023-2024 season at the APS Basketball Media Day at Therrell High School.
“We want to give the young ladies and young men the opportunity to show what they predict about the season,” APS director of athletics Corrie Collier said. “We want our young people to represent themselves to the fullest. If they feel good about representing themselves, they’re going to represent their program, their school, and the district well. Anytime they can do well for themselves and their schools, we’re proud.”
Sylvester “Sly the Sports Guy” Williams and Joel Hillsman hosted an entertaining discussion with the teams to get a glimpse of what fans can expect to see this season.
Last season, 12 APS teams advanced to the Georgia High Schools Association state playoffs – seven boys and five girls squads. Some highlights were:
- Maynard Jackson girls finished with a record of 26-2, won the Class 5A-Region 5 championship, and advanced to the state semifinals.
- Midtown girls were 22-9, placed second to Maynard Jackson in the region, and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
- Frederick Douglass boys advanced to the state semifinals after finishing second in Class 3A-Region 5.
- Benjamin E. Mays boys finished 21-9, finished second in Class 5A-Region 5, and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
- South Atlanta boys went 23-9, won the Class 2A-Region 6 title, and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
The players are excited to get the season started, and some didn’t balk at calling out which teams they couldn’t wait to play this season. The South Atlanta Hornets boys basketball team was called out by a couple of teams eager to match up against them, and the Booker T. Washington Bulldogs girls’ team has an early season matchup with the Mays Raiders that they’re looking forward to.
It’s gearing up to be an exciting year for APS basketball.
“I’m looking forward to watching these young ladies and young men just get out here and showcase what they’ve worked hard for and reap the benefits of it,” Collier said. “We have an interim superintendent, Dr. Battle, who loves athletics. I know she and her team will be right there rooting all of them on the entire way.”
I am APS is a special series highlighting students, faculty, alumni, and others in celebration of the rich and diverse experiences, backgrounds and contributions within the Atlanta Public Schools family. Together, we stand in solidarity of our shared admiration of APS and the mission which guides us. #IamAPS
Belle Williams, the freshman class president at Booker T. Washington High School, was immediately ready to take advantage of everything high school has to offer.
After starting middle school during the pandemic, being able to start high school in-person is a fresh new beginning for a student like Williams, who relishes the many opportunities that await her.
Williams shared how her first year in high school is going and what she’s looking forward to for the rest of her high school career.
Q: How have the first few months of high school been?
A: I really like high school. I started my middle school years in quarantine, so getting to start new and start fresh with a new GPA, new friends, new teachers, that was really cool starting a new year and actually being in school not on Zoom.
I really like the opportunities that I’m allowed here. I like what I’m exposed to. There are so many things I can do and say yes to, so many things I can say no to, which is awesome.
Q: How would you describe yourself as a student?
A: I would say I’m a mix of all of those profiles of a graduate. I may be giving myself too much credit, but I’m going to go for it. As a critical thinker and problem solver, that definitely ties into SGA. You have so many people telling you, ‘I don’t like this. I don’t like that. I kind of like that, but we can do this.’ And you have to put all of those problems and ideas together to create.
Academically, I’m very driven. I know if I fall off academically, everything else will fall as well. I think that makes me more driven and apply myself more to my goals.
I ask my teachers everything. They’ll all tell you I’m very curious. I’m very resourceful as well. At Washington, every teacher, faculty member will help you and get you what you need. When you come here, it’s a very open community. We’re a tight-knit community as well, but we’re open to everyone who comes in. Having these faculty and staff members who will help you when you need them has been key to being more resourceful.
Q: What does it mean for you to represent your freshman class?
A: It means a lot because kids are so opinionated these days. So winning their vote was great. My favorite part about it was campaigning. I really liked being able to meet a lot of people, but also as class president since I’m their voice and their representative, I have to ask them what they want for this school to be. It exposed me to meeting new people.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about Washington High School?
A: My favorite part of school is the community and my friends. We get our work done and we have fun.
I am APS is a special series highlighting students, faculty, alumni, and others in celebration of the rich and diverse experiences, backgrounds and contributions within the Atlanta Public Schools family. Together, we stand in solidarity of our shared admiration of APS and the mission which guides us. #IamAPS
Mason Jones, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School, has always had an interest in technology. Even before starting high school, Jones was intrigued by how technology works, the people making it and how it can help others. Throughout his APS journey, he has taken classes in coding and programming, joined a STEM club where they made games and computer software, and even experienced a software tournament while he was in middle school.
Now, he’s looking forward to finishing his senior year strong. We spoke with Mason to learn more about his experience through APS.
Q: What sparked your interest in technology?
A: Coming into high school, I was on that path. My teachers were happy to see that I was on that path. They have helped me ever since middle school, and they still are helping me. They’re still trying to get me to learn more and more about technology. My connection with everybody, friends and teachers included, helped me along the way to build up my knowledge and sociability and want to learn more and more.
Q: What are you looking forward to in your senior year?
A: I’m looking forward to doing better than I’ve done in previous years. I’m looking to find a college of my choice before the end of the year. I really hope they do make a coding club for this high school. I would definitely have joined if they did. I’m just really looking to make sure I live this school year to the fullest and make sure I do everything I want to do this year.
Q: How was your high school experience at Booker T. Washington High School?
I really had fun here. APS really has helped me throughout my years. They let students do what they do and still have fun while learning. I really enjoyed APS.