Chattahoochee High School


Chattahoochee High School is a public high school in Johns Creek, Georgia, United States, within the Fulton County School System. It is located next to its only feeder school, Taylor Road Middle School.
It has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as one of America's Blue Ribbon Schools. Chattahoochee was named the 6th Best Public High School in Georgia by Niche. In 2019, it was named a National PTSA School of Excellence and ranked as a top high school in US World & News Reports. It was given a rating of 9 out of a possible 10 by Great Schools Rating.

History

The High School opened in the 1991–92 school year replacing the now-closed Crestwood High School. In 1992, the first time a cougar appeared, which was the mascot of the school. 1993 saw enrollment rise to 2200 due to the rapidly growing Alpharetta area. The football stadium opened on September 17, 1993. The following year, the school population continued to increase to 2460. The auditorium and CT Halls were built to attempt to keep up with population growth. In 1995, increased enrollment forced it to go with a split day, starting freshmen two hours after upperclassmen which would continue for the next two years. Administration added a minute to the bell schedule and parking became a senior only privilege. This continued to increase, forcing the addition of 14 trailers in 1996 to accommodate the students in a school designed for 1800. The opening of Centennial High School in 1997 reduced student population by 600 students in 1997–98 to 2200. The number of students would continue to fluctuate between 2005 and 2814 as the rapidly growing Johns Creek area was fueling student growth and the Fulton County School System was building schools to relieve the overcrowding such as Northview, Alpharetta, and Johns Creek.

Athletics

Since the 2012–13 school year, Chattahoochee High School has competed in Region 6–AAAAAA. From 2010–2012 Chattahoochee was in Region 7–AAAA due to redistricting and a decrease in the school's population after the opening of Johns Creek High School in 2009. However, the school moved back up to the highest classification after statewide reclassification. Chattahoochee was previously a member of Region 7–AAAAA.
Hooch shares an intense rivalry with its neighbor Johns Creek High School, located less than three miles away. The rivalry is competitive in many different sports and is important to many fans and alumni in the area.
Competitive sports at Chattahoochee include baseball, basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, gymnastics, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, golf, track, and wrestling.

Cheerleading

The competitive cheerleading team won the State Championship in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2005. They finished runner-up in State in 2006. Since 1995, they have won eight region titles.

Football

The Chattahoochee High School football team had its first season in 1991, competing in Region 6-Division AAAA, the highest classification at the time. The team ended the season under coach Milo Mathis with a respectable record of 3-7 for their first year of varsity football. They repeated with a 3–7 record in 1992.
In 1993, Bill Waters was hired as football coach and led the Cougars to a 4-6 record. They would record their first winning season in 1994 at 6–4. The team made their first playoff appearance in the 1995 season when they played Wheeler High School in the regional playoffs. The Cougars won by a score of 21-0 to advance to the first round of the state playoffs, where they played the eventual state runner-up Parkview Panthers, losing by a score of 20–6. The Cougars finished with a final record of 8–4. In 1996, the Cougars suffered through a rebuilding year at 3–7.
The Cougars found the playoffs again in the 1997 season with a regular season record of 9–1 and their first region championship in school history. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the GHSA playoffs only to lose to the Brookwood Broncos by a score of 33-15, finishing the season with a record of 11-2. The next season the Cougars repeated as region champions, this time in region 7-AAAA, after another 9-1 season. However, they lost to the Pebblebrook Falcons 22-12 in the playoffs.
The 1999 season featured an outstanding run in the playoffs for the team after a 7–3 record. The Cougars won three straight playoff games to advance to the semi-finals of the state playoffs, where they met the Brunswick Pirates in the Georgia Dome. The Pirates won with a score of 29–7 and went on to lose in the state finals to the Lowndes Vikings.
The Cougars advanced to the playoffs again in 2000 after an 8–2 regular season and a region championship, losing to the Brookwood Broncos 20–12 in the second round of the playoffs. The team had their first undefeated regular season in the 2001 season and their fourth region championship. However, they again fell in the second round of the playoffs, this time to the Dacula Falcons by a score of 7–3. The team ended the season with an impressive 11–1 record. The Cougars would make the playoffs yet again in the 2002 season losing in the second round to the Harrison Hoyas 38–16. The team won their 5th region championship in 2003 but yet again lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Parkview Panthers 3–0.
The 2004 Cougars debuted for the first time under new head coach Terry Crowder in the Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome where they lost to the Brookwood Broncos 35-7. The team finished with a 4–6 record and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 1996. The following season ended with another disappointing record of 2-8, again missing the playoffs. The Cougars had a much improved 2006 season finishing 7–3 but losing in the first round to the North Gwinnett Bulldogs 21–17, and again in the 2007 season to the Grayson Rams 34–0.
In the 2008 season, the Cougars were moved to the much more competitive Region 7-AAAAA where they played mostly Gwinnett County schools that were much bigger than them as opposed to the smaller Fulton County teams. The team suffered in the '08 and '09 seasons with records of 3–7 and 4–6.
In the 2010 season, the Cougars were moved down to AAAA due to the opening of Johns Creek High School, pulling many students away from Chattahoochee. The team dominated Region 7 with a perfect record of 10–0 and a region championship, with their closest contest being a 35–14 victory over Forsyth Central. The Cougars rolled into the playoffs and cruised by the Pope Greyhounds 42–14. However, the team had a close contest in the second round against the Marist War Eagles. The score finished 31–28 and the Cougars advanced to the quarterfinals to face the Dutchtown Bulldogs, winning by a score of 37–14 to advance to the state semifinals, where they traveled to Statesboro to take on the Blue Devils. The Cougars found themselves down in the 4th quarter 21–13, but drove down the field late to score, making the score 21–19. After missing the 2-point conversion to tie the game, the Cougars were forced to hold the Blue Devils offense to get the ball back with two minutes to go. A game-winning field goal by Ammon Lakip gave the Cougars a 22–21 victory to send the Cougars to their first ever state championship. The Cougars met the also undefeated Starr's Mill Panthers at the Georgia Dome. Chattahoochee won 24–0, finishing off a perfect 15–0 season and their first ever state title. The Cougars finished first in the state of Georgia and nationally ranked.

Swimming

The girls' swim team won the GA High School State Championship in 1993, 1995, 1996 and 2000. They were runner up in 2001 and 2005. The boys' swim team won the GA High School State Championship in 1996 while finishing runner up in 1993, 1995, and 2006.

Tennis

Student Newspaper

The Speculator: Voice and Vision is the school news magazine and news website for Chattahoochee High School. The Speculator originally began at Crestwood High School in 1974, and moved to Chattahoochee when the school opened in 1991. The Speculator was a monthly newspaper up until the 2010-2011 school year, when the staff decided to switch to a news magazine layout, allowing more incorporation of graphics and more involvement with the school's Imaginarium graphic design department. In the fall of 2011, the staff and graphics department jointly decided to add the "Voice" ending to the magazine title, to represent to magazine as the voice of the students. The Speculator: Voice is released five times a year. The Speculator: Vision is the news website version of the Speculator: Voice and was launched during the 2011-2012 school year.

Yearbook

The yearbook at Chattahoohee is called the Current and has published every year since its opening in 1991.

Extracurricular activities

CHS offers over 80 clubs. Notable clubs are the debate team, Science Olympiad, Academic Bowl, Chess Club, and the Table Top Gaming Club which has won state 10 years in a row.

Alumni Pavilion

The Alumni Pavilion is located at the south end of the Arena. It contains of covered space and a viewing deck, and consists of steel beam construction, wood finished columns, and a concrete deck. The pavilion is positioned as an overlook to the Arena and has hosted numerous pre-game activities such as cookouts and booster meetings.

Renovations

The school was slated to receive numerous renovations from the summer of 2014 until the summer of 2015.

Notable alumni