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By Drew Lawson
The Record-Times 

Rob Harper has seen it all

Longtime band teacher wears many hats

 

Last updated 12/18/2022 at 2:01pm

Drew Lawson | The Record-Times

Davenport band teacher and sports coach Rob Harper plays the trumpet while leading the pep band Tuesday, Dec. 13.

DAVENPORT-One day, he's conducting elementary schoolers through their annual Christmas concert. Another, he's stirring up the crowd while announcing an ASB wrestling meet. Later that day, he leads the high school pep band for a rivalry basketball game.

Such is the life of Rob Harper, a longtime teacher and coach here who has seen many students but remained a steadfast pillar of the school and community.

"You talk about someone who has been here the longest and seen it all, that would be Rob Harper," superintendent Chad Prewitt said.

Harper, who is in the middle of his 40th year as an educator after graduating from Eastern Washington University in 1983, came here in 1986 after three years teaching in Hunters.

"I lived next door to the school, so I would just walk every day," Harper said. "But my wife was commuting to Davenport...when the Davenport job opened up, she asked me if I'd apply."


Harper gave into his wife, Chris's pleadings and hand-scribbled an application before "stuffing it in the mail."

Harper was subsequently hired by then-superintendent Dave Iverson as a band teacher in 1986 and has been here ever since.

As he received his initial tour of the school from Iverson and principal Harold Patterson, he noticed folded-up wrestling mats in a corner and inquisitively inquired about whether the school offered competitive wrestling.

Iverson perked up.

"We do. Do you want to coach it?" Iverson asked Harper.

Harper said he didn't have any coaching credentials, but was interested in assisting the team. He was therefore named an assistant coach to then-head coach Mick Tareski.


"I often say that I didn't choose Davenport," Harper said. "It chose me."

Harper's first love is music, and his specialty is in trombone. He's participated in the Olympic Youth Symphony and said his appreciation for music was what originally got him into teaching.

As a band teacher, Harper is naturally in charge of Davenport's version of a high school pep band that would traditionally be seen mostly at football and basketball games at most schools.

Not in Davenport, and Harper shared the amusing story of why.

"When I first started, a lot of my band players were on the football team, and they would say 'we don't have to play because we're on the football team,'" Harper said.

Some volleyball players who were in the band pointed this out, so Harper took his football players to play at volleyball matches and vice versa.

"After that, the volleyball team started winning some games. The football team started winning some games," Harper said. "The school culture was everybody was supporting each other. I think it was highly productive and I like to think that the band had something to do with that."

The tradition continues to this day. The band can be seen not only at football and basketball games, but at volleyball matches and even soccer games.

"How often do you see the band at a soccer game in other places?" Prewitt said.

Harper, who continues to coach junior high football and junior high wrestling while co-advising Knowledge Bowl in addition to his band duties, shared another story to illustrate his appreciation for the Davenport community.

"The volleyball team was playing at Eastern in state, and football was playing a playoff game in Medical Lake," Harper said. "After the volleyball team won...they got on a bus and drove to Medical Lake and were there cheering and supporting the football team. That's the way things are in communities like this."

Harper was asked about his thoughts of the Davenport vs. Reardan rivalry ahead of Tuesday's basketball matchup between the two schools separated by 13 Highway 2 miles. He elected to quote former school board member Mike Strite, who allegedly gave the following response when asked about Reardan many years ago:

"We'd rather lose to the Russians."

Author Bio

Drew Lawson, Editor

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Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

 

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