Notable Achievements
Newsweek Magazine ranked Wheeler in the top 5% of high schools in America in 2007 and Atlanta Magazine named Wheeler number 3 of the top 32 high schools in Georgia in 2006.
Wheeler's basketball team, led by coach Doug Lipscomb, is a nationally ranked program, winning 4 state titles between 2002 and 2009. Wheeler has taken the state title in 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2009. Wheeler was also the state runner-up in 1995 and 2008. With wins over regional teams from Alabama, Oregon, Arizona, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Canada, Wheeler's national profile continues to grow. Many of Lipscomb's players have gone on to play D-1 Basketball. Four of his players have gone on to play in the NBA. Lipscomb was also a coach for the east in the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic (where he coached his own player Jelan Kendrick).
The robotics club participates in the FIRST Robotics League and BEST Robotics Championships each year, earning the Chairman's Award three years in a row. The 2005 One-Act Play "Jerry Finnegan's Sister" won the Region and State Titles and received the awards for Best Actress and Actor in Region for Bailey McClure and Zlatomir Moldovanski respectively and Best Actor in State for Zlatomir. The debate team is nationally competitive. Students have received national recognition in prestigious science competitions including semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search and the Siemens Westinghouse Competition in 2004, 2006, 2007, & 2009 and semifinalists in the Young Epidemiology Scholars (YES) Competition in both 2006 & 2007. Wheeler's club water polo team, founded in 2006 by Owen Sweitzer and expanded by former coach Richard Tavernaro in 2007, competes around the Atlanta area. The team encourages other schools to form water polo programs and is responsible for the growth of interest in the sport in Georgia. Due to Wheeler's efforts, it is possible that Water Polo will become a Varsity sport in the future.
Wheeler offers a wide range of courses including honors courses, more than 25 AP classes and many Post-AP courses, including Genetics, Robotics, and Internship classes. Wheeler also has technical/vocational courses for those seeking a vocational diploma. The Center for Advanced Studies offers dual college prep and technology seals on a participant's high school diploma.
Wheeler is home to the award winning Wildcat Pride Marching Band, directed by Mark Hoskins.
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