| Snapshot from The Ridge |
Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life. 
Students discuss the finer points of a lesson with math teacher Mr. El Alam. |
Bulletin Board
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Call for Photos!
We are collecting arts, service, global, and athletic photos to
feature in the video montages that will be on display in the new Athletic Center. If you would like to submit your top one, ten, twenty, or even fifty photos for consideration, please contact Kari Perry at perrykari@gmail.com. Of particular need are photos of class trips and global travel, as well as athletic photos for boys and girls lacrosse, boys tennis, and all Middle School sports. All photos (via CDs, memory sticks, or photo share sites) should be high resolution (1 MB or more) are needed by April 9th. We have flash drives available for downloading, if needed. Thank you for your contributions!
Latest Global Vantage Available
Issue 3 of Global Vantage is now available for your reading pleasure, and includes submissions from Pacific Ridge students, parents, faculty members, and an alum from last year's graduating class. Stories echo the issue's theme, Building Relationships, with perspectives from Bangladesh, Chile, the former Czechoslovakia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Kenya, Mexico, Tibet, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria. The Global Vantage staff will distribute copies immediately after school on Friday, March 23rd, during the student pick-up hour. They will also provide freshly brewed tea, and will be available to provide information and answer questions about the Global Journal Project. Questions? Contact Steve Le at sle@pacificridge.org.
Reminders:
Upper School Game Night on March 23rd
Upper Schools students are invited to Game Night on Friday, March 23rd. Students can enjoy pizza, snacks, and drinks as they play card and video games.
Date: Friday, March 23rd
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Place: East and West Reading Rooms
Summer Shakespeare in the Park program at Pacific Ridge School - Last Interview Sessions on March 31st
The Pacific Ridge Theater Arts Department is proud to announce that New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad will be collaborating with Pacific Ridge School to host a six-week summer theater program beginning on July 9th and concluding on August 12th with a professional performance on our very own campus. Students interested in participating should contact Mr. Justin Lang directly. Click here to find Mr. Lang's email and to learn more about this unusual and exciting opportunity to work with a professional, award winning theater. The final set of auditions/interviews will take place on Saturday, March 31st. If there are still spots available after March 31st, New Village Arts Theatre will conduct rolling auditions/interviews over the following two months.
GAME TIME!
05.04.2012
Our Field. Our Court. Our HOUSE!
B.Y.F.S. (Bring Your Firebird Spirit!)
Don't miss the celebration: the ribbon cutting for the new Athletic Center is right around the corner. 4:30 p.m. (but come early for off-site parking).
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New & Noteworthy
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A Cappella Ensemble Plays Carnegie Hall
Congratulations and welcome home to the Pacific Ridge A Cappella Ensemble, whose members traveled to New York City last week for a singing engagement at Carnegie Hall. The group joined ensembles from seven schools throughout the country, all of whom were invited based on their gold rating performances last year at the Heritage Festival in San Francisco. Students rehearsed for 15 hours over three days, and then took the stage to sing seven different arrangements, among them Anthem for Spring by Petro Mascagni, Still Wie Die Nacht by Carl Bohmm, and Battle Hymn of the Republic. They were also paid a surprise visit by alum David Hines ('12), who brought flowers and sat in the front row displaying a sign that read "Another Success for PRS!" Ensemble Director Steve Dziekonski was delighted about the entire experience: "They had the opportunity to perform a concert on a professional level with a professional conductor in a world-renowned concert hall. It was thrilling to see our students so excited about singing, and the electrifying musical energy during the performance was palpable. They rocked Carnegie Hall with their singing." Bravo to the Pacific Ridge A Cappella Ensemble, and thank you, Mr. Dziekonski, for getting our kids to Carnegie Hall!
Honors Theater Students Present Original One Acts
On Wednesday, March 14th, the Honors Theater class presented eight original one-act plays, all written and directed by students. The plays, whose stories ranged from a young man who dreams of his brother's freedom, to a rigid scientist seeking solutions from his coffee shop barista, all emerged from a residency with the Playwrights Project. Students now have the opportunity to revise their plays for entry into the San Diego Playwrights Project Competition. Bravo to our young playwrights: Ariana Bancroft, Haleigh Benjamin, Hunter Headapohl, Bobby Leonard, Eva Loeser, Hannah Mower, Xhidae Otam, Eric Straw.
Face to Faith Continues with St. Patrick's School in India
Face to Faith video conferences continue to draw Pacific Ridge students into conversations with their peers around the globe. On Thursday March 13th, a group of Pacific Ridge students talked to students from St. Patrick's School in Asansol, India. During the discussion, participants offered information about the importance of festivals in their respective cultures, and the different ways festivals are celebrated. The discussion gave participants an opportunity to reflect on the way that faith-based celebrations continue to inform our cultures, albeit in new and transformed ways. The next Face to Faith video conference will take place on March 27th, when students will embark on a discussion about the connection between belief and attitudes to the physical world.
Panels Review Service Learning Groups
For the second time this year, all seventeen Upper School Service Learning groups presented their missions, activities, and future goals to panels made up of Pacific Ridge faculty, staff, and students. The groups discussed how they incorporated recommendations from the first panel review, held in December, and highlighted their most significant achievements from this year. Teacher Todd Burckin, who organized the panel reviews, commented on their outcomes: "The assessments have enabled groups to share their work, gain focus, make concrete changes, and re-examine their goals in truly productive ways. They have also allowed faculty and staff not regularly involved with the program to catch a glimpse of what students have been up to outside of the classroom. The entire program has benefited from these great exchanges."
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Curricular Adventures
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Seventh Graders Experience Border
On Friday, March 16th, 7th-grade students visited the Mexican-American border, where they saw, touched, and discussed the double fences that separate Mexico from the United States. Two guest speakers - Diana Hinojosa, a Community Relations expert for the U.S. Border patrol, and Pamela Calore, a representative of Border Angels, spoke to students about the border. "One big takeaway," said teacher Mike Wilper, "was how familiar and real the border area felt. Students were able to shed their preconceived notions of border towns." Last Friday's field trip kicked off a unit on borders - students will spend several months examining border relationships throughout the world in a variety of classes.
Eighth Graders Practice Physics at Knott's Berry Farm
The entire eighth-grade class visited Knott's Berry Farm on Monday March 12th, where they experienced the thrills of circular motion, centripetal force, and acceleration. As part of Physics Day at the park, students were asked to choose three rides and then to determine speed, force, and acceleration during turns and loop to loops. Eighth graders had a blast taking measurements in their outdoor Physics "laboratory."
 Ready to measure!
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Service Learning in the Field
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Project Bus-San Ignacio, begun last year as a seed grant proposal by then-sophomores Akash Patel and Ian Torbett, is moving toward the construction phase. The project, which as been featured in the San Diego Union Tribune and Pacific San Diego Magazine, will transform an abandoned school bus into a library and community resource center for children in Baja California's San Ignacio Lagoon. Akash and Ian responded to a few questions:
What drew you to this project?
Education is a universal value, and one we could get behind.
How did you raise money for this project?
We turned to everyone we could: family, friends, foundations, small grants. But our fundraising is far from done.
What are the qualities that have been central to keeping this project afloat?
First of all, passion. You have to really care about the work in order to see it through. Also, commitment, persistence, communication, and follow through.
Akash and Ian will take part in a panel discussion at the Teen International Giving Forum, sponsored by International Community Foundation, on April 28th. They will talk, along with other young people who have designed service projects based in Mexico, about international philanthropic engagement. Click here to learn more about the current state of their project.
Correction: New Ocean Blue, featured in last week's "Service Learning in the Field," did not begin as a Pacific Ridge seed grant project. Sisters Megan and Kimberly Chang-Haines started the non-profit organization after deciding "to help the Earth in some way." Also, the organization's focus is on reducing and reusing, rather than recycling, plastic. Thank you, Megan and Kimberly, for setting the record straight. Click here for more information on New Ocean Blue.
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Sports on the Ridge
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Congratulations to the following students, who received All-Pacific League honors thanks to their performance on Winter sports teams: Boys Varsity BasketballLuke Lango, 1st Team Parker Lawlor, Honorable Mention Girls Varsity BasketballKati Perry, 2nd Team Boys Varsity Soccer1st TeamVoja Maric Sam Carney James Burdick Jack Merrifield 2nd TeamConnor Asbill Max Levin Player of the YearVoja Maric Girls Varsity Soccer1st TeamKatie O'Laughlin Delaney Miller Shannon Smith Jasmine Griggs 2nd TeamEmily Yun Jenna Memmolo Nike Schlachter Caroline Gartland Player of the YearKatie O'Laughlin Scores
Girls MS− A Basketball
03/15/12 Maranatha Christian Home 53 19 W
Coed Varsity Golf
03/13/12 San Diego Jewish Academy Away 231 276 W
Boys Varsity Tennis
03/13/12 Santa Fe Christian Schools Home 12 6 W
03/15/12 Army Navy Academy Away 13 5 W
Coed Middle School Tennis
03/15/12 Santa Fe Christian Schools Home 4 2 W
Boys Varsity Lacrosse
03/16/12 St. Augustine High School Home 10 4 W
Boys MS− A Lacrosse
03/17/12 San Carlos A I Home 13 0 W
Boys MS− B Lacrosse
03/17/12 Scripps Ranch Home 3 4 L
Girls Varsity Lacrosse
03/12/12 Canyon Crest Academy Away 1 11 L
03/15/12 Patrick Henry High School Home 4 12 L
Girls Junior Varsity Lacrosse
03/12/12 Canyon Crest Academy Away 10 10 T |
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In a community that fosters academic excellence, ethical responsibility, and global engagement, Pacific Ridge School prepares students for college and a purposeful life.
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March 23rd
Upper School
Game Night
East & West
Reading Rooms
6-9 p.m.
March 26th-30th
International Week @ Pacific Ridge School
March 30th
International
Food & Music Day
April 2nd-6th
No School -
Spring Break
April 9th
School resumes
April 20th
Middle School
Service Day
May 4th
Athletic Center Ribbon Cutting
4:30 p.m.
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A View from The Ridge 
