Spanish River Community High School
Encyclopedia
Spanish River Community High School is a public, coeducational high school serving the cities of Boca Raton
and Delray Beach
as part of the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. It is currently rated as the most comprehensive school in Palm Beach County. Spanish River is also among the few public high schools in the state of Florida to receive a distinguished GreatSchools.org Rating of 10 out of 10.
to host the Institute's first high school history program in the southeast United States. With the support of the Institute, the school has implemented a four-year American history program and a companion legal studies program. Students in the program take a course in American history each year.
The program also includes a unique Saturday Academy program for middle and high school students. The Saturday Academy features narrowly focused, in-depth courses in American history which give students and teachers the time and flexibility to study topics that may otherwise not be fully addressed during school hours http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/history4.html.
Academy was created in order to attract new students to the school and to lead education in Palm Beach County. Initially, classes were held in science classrooms at the school. At the start of the 08-09 school year, the school opened a high tech wing specifically for this academy. The Biotechnology Lab is State of the Art and the only of its kind in the Country. It includes a "Distance Learning Lab" for students to take classes from College Professors. The entire wing is similar to a lecture hall style building at Universities (the wing of the school replaced the old lecture hall building which sat 50 students, along with the adjacent Little Palm Theater which sat 250). It also includes an Indoor Greenhouse. The Biotech Lab includes some of the most up to date educational technology including: at least 1 "SmartBoard" in every classroom (with 3 in the Long Distance Lab), an LCD projector in every classroom to serve multiple uses, state of the art lab equipment, 2 Teacher Planning areas, sustainable restroom, Laptop stations, its own storage area, microscopes, etc.
The website of the Biotech Academy can be accessed from the school's web page on www.spanishriverbiotech.com
and Stage Craft aspect of productions at Spanish River. Currently the Drama department is headed by Rocco D'Attolico and Stage Craft by Diana Vacco. The drama side entails the actors of productions working through the blocking and other stage aspects. Stage craft focuses on the technical side of drama from set design to lighting and sound. Mainstage productions are performed inside the Countess de Hoernle Theatre that was completed in 2007. In recent years the department has put on a straight play
in the fall and a musical
in the spring. The most recent production include Fiddler on the Roof
in Spring of 2010, and A Streetcar Named Desire
in Fall of 2010. In the Fall of 2010 the Black box theater
was established in the drama classroom putting on one-act performances providing a more intimate experience of acting, while allowing for more students to be showcased than is possible in two main stage productions yearly. The next main stage production slated for Spring of 2011 is Guys and Dolls
.
The website of the Theatre Arts Department can be accessed from the school's web page on www.spanishrivertheatre.org
.
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
and Delray Beach
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
as part of the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida. It is currently rated as the most comprehensive school in Palm Beach County. Spanish River is also among the few public high schools in the state of Florida to receive a distinguished GreatSchools.org Rating of 10 out of 10.
The Entrepreneur Academy
With over 300 members the Spanish River Entrepreneurial academy is an integral part of the Spanish River Community. Ideal for students with an interest in business the academy has two distinct branches of curriculum; Accounting and Marketing. A Spanish River School Store in the main courtyard is run in conjunction with the PTSA and the help of Entrepreneurial Academy students, with partial proceeds benefiting the State's largest DECA chapter.The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History & Law
In 2005, Spanish River was selected by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistoryGilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, founded in New York by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman in 1994, was set up to promote the study and love of American history.The Institute serves teachers, students, scholars, and the general public...
to host the Institute's first high school history program in the southeast United States. With the support of the Institute, the school has implemented a four-year American history program and a companion legal studies program. Students in the program take a course in American history each year.
The program also includes a unique Saturday Academy program for middle and high school students. The Saturday Academy features narrowly focused, in-depth courses in American history which give students and teachers the time and flexibility to study topics that may otherwise not be fully addressed during school hours http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/history4.html.
Biotechnology Academy
In 2006, the Spanish River BiotechBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
Academy was created in order to attract new students to the school and to lead education in Palm Beach County. Initially, classes were held in science classrooms at the school. At the start of the 08-09 school year, the school opened a high tech wing specifically for this academy. The Biotechnology Lab is State of the Art and the only of its kind in the Country. It includes a "Distance Learning Lab" for students to take classes from College Professors. The entire wing is similar to a lecture hall style building at Universities (the wing of the school replaced the old lecture hall building which sat 50 students, along with the adjacent Little Palm Theater which sat 250). It also includes an Indoor Greenhouse. The Biotech Lab includes some of the most up to date educational technology including: at least 1 "SmartBoard" in every classroom (with 3 in the Long Distance Lab), an LCD projector in every classroom to serve multiple uses, state of the art lab equipment, 2 Teacher Planning areas, sustainable restroom, Laptop stations, its own storage area, microscopes, etc.
The website of the Biotech Academy can be accessed from the school's web page on www.spanishriverbiotech.com
Theatre Arts
The Theatre Arts Department encompasses both the DramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and Stage Craft aspect of productions at Spanish River. Currently the Drama department is headed by Rocco D'Attolico and Stage Craft by Diana Vacco. The drama side entails the actors of productions working through the blocking and other stage aspects. Stage craft focuses on the technical side of drama from set design to lighting and sound. Mainstage productions are performed inside the Countess de Hoernle Theatre that was completed in 2007. In recent years the department has put on a straight play
Straight play
A straight play is a term used to describe a form of theatrical production featuring spoken drama.While music is one of Aristotle's six elements of theatre, a straight play does not usually include singing. However, some singing may be used for special characterisation...
in the fall and a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
in the spring. The most recent production include Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
in Spring of 2010, and A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire (play)
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 1947 play written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1948. The play opened on Broadway on December 3, 1947, and closed on December 17, 1949, in the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. The Broadway production was...
in Fall of 2010. In the Fall of 2010 the Black box theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
was established in the drama classroom putting on one-act performances providing a more intimate experience of acting, while allowing for more students to be showcased than is possible in two main stage productions yearly. The next main stage production slated for Spring of 2011 is Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
.
The website of the Theatre Arts Department can be accessed from the school's web page on www.spanishrivertheatre.org
State Titles
Spanish River's athletic teams have won a number of state titles, including championships in:- Girl's Cross Country (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)
- Boy's Soccer (1997)
- Girl's Soccer (1996, 1997, 1999)
- Boy's Tennis (1989)
- Girl's Tennis (1987, 1989)
- Boy's Swimming (1987, 1989, 1990, 1991)
- Girl's Swimming (1986, 1987)
- Boy's Volleyball (2006, 2007)
- Girl's Volleyball (1989, 1991, 1996, 2003)
Rivalries
Rivalries also vary by sport. Girl's volleyball has an intense, long-running rivalry with Olympic Heights. Girl's soccer has a strong rivalry with Wellington High School, Parkland-Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, and the St. Andrew's School of Boca Raton.Athletics
- Remy HamiltonRemy HamiltonRemy Martin Hamilton is an American football kicker who played in the National Football League and Arena Football League . In college, he was an All-American for the Michigan Wolverines football team. As a professional, he played for the Detroit Lions of the NFL in addition to exhibition and...
, 1992 (football player, Dallas DesperadosDallas DesperadosThe Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
) - Al WallaceAl WallaceAlonzo Dwight Wallace is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football at Maryland.Wallace is an alumnus of Spanish River Community High School in Boca Raton,...
, 1992 (football player, Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
) - Lance FrazierLance FrazierElance "Lance" Frazier is an American Canadian football safety for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, as well as a Wide Receiver / Defensive Back for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League...
, 1998 (football player, Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Saskatchewan RoughridersSaskatchewan RoughridersThe Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
) - Jason GeathersJason GeathersJason Geathers is a wide receiver currently with the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League. He played his collegiate football with the Miami Hurricanes. Prior to joining the Riders, he played with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League. He was released by the Riders on June 24,...
, 2000 (football player, San Jose SaberCatsSan Jose SaberCatsThe San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
) - Danny ValenciaDanny ValenciaDaniel Paul Valencia is a third baseman for the Minnesota Twins.In high school, he was all-county three times and all-state twice. In college, he was Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team all-conference, and on his all-regional team...
, 2002 (baseball player, Minnesota TwinsMinnesota TwinsThe Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
) - Scott GordonScott Gordon (soccer)Scott Gordon is an American soccer player currently playing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the North American Soccer League.-College and amateur:...
, 2006 (soccer player, Fort Lauderdale Strikers)
Music
- Ryan ShoreRyan ShoreRyan Shore is a Grammy Award nominated composer for film, television, records and games. He is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music and is the nephew of Academy Award winning composer Howard Shore.-Music career:...
, 1992 (film composer, PrimePrime (film)Prime is a 2005 American romantic comedy film starring Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep and Bryan Greenberg. It was written and directed by Ben Younger...
) - Chris CarrabbaChris CarrabbaChristopher Ender Carrabba is the lead singer and guitarist of the band Dashboard Confessional, and is the vocalist for the American emo/indie rock band Further Seems Forever.-Biography:...
, 1993 (Lead singer of the band Dashboard ConfessionalDashboard ConfessionalDashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
) - Brett Loewenstern 2012 (Season 10 of American Idol, made it to Top 24)
School Rating
Each year the school is rated by the students' performance on the FCATFlorida Comprehensive Assessment Test
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or the FCAT , is the standardized test used in the primary and secondary public schools of Florida...
.
| Year | School Grade |
|---|---|
| 1999 | C |
| 2000 | C |
| 2001 | B |
| 2002 | A |
| 2003 | B |
| 2004 | A |
| 2005 | A |
| 2006 | A |
| 2007 | A |
| 2008 | A |
| 2009 | A |
| 2010 | A |
| 2011 | TBD |