Benjamin Elijah Mays High School

{{Short description|Public high school in Atlanta, Georgia, United States}}

{{Infobox school

| name = Mays High School

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| logo = BenjaminMayslogoHSGA.png

| logo_size = 180px

| motto = "A legacy to keep, an image to uphold..."

| established = 1981

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| type = Public

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| principal = Ramon Garner

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| teaching_staff = 112.00 (FTE)

| ratio = 12.17

| enrollment = 1,363 (2023–24){{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1300120&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=130012001865|title=Mays High School|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|access-date=December 26, 2024}}

| grade9 = 405

| grade10 = 377

| grade11 = 329

| grade12 = 252

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| grades = 9–12

| streetaddress = 3450 Benjamin E Mays Dr SW

| city = Atlanta

| state = Georgia

| zipcode = 30331

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| country = United States

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| district = Atlanta Public Schools

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| campus = Urban

| colors = Columbia blue and maize gold {{color box|#9BDDFF}}{{color box|#FBEC5D}}

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| mascot = Raiders

| free_label = Emblem

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| website = {{URL|https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/mays|atlantapublicschools.us/mays}}

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Benjamin E. Mays High School is a public school located in southwest Atlanta, Georgia, United States, serving grades 9–12. It is a part of the Atlanta Public School System and is a Georgia School of Excellence. The school was established in the fall of 1981 and was named after Benjamin Elijah Mays, an educator, author and civil rights activist.

The school's athletic nickname is the Raiders.

History

=Southwest High School (1950–1981)=

The Atlanta Public Schools formed Southwest High School in 1950. The school was a landmark in the city of Atlanta for 36 years. In 1981, Benjamin E. Mays High School was formed, replacing Southwest High School.

==Southwest High School athletics==

State Championships{{cite web|url=https://www.ghsa.net/ghsa-boys-basketball-champions

|title=GHSA Boys Basketball Champions|publisher=GHSA|date=April 16, 2015 |access-date=April 16, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ghsa.net/ghsa-football-champions

|title=GHSA Football Champions|publisher=GHSA|date=April 16, 2015 |access-date=April 16, 2015}}

1973 GHSA State AA Football Champions
1973 GHSA Boys' State AA Basketball Champions
1974 GHSA Boys' State AA Basketball Champions
1979 GHSA Boys' State AAA Basketball Champions

=Mays High School (1981–present)=

The high school completed $32 million worth of renovations in January 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7274-benjamin-e-mays-high-school|title=Benjamin E. Mays High School|website=www.architecturalrecord.com}}

==Mays High School athletics==

The Mays High School Raiders athletic teams compete in Region 4-AAAA of the Georgia High School Association.

Mays High offers a wide variety of athletic programs, including varsity girls' softball, varsity boys' track, varsity boys' soccer, varsity football, junior varsity football, freshman football, varsity boys' basketball, junior varsity boys' basketball, varsity girls' basketball, junior varsity girls' basketball, varsity basketball, junior varsity basketball, cheerleading, co-ed step team, varsity boys' swimming, varsity girls' volleyball, and varsity girls' swimming. All home varsity football games, as well as track events, are held at Lakewood Stadium.

State/Region Championships

2001 GHSA AAAA Boys' Track Champions
2003 GHSA AAAA Girls' Basketball Champions
2004 GHSA AAAA Boys' Basketball Champions
2005 GHSA AAAA Boys' Basketball Champions
2014 GHSA State AAAAA Football Runner-Up
2015 GHSA Region 6-AAAAA Football Runner-Up Champions
2016 GHSA Region 5-AAAAAA Football Champions
2017 GHSA Region 5-AAAAAA Football Champions
2017 GHSA State AAAAAA Girls' Basketball Champions
2017 GHSA State AAAAAA Girls' Track and Field Champions
2019 GHSA Region 5-AAAAAA Football Champions
2021 GHSA Region 6-AAAA Football Runner-Up Champions

Notable alumni

Andre Dickens, 61st Mayor of Atlanta
Mesha Mainor, State Representative in the Georgia House of Representatives
Tyrell Adams, NFL player
Tayari Jones, author
Kelly Campbell, former football player for Georgia Tech and several NFL and CFL teams
Xzavion Curry, Major League Baseball pitcher
Shanti Das, music industry executive, marketing consultant, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author
De'Mon Glanton, football player
Antonio Grier, NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers{{Cite web|url=https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/roster/antonio-grier/|publisher=Arkansas Razorbacks|title=Antonio Grier}}
Kwanza Hall, politician
Charles Lee Isbell Jr., dean of the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing{{Cite web|url=http://www.isbell.org/folks/isbell/home_Charles.html|title=Charles Isbell|website=www.isbell.org}}
Termarr Johnson, 2022 MLB 4th overall draft pick
Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University
Bryan McClendon, football coach and former player for Georgia{{cite web|url=http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bryan_mcclendon_683505.html|title=2018 Football Roster - University of Georgia|website=www.georgiadogs.com|access-date=February 17, 2015|archive-date=February 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217221259/http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/bryan_mcclendon_683505.html|url-status=dead}}
Ceasar Mitchell, former president of the Atlanta City Council
Adrienne C. Moore, actress
Natrez Patrick, NFL player
Diallo Riddle, writer, producer, and actor
Fatima Cody Stanford, an associate professor at Harvard University and an obesity physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Rozonda Thomas, R&B singer of the group TLC and actress{{Cite web|url=http://allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/406447/Rozonda-"Chilli"-Thomas|title=Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas Biography|website=AAE Speakers|access-date=2019-09-09}}
Reggie Wilkes, former Georgia Tech and NFL football player
Gerald Wilkins, NBA player
DeAngelo Yancey, football player