Riverside Preparatory Academy is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for boys in grades 6 through 12 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States.
History
The school was founded as Riverside Military Academy in 1907 by local professors and businessmen Haywood Jefferson Pearce[1] and Azor Warner Van Hoose, Jr [2] with the mission of preparing ethical young men for success in college and life.
1911 Riverside Preparatory Academy Yearbook showing Pearce as secretary of the board of directors.
Riverside officially opened its doors during the Fall 1908, but would not gain prominence until 1913 when a young Professor from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Edgar Dunlap "Sandy" Beaver (later General) became the Director of Riverside Military Academies' Academics and Military Department.[3][4] Riverside had a Winter campus in Hollywood, Florida, which briefly was used as a Naval Air Gunners School during WWII,[5] from 1931 until 1984, when it was sold. The Gainesville campus underwent renovations from 1997 until 2004, adding a new barracks building, academics building, gymnasium, and a library and performing arts center.[6]
In 2022, the school rebranded as Riverside Preparatory Academy to emphasize its academic successful, while still holding on to a modified military mission.
Awards
Riverside Preparatory Academy won "Best Band" by virtual appearance in the Atlanta Veteran's Day Parade in 2020.
Riverside Preparatory Academy won its 10th consecutive Atlanta Veterans Day, "Presidents' Trophy" in 2019.[7]
The Riverside Preparatory Academy Track & Field team was crowned 2018 GHSA state champions.[8]
Notable alumni
This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations.(January 2018)
