Stevens High School, Rapid City, SD
Encyclopedia
Stevens High School is one of two public high schools in Rapid City, South Dakota
. The school opened in November of 1969 and has an enrollment of approximately 1600 students. Renowned for academics, performing arts, and athletics, the school is situated in the foothills of South Dakota's Black Hills on the city's western outskirts. The school colors are blue and silver, and the school teams and organizations are known as the "Raiders", after the mascot known as "The Raider Guy".
The campus includes an 800-seat theater with state-of-the-art computerized lighting and sound equipment, and a college-class gym complex with multiple basketball courts, dedicated wrestling and weight-training facilities . The Carold Heier Gymnasium seating 5,000+ spectators has hosted a national ESPN broadcast, as well as speakers such as George McGovern, Mrs. Richard Nixon and President Bill Clinton. Stevens is among a handful of high schools anywhere possessing a large concert organ, a three-manual, 88-stop instrument in the Milo Winter Fine Arts Auditorium.
Stevens has had 10 students named as U.S. Presidential Scholars
since 1970.
The marching and concert bands received the John Philip Sousa
Foundation's Sudler Flag of Honor, an international award recognizing high school concert bands, in 1985. The "Raider Fight Song", written by band composer Paul Yoder, was premiered by the Rapid City High School Band at nearby Mount Rushmore prior to the schools opening with the composer in attendance. The band has performed concerts in several European countries, as well as at the Rose Parade in Pasadena and at Mile High Stadium for the Denver Broncos.
The 120-member Stevens Symphonic Orchestra has qualified the most participants in the South Dakota All-State Orchestra for 29 of the past 32 years, placing 53 members in the 2001 All-State Orchestra. The Stevens Chamber Orchestra won the Gold Medal at the Young Manhattan Music Festival in 1985, receiving a standing ovation from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Samuel Adler, who served as head judge. In May 2007, the "Jay Sharp Memorial Concert Organ" of 100 digital ranks was dedicated in a performance of Saint Saens "Organ Symphony #3" featuring organist Justin Matters.
The athletic teams at Stevens have combined for more state titles than any other South Dakota High School.{Source-SDHSAA} Stevens has 104 state athletic titles.
In a 2005 Sports Illustrated article, Stevens was identified as the #1 athletic high school in the state of South Dakota. In this same article, Stevens was picked as the 41st best school nationally for activities from over 38,000 schools.
A large part of the 104 state championships has been a result of the Raider Girls and Boys track and cross country teams respectively.
The girls' track team has won every state title from 1996 through 2008 (13th in 2008).
The boys cross country team also won 10 consecutive state cross country titles. The run started in 1995 and went through 2004.
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
. The school opened in November of 1969 and has an enrollment of approximately 1600 students. Renowned for academics, performing arts, and athletics, the school is situated in the foothills of South Dakota's Black Hills on the city's western outskirts. The school colors are blue and silver, and the school teams and organizations are known as the "Raiders", after the mascot known as "The Raider Guy".
The campus includes an 800-seat theater with state-of-the-art computerized lighting and sound equipment, and a college-class gym complex with multiple basketball courts, dedicated wrestling and weight-training facilities . The Carold Heier Gymnasium seating 5,000+ spectators has hosted a national ESPN broadcast, as well as speakers such as George McGovern, Mrs. Richard Nixon and President Bill Clinton. Stevens is among a handful of high schools anywhere possessing a large concert organ, a three-manual, 88-stop instrument in the Milo Winter Fine Arts Auditorium.
Stevens has had 10 students named as U.S. Presidential Scholars
Presidential Scholars Program
The United States Presidential Scholars Program is the highest possible honor for graduating high school seniors in the United States of America....
since 1970.
The marching and concert bands received the John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
Foundation's Sudler Flag of Honor, an international award recognizing high school concert bands, in 1985. The "Raider Fight Song", written by band composer Paul Yoder, was premiered by the Rapid City High School Band at nearby Mount Rushmore prior to the schools opening with the composer in attendance. The band has performed concerts in several European countries, as well as at the Rose Parade in Pasadena and at Mile High Stadium for the Denver Broncos.
The 120-member Stevens Symphonic Orchestra has qualified the most participants in the South Dakota All-State Orchestra for 29 of the past 32 years, placing 53 members in the 2001 All-State Orchestra. The Stevens Chamber Orchestra won the Gold Medal at the Young Manhattan Music Festival in 1985, receiving a standing ovation from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Samuel Adler, who served as head judge. In May 2007, the "Jay Sharp Memorial Concert Organ" of 100 digital ranks was dedicated in a performance of Saint Saens "Organ Symphony #3" featuring organist Justin Matters.
The athletic teams at Stevens have combined for more state titles than any other South Dakota High School.{Source-SDHSAA} Stevens has 104 state athletic titles.
In a 2005 Sports Illustrated article, Stevens was identified as the #1 athletic high school in the state of South Dakota. In this same article, Stevens was picked as the 41st best school nationally for activities from over 38,000 schools.
A large part of the 104 state championships has been a result of the Raider Girls and Boys track and cross country teams respectively.
The girls' track team has won every state title from 1996 through 2008 (13th in 2008).
The boys cross country team also won 10 consecutive state cross country titles. The run started in 1995 and went through 2004.
Notable alumni
- Catherine BachCatherine BachCatherine Bach is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard and Margo Dutton in African Skies.-Career:...
- Actress - Dave CollinsDave CollinsDavid S. Collins is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from to .Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the storied Rapid City Post 22 American Legion baseball program in Rapid City, SD...
- MLB Player from 1975 -1990 - Mark EllisMark Ellis (baseball)Mark William Ellis is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. He has played for the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies.-Early career:...
- Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player for the Colorado RockiesColorado RockiesThe Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, former Florida Gator - Becky HammonBecky HammonRebecca Lynn "Becky" Hammon is a professional basketball player currently under contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars of the WNBA.-Early life:...
- WNBA All-Star - Katariina Souri (formerly known as Minna Katariina "Kata" Kärkkäinen) - Finnish author, artist and columnist, and Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month in December 1988 (attended Stevens High School as a foreign exchange student)
- Randy LewisRandy Lewis (wrestler)Randy Lewis is an American wrestler and olympic champion. He competed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he received a gold medal in freestyle featherweight. After winning three high school state titles in South Dakota, he was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at the...
- Olympic Gold Medalist-Wrestling 1984 - Eric PiatkowskiEric PiatkowskiEric Todd Piatkowski is a former American professional basketball player. He most recently played for the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns. He is the son of former ABA player Walt Piatkowski.-High school career:...
- NBA Basketball player - Cliff Graham - Novelist and screenwriter