Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida)

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A March 2007 view of the courtyard entrance area shows the textbook example of International Style architecture where the design is notable for the absence of ornament in favor of exposed steel and glass
A March 2007 view of the courtyard entrance area shows the textbook example of International Style architecture where the design is notable for the absence of ornament in favor of exposed steel and glass

Riverview High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Sarasota, Florida, United States. Riverview educates students from ninth grade to twelfth grade. The school has 2,654 students and 161 teachers. The school's mascot is the ram.

Notable programs at the school include the International Baccalaureate Program, a rigorous regimen that prepares its candidates on an international rubric and prepares them for further education; a Chamber Choir that has performed in Europe and New York's Carnegie Hall; and the Riverview High School Kiltie Band, a group of about 220 musicians that has marched three times in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Riverview's main building opened in 1958, and includes a planetarium. The main building was designed by noted International Style architect Paul Rudolph, dean of the Yale School of Architecture. While Rudolph was later associated with the architectural style Brutalism, Riverview is in the International Style. It is one of the best-known structures associated with the Sarasota School of Architecture, sometimes referred to as Sarasota Modern.

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[edit] Renowned Paul Rudolph structure threatened with demolition

The cafeteria is just behind the administration building and opens onto this main courtyard
The cafeteria is just behind the administration building and opens onto this main courtyard

In 2006, Sarasota County approved spending an estimated $130 million on the reconstruction of the school, which would include demolition of the Rudolph building. [1] The new high school building would increase classroom space and bring the school's facilities up to date. The Rudolph structures would be replaced with a parking lot.

The building's critics contended that Rudolph's roof design, which was intended to make runoff water resemble a "waterfall," caused water to pool dangerously in the hallways. School officials also asserted that mold was an ongoing problem [2]. Proponents for restoration of the buildings cite that inappropriate alterations to the original design have created some of the problems and that proper maintenance has been deferred as well, making the problems seem much greater, but that remedial action is feasible.

The demolition plans were opposed by historic preservationists, including the directors of the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, the directors of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, the founder of Friends of Seagate, and the president-elect of American Institute of Architects, Florida [3].

Riverview High School was placed on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the most endangered historic sites and was nominated for placement on the National Trust for Historic Preservation 2007 list of the America's Most Endangered Places. [4] [5]

At a January 2007 Sarasota public meeting, the founder of Friends of Seagate asked Andres Duany to relate the prevailing international opinion regarding the demolition plans for Riverview High School. He stated that the reputation of Sarasota as a leader in the arts would be destroyed, forever, if demolition of this significant structure is allowed. [6]

In February 2007, and after pressure from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the school board agreed to consider new options in lieu of demolition [7].

Details of the novel approach by the architect to deal with the environmental factors in subtropical Sarasota
Details of the novel approach by the architect to deal with the environmental factors in subtropical Sarasota

Considering the international concern expressed about the cultural value of the buildings, as well as, the actions of a local organization formed to advance alternative plans for the new development that would include restoration of the Rudolph structures and placing the parking lot intended to replace it under the athletic fields, on March 20, 2007 the school board announced that it would allow a year for consideration of implementation of alternative proposals. This follows a charrette conducted locally by the National Trust for Historic Preservation where the plan for the relocation of the parking lot was proposed.

The office of architect Carl Abbott, FAIA, who is considered a member of the Sarasota School of Architecture, released information about a co-operative effort by the Save Riverview Committee, the Florida Association of Architects, and the Sarasota Architectural Foundation, at which the documentary Site Specific: The History of Regional Modernism, by Susan Szenasy, editor in chief of Metropolis magazine, was previewed on March 24 at Burns Court Cinema in Sarasota. In the film, Szenasy explores the historic significance of Riverview High School and features expressions of the concern of architects around the world compared with the designer of the new campus and a maintenance staff member at the school. The film is intended for a Fall lecture tour of the United States by Szenasy as she discusses the issues of historic preservation, community history, and the education of students.

[edit] Highlander Drum Corps

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The Highlander Drum Corps is the official drumline of the Riverview High School Kiltie Band. As of the 2005-2006 marching season, the unit currently contains about 30 percussionists, all skilled in various areas of the musical field, but as the name implies with strict emphasis in the percussive arts, mainly in marching percussion. As most other drum lines / drum corps seen throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world, the Highlander Drum Corps is composed of several battery percussion instruments - the Snare drum (small, high-pitched drum located in the center of the drumline), the Bass drum (generally larger drums varying in size and pitch), Tenors/Quints (combined set of 5 or more drums in one piece), and marching cymbals that add visual flair and dynamic impact in the cadence repertoire of the line.

[edit] History of the Highlander Drum Corps

  • Note: For the sake of copyright conditions, it must be noted that this portion of the article is influenced directly from the "About the HDC" section of the Official Website of the Highlander Drum Corps*

The Highlander Drum Corps received its name in the mid-1990s to highlight the Scottish heritage of both Riverview High School and the RHS Kiltie Band. Since 1999, the HDC has marched between 25 and 30 members in its ranks, generally marching 6 snares, 5 tenors (quints), 6 basses, and 10 - 12 cymbals. During that year, the HDC participated in its first fundraiser, the HDC Drum - a - thon, and raised $11,000 to purchase new equipment (Premier Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, harnesses, cases, and cymbal bags) for the line.

The actual Riverview High School Drumline however is as old as the RHS Kiltie Band itself. It has remained a unit of the band since the organization's inaugural year of 1960. As noted above, the HDC title came much later in the mid-1990s, and HDC gained the reputation it has now with the coming of Director of Percussion Chuck Evans in his first year at RHS in 1998. As alumni of Florida State University in 1995, he transformed the group from a traditional high school drumline, to a well-rounded and experienced unit almost immediately. The Section Leader of the FSU Drum Line "Big 8" during college, he has brought over and taught numerous college-level cadences and warmups, courteousy of both Big 8, and several other drumlines and corps' throughout the nation.

As of November, 2004, the Highlander Drum Corps have succeeded in their quest for new drums and ensemble equipment. Although due partly to their very own fund-raising efforts, the greatest financial supplement came in the Sarasota County referendum on program spending in Sarasota County schools. As a result of this, and the strenuous efforts of director Chuck Evans, the Highlander Drum Corps has to this date received an estimated $50,000 worth of equipment for marching and concert season usage. This came a matter of a week before the Highlander Drum Corps and the Riverview High School Kiltie Band marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

[edit] Responsibilities and General Activities of the Highlander Drum Corps

As a direct arm of the RHS Kiltie Band, the HDC is involved in all activities of the organization, primarily during the marching season; including half-time performances, community events, marching competitions, pep rallies, and multitudes of other events focused on the Sarasota community, and primarily Riverview High School.

Aside from band-affiliated music, the line specializes in cadences developed directly for either the HDC specifically, or for other drumlines in general. These are normally performed at pep rallies, miscellaneous community events, or most notably - "drumoff" competitions between school drumlines during the RHS football games. These cadences and features exemplify the most visually and acoustically valuable abilities of the HDC, as they perform pieces involving high-tempo pace, various degrees of drill, great levels of dynamic contrast, and incorporation of complex visual maneuvers into the pieces themselves. One of the most recent, and most anticipated moments of the HDC drumoff will include a solo cadence "Wail!", which features the individual talents of the gifted members of this drumline.

The HDC's greatest rivals include cross-town nemesis Sarasota High School, and Bradenton-based Manatee High School. Although there has been instances of bad blood in the past between these schools and others, overall throughout the years there has been generally little hostility between one another, as the drumoff is meant to be an exhibition of friendly competition, and recognition of each other's skills and specific cadences.

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