Riverside University High School
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Coordinates: 43°4′14.8″N 87°53′23.1″W / 43.070778°N 87.88975°W
| Established | 1912 |
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| Type | Public (magnet) secondary |
| Principal | Dr. Daniel Donder |
| Students | 1,600 (approx) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | 1615 E Locust St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA |
| Colors | Orange and black |
| Mascot | Tigers |
| Yearbook | 'The Mercury' |
| Newspaper | 'Word on the River (formerly Tiger Times) |
| Website | www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/riverside |
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Riverside University High School is a public high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a college preparatory curriculum. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system.
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[edit] History
[edit] Pre-1912
Starting in the early 1850s the newly established city of Milwaukee debated establishing a public high school. As early as 1860 Milwaukee had a high school program in the attic of an elementary school in the Brady St. area. After several fires and increasing enrollment, East Side High School opened in the late 1880s. By 1906 ground was broken for a state of the art building on 1615 N. Locust St. Using then modern technology, the architect increased the window size by using a steel frame designed to bear the weight of the building. This also allowed for less restrictive and cheaper construction. The design was that of a four-story U-shaped building with a three-story square building inside. The buildings were connected via five skywalks on the second "main" floor for access to the auditorium and two stairwells to access either basement level gym, nicknamed "the dungeon." Many of the buildings around the school were inspired by the Elizabethan and Romanesque facade of the school.
[edit] 1912–1945
The new building, dubbed Riverside High School, opened for classes in the fall of 1915. The school was also known as East Division High School until the mid 1980s. East Side High was a typical early 20th century high school with a mostly Caucasian student population.
Until the 1930s or 1940s Riverside did not have a school cafeteria and lacked a full library. By then Riverside had received a renovation and a three-story addition that added a third gym and a full cafeteria to the rear of the building, turning the U shape of the school into a square on all but the fourth floor. The third gym was originally intended to be a new pool, but cost and a looming war made it a want, not a need.
[edit] 1970s
By the 1970s Riverside High school, like many older urban schools, was in a state of rapid decay. The windows leaked water and snow and made the building's heating system unable to keep the staff and students warm. Nearly all aspects of the building were in disrepair. It was decided that a second addition and a renovation were in order. After a careful review, the building was retrofitted with new Plexiglass windows. The new windows yellowed over time and blocked much of the sunlight, as well as covered most of the window frame. A new building was added next to Riverside that included a six-lane 25-yard pool, a gym larger than both the original gyms combined, two auto shops, a foundry room, two metal shops, a drivers education room, the Anzivino Computer Lab, a fitness center, and more general classroom space. This extra space allowed the third floor cafeteria to be converted into a large library with three special media centers, while the basement level gym was turned into a cafeteria. The new building made Riverside compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 by adding street level and basement level ramps, as well as adding a second elevator; the original elevator is now used primarily as a service elevator. The addition also added three open "commons" areas, the Cafeteria Commons, the Pool Commons and the Leonard Commons (named after Larry Leonard, a former assistant principal and special ed teacher), often used for gatherings. The new addition created several dead spaces rarely seen, including the old gym seating behind a wall on the first floor near the rear hallway, and the staircases. The staircases run from the first floor to the fourth floor and are located between the old building and the new building elevator.
[edit] 1980s to 2000s
Along with several other schools in Milwaukee, the 1980s saw major curriculum changes for Riverside. Advanced Placement classes were added and the school was rededicated as Riverside University High School. The nickname "East Division High School" was dropped from the daily lexicon. With its new partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Riverside had transformed itself from a decaying urban school into one of the best AP based high schools in the nation.[citation needed] Riverside is one of the best performing schools in the metropolitan Milwaukee area.
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