Riverside Preparatory Academy is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for boys in grades 6 through 12 in

Gainesville, Georgia Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...

, United States.

History

The school was founded as Riverside Military Academy in 1907 by local professors and businessmen Haywood Jefferson Pearce and Azor Warner Van Hoose Jr with the mission of preparing ethical young men for success in college and life. Riverside opened its doors in fall 1908, but would not gain prominence until 1913 when a young professor from

Stone Mountain, Georgia Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 as of 2020. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square miles. It lies near and ...

, Edgar Dunlap "Sandy" Beaver (later a general) became the director of the school's Academics and Military Department. Riverside opened a winter campus in Hollywood, Florida, in 1931. It was briefly used as a Naval Air Gunners School during World War II. It was sold in 1984. The Gainesville campus underwent renovations from 1997 until 2004, adding a barracks building, academics building, gymnasium, and a library and performing arts center. In 2022, the school rebranded as Riverside Preparatory Academy to emphasize its rigorous academic program, while still holding on to a modified military mission. Robert Brittain Daniel, a lawyer, is the current president.

Awards

Riverside Preparatory Academy won "Best Band" by virtual appearance in the Atlanta Veteran's Day Parade in 2020. Riverside Preparatory Academy's Army JROTC Raiders Team has won national championships. Riverside Preparatory Academy won its 10th consecutive Atlanta Veterans Day "Presidents' Trophy" in 2019. The Riverside Preparatory Academy Track & Field team was crowned 2018 GHSA state champions.

Notable alumni

* Félix Arturo González Canto, governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (1986) * James Earl Carter Sr., father of U.S. President Jimmy Carter (Attended 1911) * Tyler Carter, former clean vocalist of the

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bands Woe, Is Me and Issues * Khalid Duke, college football defensive end for the Kansas State Wildcats *

CeeLo Green Thomas DeCarlo Callaway-Burton (born May 30, 1975), known professionally as CeeLo Green (or Cee Lo Green or simply Cee-Lo), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Green came to initial pr ...

(Thomas DeCarlo Callaway), singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor * Bobby Greenwood, professional golfer (Attended 1957) * 2LT John Herb, a World War II P-51 pilot who was shot down and died while strafing a Nazi Military Base (1940) * Admiral David L. McDonald, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations during the

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(1924) * Victor Miguel Pacheco Mendez, President of AraJet * Victor Oscar Pacheco Mendez, CEO of Grupo VOPM; founder of Panacrédito * Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill, composer, arranger, and conductor (1938) * Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus), American rapper part of rapper group,

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(Attended 2008) * Patrick O'Neal, actor * George P. Oslin, inventor of the singing telegram (1913) * Luis M. Proenza, university president (1962) * Tommy Prothro, football coach (1938) * Johnny Riddle, baseball player (1926) *

Red Sanders Henry Russell "Red" Sanders (May 7, 1905 – August 14, 1958) was an American college football player and coach. He was head footnall coach at Vanderbilt University (1940–1942, 1946–1948) and the University of California, Los Angeles (1949 ...

, football coach (1923) * Everett Strupper, leading scorer in the Georgia Tech 222, Cumberland 0 football game of 1916; member of the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

(1914) * Douglass Watson, soap opera actor (1938)

References

{{authority control Military high schools in the United States Schools in Hall County, Georgia Private high schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Private middle schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Preparatory schools in Georgia (U.S. state) 1907 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)