The Rivers School is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

preparatory school in

Weston, Massachusetts Weston is an affluent town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located approximately west of Boston. At the time of the 2020 United States census, the population of Weston was 11,851. Weston was incorporated in 1713, and protect ...

History

Rivers School was founded in 1915 as an educational institution for boys in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...

. Robert W. Rivers founded the school and was its first headmaster. The Country Day School for Boys of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

merged with Rivers in 1940, and the school moved to its present location in

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

in 1960. It became co-educational in 1989.

The Rivers School Conservatory

The Rivers School Conservatory was founded in 1975 by Ethel Bernard, one of the pioneers of the music school movement. She approached Rivers School with the idea of using the then-unoccupied former headmaster's house on the campus (now called Blackwell House after George H. Blackwell). It was first called the Music School at Rivers, then Rivers School Conservatory. In 1978, the ''Annual Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young'' was established, with guests including

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

(1983). All pieces performed are composed in the 25-years prior to each seminar. Recent examples include ''Matinee: The Fantom of the Fair'' by

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

. The Conservatory currently has more than 750 students, including a student orchestra program, jazz and chamber ensembles, music theory and composition, a marimba program, choruses, master classes, workshops, and private lessons for instruments, piano, and voice.

Clubs and co-curriculars

* The robotics team ''Architects'' competed in the

FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly known as FIRST Vex Challenge, is a robotics competition for students in grades 7–12 to compete head to head, by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other te ...

, under the team number 4176.

Notable alumni

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

’39, actor * John T. Noonan, Jr. '44, judge * David Steinberg '46, professor of Asian Studies *

Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is primarily about exploring American institutions. In 2017, ''The New York Times'' called him "one of the most important and origina ...

'47, documentary filmmaker * David Lamb '51, reporter * Glen W. Bowersock ’53, historian * Richard G. Darman ’60, director of the Office of Management and Budget (1989–1993) * David Sutherland '63, documentary filmmaker * Joseph I. Banner ’71, football team owner * Philip Goldberg '74, The US Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research * Josh Kraft '85, philanthropist * Jon Anik '97, television host * Stephen Belichick, football player * Jillian Dempsey ’09, ice hockey player *

Charlie Rugg Charles Nosike Rugg (born October 2, 1990) is an American soccer player. Career Professional Los Angeles Galaxy selected Rugg in the first round (No. 19 overall) of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. Rugg made his debut for Galaxy on April 27, 2013, ...

'09, soccer player *

Elliot Richardson Elliot Lee Richardson (July 20, 1920December 31, 1999) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. As a member of the cabinets of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1970 and 1977, Richardson is one of two men in United States history ...

, member of Nixon and Ford cabinets * Tayra Meléndez '14, basketball player * Jermaine Samuels ’17, basketball player

References

External links

* {{authority control Independent School League Schools in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts Private high schools in Massachusetts Weston, Massachusetts 1915 establishments in Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1915