On February 22, Bloomingdale Senior High School’s (BSHS) auditorium was officially dedicated as the Sutherland Hall of the Performing Arts, named after Beverly ‘Bev’ Sutherland.
Sutherland taught band, chorus, orchestra and color guard for nearly 40 years within Hillsborough County Public Schools. She taught at Bloomingdale from 1992 to 2004, 2006 to 2011 and 2016 to 2019.
The dedication event began with a ribbon-cutting and unveiling of the name above the entrance to the auditorium. Hundreds of Bloomingdale current and former staff, students, alumni and family members then filled the auditorium to listen to stories about Sutherland, her unwavering love and dedication to friends and students alike and performances by bands (Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble 1), orchestra (Chamber and Alumni) and choirs (Ambassadors and Alumni Choir). The grand finale of the program was a joint performance from the Alumni Choir, Orchestra and Wind Ensemble of “Sleep” by Eric Whitacre conducted by Jon Sever, supervisor of middle/secondary music education for Hillsborough County Public Schools and former director of bands at Bloomingdale.
Sutherland’s antics and personality left an impact on her students and fellow educators alike. All of the guest speakers shared stories of the fun she created and spoke of her commitment to excellence, belief in every student’s potential and her refusal to accept anything less than the best. Speakers included: Current Principal Dr. Marcos Rodriguez; Sever; Ted Hope, former BSHS band director; Scott Rudes, former BSHS orchestra director; Sue Burkett, former BSHS principal; and Robin Jackson.
“If Bev believed in something, she would never back down. If she believed in you, there was no limit to what she thought you could achieve,” Burkett said. “But what truly set Bev apart was the love that she had for her students.”
“Bev was always humble. She was a master teacher. She taught with tough love. As tough as she was on the kids, she cared so much about them,” Sever said.
Rudes said he learned from Sutherland how to discipline with love and the importance of knowing every student and letting them know how much you care.
“It was never about her being loved. It was about her loving others,” Rudes said.
“Bev understood the unique power of music to connect, heal and elevate. She saw music not as a subject but as a language — a language in which every student could express themselves, no matter their background, no matter their challenges,” Burkett said.
Along with the name dedication, improvements were made to the auditorium in Sutherland’s honor. The improvements include LED stage lighting and a control panel, stage curtains, grand piano refurbishment, new line panels in the lobby and all music rooms, a large new line panel for the stage, a stage camera in the South Booth, upgraded security doors in the music suite, dressing room renovations, a new carpet and new house lights. Donations are being accepted for additional improvements. For more information, email Andrea Lange at andream.peacock@hcps.net.
You must be logged in to post a comment.