To nominate just one member of this family would be a mistake. Christine, Greg and Shawn Schive have been the bedrock of John W. North High School for many years, and they help each other out on every program they lead. Christine is in her 30th year teaching at North. Counting her time as a student and as a dance team instructor during college, she has been part of the North community for 38 years. A lifelong Riversider, she attended Highland Elementary, University Heights Middle School, North and UC Riverside before beginning her career as an educator. Her family moved to Riverside in 1973, just before she was born, when her father, a B-52 pilot, was stationed at March Air Force Base. Her mother taught preschool near North.
Today Christine teaches math and dance and coordinates North's International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, a prestigious, internationally recognized high school diploma. She has led it for 21 of the program's 40 years at the school, and she also supports North's theater and music programs. Her husband, Greg, moved to Riverside when he was six months old and has been a Riversider ever since. He attended Liberty and Harrison elementary schools, Agape Christian School, Woodcrest Christian, Chemawa Middle School and Arlington High School. In his 20s, he attended RCC, marched in the band and worked full time for Stater Bros. at four stores around town: Mary Street, Blaine and Iowa, Arlington and La Sierra. He returned to college in 2000, finished his degree and began working at North, where he has been ever since.
At North, Greg teaches economics and runs the AVID program, which helps students prepare for four-year colleges while still in high school. As juniors, IB and AVID students travel with Greg to visit Northern California colleges, a trip the nominator notes most would never be able to make on their own. The Schives raised three sons who grew up around campus and then attended North. Their middle son, Taren, graduated in 2021 and went on to play college football as a kicker at San Jose State and then Boise State. Their youngest, Caden, is a senior and IB Diploma candidate who is active in band, dance team, USL (student government) and theater.
Their oldest, Shawn, is a North alum who had his parents as teachers. A lifelong Riverside resident, he left only briefly to attend Arizona State University and start his career. In fall 2024, he took over North's music program as director of instrumental music, including the famed Blue Star Regiment marching band. Since then, he has grown the program from around 60 members to just under 200, thanks to an enthusiastic leadership style that, the nominator says, makes any kid say yes to band. In his first year, he took the band to State Championships, something it had not managed in recent years. Shawn and his team lead students through marching band, concert band, jazz band, percussion and color guard ensembles, along with hundreds of events year-round. "A mentor of mine once said that a band program is like the business card of an organization," he said, and his students take pride in serving as ambassadors for their school.
What does Riverside mean to you?
Christine: Riverside is home. It represents family, community and shared history. For me, the connection to community is strongest when I am working with and advocating for our students at John W. North. Our school culture supports this work, and I am grateful to get to be a small part of shaping the future leaders of our city and beyond.
Greg: When I think of Riverside, I think of feelings of comfortable familiarity. Having spent my entire life here, there are not many places in town that I don't have memories of. And those memories come rushing back to me at different times, and for different reasons, when I move throughout town. Memories like the times spent in high school, crisscrossing town looking for adventure, riding my bike to California Baptist College (CBC at the time) to play Arlington Little League, or getting up at 5 a.m. every day to deliver newspapers on my bike. Just a few of many great memories that come back to me often.
Shawn: It may be a cliché, but I believe that our great city provides us with opportunity, entertainment, amazing public systems and organizations, all with the feel of a friendly small environment. I cannot believe how many people from our community I run into on a daily basis, and I marvel at the fact that with exponential growth and investment in how our city looks and functions, it retains the same homey feeling. Riverside is a place that I am proud to call home, and in the last three years since moving back, it has been a true gateway back into Southern California living for me.
What is your Mt. Rubidoux summit count (estimated)?
Christine: 10
Shawn: Not enough, and I say that shamefully since moving downtown last year. Probably five times? And counting!
What is your favorite restaurant outside of Downtown or Magnolia Center?
Christine: Hangar 24
Greg: We have been huge D'Caesaro's fans for many years. We don't get there as much as we once did, but I always enjoy it.
Shawn: Sushi Times by UCR! Great staff, great food and an overall great hang after my team and I get out of marching band practice!
What is the most beautiful building in Riverside?
Shawn: I am biased due to my profession, but I'll have to say the Coil School for the Arts, which houses the RCC Music Department. Catch a concert there. It is stunning!
What is your favorite Riverside small business?
Christine: Tiggy-Winkles Gift Shoppe
Greg: Keyes Mane Design! Where I get my biweekly haircuts.
Shawn: Keyes Mane Design down on Van Buren! They're part of the family and have been keeping the Schive hair looking fresh forever. Or at least as good as we can look :)
What is your favorite Riverside non-profit organization?
Christine: REEF (Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation)
Shawn: For my shameless plug, the booster organization that supports my students, the Blue Star Regiment Instrumental Music Association. My students and family members work incredibly hard to create meaningful musical experiences and amazing performances that enrich our community year-round. In addition, the Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation does amazing work to support students and educational endeavors throughout our city!
The Festival of Lights: Every year on opening night or maybe on a Tuesday?
Christine: Several times a year, many opening nights.
Greg: Probably a Tuesday. We have only been on opening night a few times. My dad retired from AT&T, working in the downtown building. We would go up on the roof and watch opening night.
Shawn: I'm in the neighborhood now, so why not both?
What is your go-to sandwich in town?
Christine: D'Elia's meatball or turkey
Shawn: I teach at North High School, so I have to give My Hero Subs a shout. Affordable, consistent and close!
What is your idea of a perfect weekend day in Riverside?
Shawn: A walk to grab coffee through the neighborhood, a stop at a shop or the library, lunch with my wife or a friend, and once the weather cools a bit more, maybe some time in the park or on a trail! The weeks can be long, so often a weekend is for hanging around the house and getting caught up on living.
What is your favorite spot for a date night?
Shawn: My wife is a new Riversider and LOVES an antique store, so we often find ourselves having dinner and a stroll through Mission Galleria. Anything that gets us out and about, and if on foot, even better!
Do you call it the Galleria or Tyler Mall?
Shawn: Tyler Mall!
What is one place in Riverside you would bring back if you could?
Christine: The Sub Station
Greg: Easy!! I would bring back the train caboose restaurant that was on the corner of Arlington and Magnolia. My mom took me there when I was a kid.
Shawn: I literally can't for the life of me remember the name, but I miss the place on Iowa down the street from North that had spicy breakfast burritos all day. High school me spent a lot of my parents' money there.
If you could put one message on a billboard on the 91, what would it be?
Shawn: Probably something cheeky and obnoxious like "Please Plan Ahead" to avoid those last-minute decisions that lengthen my trip.
Finally, tell us what you're working on right now and how our readers can support your efforts—whether it's a project, passion, or cause close to your heart!
Christine: The school year is in full swing! I am busy working with students in all facets of education, from math curriculum to dance practices to conversations about college applications to registration processes for IB and AP examination sessions to getting info out to eighth-grade families about enrollment in the IB program at North High School. It is certainly never dull!
Greg: As always, I am working on connecting AVID students to the next stage of their lives. Life pathways are always welcome. People have fascinating stories, and I love for my students to hear as many as possible.
Shawn: Keep supporting local art, especially when it is a student-led initiative. Our great city works so hard to provide arts education and resources for young people, and residents like you should go enjoy it!
Neighbor of the Week is our way of celebrating the hidden heroes of Riverside—those who go above and beyond to make our community stronger, kinder, and more vibrant. We believe every remarkable Riversider deserves their story told. Know someone who’s making a difference? Nominate a Neighbor of the Week
