Spanish River Community High School opened in the fall of 1983, graduating its first senior class in 1985. It was founded with the objective of relieving the crowding at Boca Raton Community High School and to anticipate the future growth in the population of suburban Boca Raton.[4]
It began operations under the direction of principal Dr. William Pinder (1982-1986), who was appointed in 1982 to oversee the staffing and opening of the school.[5]
Although the campus was initially isolated and surrounded by farms, it quickly filled beyond capacity as the neighboring area rapidly developed. Additional classroom space was constructed in 1985 and again in 1988. In 2008, the campus expanded again, as the district completed construction on the Countess de Hoernle Auditorium.[6]
Academics
Spanish River Community High School offers various Advanced Placement (AP) courses. It also has four specialized academies: American History & Law, Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Early Childhood.[7]
It was rated an "A" school by the Florida Department of Education in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006. The school earned the rate of "A" based on student performance on the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) in 2018 and 2019.[8]
Programs
The school has four specialized academies: American History and Law, Biotechnology, Early Childhood, and Entrepreneurship.
In 2005, Spanish River was selected by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to host the Institute's first high school history program in the Southeastern United States. With this support, the school implemented a four-year American history course and a companion legal studies program.[9]
The program also includes a unique Saturday Academy for middle and high school students, that features 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.[10]
In 2006, the Spanish River Biotech Academy was created in order to attract new students to the school. Initially, classes were held in science classrooms. In the fall of 2008, the school inaugurated a high tech wing specifically for this academy.[11]
Athletics
Spanish River Community High School's mascot is the Shark. The school supports over 19 sports, including: Football, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Cross-Country, Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Tennis, Track & Field, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Golf, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Bowling, Cheerleading and Flag Football.[12]
State titles
The athletic teams have won a number of state titles and championships in:
Girls' cross country (1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)[13]
The Boca Raton area has a large Jewish population, and the school offers optional courses on the Holocaust. The school became embroiled in controversy and national news media coverage in 2019, when remarks of its then-principal in 2018 led to allegations of Holocaust denial.[49][50][51]
In response, he was removed from his position as principal, and the Palm Beach County School District named Allison Castellano the school's principal on July 25, 2019. Castellano is an alumna of the high school.[2]
^ a bLofholm, Andrew; Susskind, Stephanie (July 25, 2019). "Allison Castellano to become new Spanish River High School principal". WPTV-TV. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
^Robb, Sharon (March 24, 1986). "Boca Swimmer Aims at Records, 1988 Olympics". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via Sun-Sentinel.com.
^La Bella, Laura (2015). Hulu and Jason Killar. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN 9781477779217.
^"A self-confessed star-gazer, Allison Lefcort paints almost nothing but celebrities". Boca Raton News. January 13, 1998. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
^"What's next for Brett Loewenstern?". Sun-Sentinel. April 30, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via Sun-Sentinel.com.
^"Former Marine from Wellington arrested in Capitol riots". The Palm Beach Post.
^Russo, Ric (February 17, 1991). "MILLS PLUNGES INTO DIVING AFTER OLYMPICS". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via orlandosentinel.com.
^"Bellisari Buckeye-Bound". Sun-Sentinel. January 30, 1993. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via Sun-Sentinel.com.
^"MARCHING BAND MAKES SOME NOISE". Sun-Sentinel. November 10, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via Sun-Sentinel.com.
^Kornacki, Steve (March 24, 2016). "Kornacki: Namesnik's Family Finds Life's Sunshine". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via mgoblue.com.
^"Spanish River grad makes it onto 'Players' on Spike TV". Retrieved February 19, 2019.
^"Top 10 Chief Technology Officer in the USA". Retrieved February 19, 2021.
^"Spanish River High School's symphonic band placed tops in the spring district competition". Newspapers.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
^"Carlos Guillermo Smith - 2018 - 2020 ( Speaker Oliva )". Florida House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via www.myfloridahouse.gov.
^Cainto, Stefanie. "Life In Color". Boca Magazine. p. 107.
^"Danny Valencia". Retrieved February 19, 2019.
^"LaDaris Vann". statscrew.com. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
^"GoodBye, Seniors Spanish River High Grad Battled Death To Get Degree". Sun-Sentinel. June 2, 1988. Retrieved February 19, 2019 – via Sun-Sentinel.com.
^Russo, Ric (May 19, 2014). "A bookseller's dream: the charming 'The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry'". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via miamiherald.com.
^Mervosh, Sarah (July 8, 2019). "Principal Who Tried to Stay 'Politically Neutral' About Holocaust Is Removed". New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
^"Florida principal reassigned after saying Holocaust was not "factual"". NBC News.
^"Spanish River High School Principal Reassigned Over Holocaust Comments". CBS4 Miami. July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
^"Search FCAT Results for Florida Schools". 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.