Each week, Pacific Ridge School invites you to enjoy a spontaneous view of school life.

Girls Varsity Volleyball players add flair to the job of line judging at a recent tournament game.

On Wednesday, October 2nd, Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Daryl Davis presented to a rapt audience of Pacific Ridge students, faculty and staff about his personal mission to understand the roots of racism. Davis, who spent much of his youth in multi-racial societies outside the U.S., was surprised by the intensity of racism he found when his family moved to Maryland in the 1960's.  Over a number of years, Davis set out to answer the question "Why do you hate me when you don't even know me?" Uniquely, his approach involved putting himself at risk to build relationships and understanding with extreme racists, among them prominent members of the Ku Klux Klan. After his talk, Mr. Davis shared his musical talents with the school by performing keyboard-shredding boogie-woogie, and by joining the Jazz Rock ensemble class for a jam session. For more information about Mr. Davis, his music and his powerful personal story, click here.

 

Daryl Davis displays the robe given to him by a former KKK member - one of many who left the klan after coming to know him.

 

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Honors Students

Three Pacific Ridge students received recognition from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for written work included in Issue 6 of the Global Journal Project's Global Vantage magazine. Gabriela Ramirez '14 won second-place honors for her non-fiction article "The Nicaraguan Family that Changed Me," while Max Jorgenson '14 received third place for co-authoring "Memories of a Tibetan Monk" with Palden Gyatso. Dillon Lerach '13, was awarded second place for his "Editor's Note" that introduced the issue. Subscriptions for Issue 7 of Global Vantage will be available soon.

 

Global Vantage, Issue 6 

 

Check out this recent faculty blog post from Allegra Molineaux, Upper School Co-Head and History instructor. Ms. Molineaux muses about generational differences in teaching and learning, and how technology plays a productive role in the classroom.

During their study of nutrition, students in Middle School Health class are learning about the components of a balanced diet. For a micro-field trip, students visited Pacific Ridge's faculty/staff refrigerator to find out how much sugar is in common food products. Students learned that some beverages they consume on a regular basis have more sugar in one serving than is recommended for a child their age in an entire day. Their discovery is an "aha!" moment parents can truly appreciate!

Sweet surprise: Boy oh boy, that's a LOT of sugar!

 

It's here! Your once-a-year opportunity to win a parking spot on campus every day for an entire trimester! No Loker lot, no shuttle, just pull in and park! Raffle tickets will be available for sale at Fall Fest. For those of you who would like to purchase your tickets in advance or cannot make it to Fall Fest, you may purchase raffle tickets online via PayPal or pay by check. Please visit the Parents Association Haiku page for instructions. Good luck! 

 

Spaces Still Available in Supper 8 Club

Did you miss your opportunity to sign up for the Supper 8 Club? There are a few spots currently available for 11th grade parents. Parents in other grades may still join, and new groups will be formed based on those registrations. For more information and to sign up, please click here. Questions? Contact the Parents Association at parentsassociation@pacificridge.org.

 

The Whole-Brain Child: WeCare Presents Dr. Tina Bryson

Please join WeCare for a presentation from Dr. Tina Bryson, co-author of The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind. Dr. Bryson will discuss cutting-edge research in neuroscience and how you can use it to support your child's or teen's developing brain. Her presentation aims to provide parents with tools to help their children become more emotionally intelligent, develop greater empathy and self-awareness, and become happier and more resilient. Two presentations are offered.

Date: Tuesday, October 29th

Morning Time: 9:00 am

Place: Francis Parker School, Cirvello Hall, 6501 Linda Vista Rd, San Diego 92111

Evening Time: 6:30 p.m.

Place: Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School, 3630 Afton Rd, San Diego, 92123

 

Date: Thursday, October 17th

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Place: East Reading Room

Seniors: Don't miss your opportunity to meet with college representatives who will be visiting the Pacific Ridge campus throughout the fall. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will take place in the College Counseling office. The full list of college rep visits can be found in student and parent Naviance accounts. Questions? Contact Ms. Bergmanis at rbergmanis@pacificridge.org.

Bentley University; Bowdoin College; Bucknell University; Columbia University; Dartmouth College; Franklin and Marshall College; Franklin College Switzerland; Ithaca College; Loyola Marymount University; Miami University, Oxford; Northeastern University; Northwestern University; Occidental College; Pitzer College; Polytechnic Institute of NYU; Rutgers University; Saint Mary's College; Simmons College; St. Edward's University; University of Dallas; University of Glasgow; University of Puget Sound; Vanderbilt University; Waynesburg University; Whittier College; Worcester Polytechnic Institute

American University; Barnard College; Bennington College; Boston University; California Insitute of the Arts; Colorado College; Elon University; Gonzaga University; Indiana University at Bloomington; Kalamazoo College; Linfield College; Loyola University Chicago; Marist College; Marymount California University; Reed College; Saint Mary's College of California; Santa Clara University; Seton Hall University; Southern Methodist University; Trinity College Dublin; Tulane University; University of California at Santa Barbara; University of Southern California; University of St. Andrews; Wake Forest University; Washington University in St. Louis; Wheaton College, MA

Drexel University; University of Notre Dame; University of Alabama at Birmingham; University of Denver; University of Connecticut

Senior Rachel Brooks spent her global travel period last spring in Cuba. After visiting sites in Havana and learning about the country's government and political climate, Rachel spent a week at her relatives' family farm in Las Villas province. She harvested fruit and helped prepare the coffee beans her uncle sells in regional markets. An especially gratifying part of her experience was distributing the 40 pounds of clothing and 40 pounds of medicine she brought with her. Rachel also enjoyed practicing Spanish with her family members and discussing the contrasting ways history is taught in Cuba and the U.S.

Grinding coffee at the family farm in Las Villas

Favorite Sport to Play or Watch: plays bocce at low tide; watches tennis, the Red Sox at Fenway and college football

Greatest Indulgence: theater-going and travel

If You Make Her Breakfast: Coast Toast á la Brockton Villa, with a side of bacon and one perfect cup of coffee, followed by time to nap away the inevitable blood sugar crash...

In Her Free Time: reads (as often as possible on a beach), cooks, gardens, writes and bikes at a leisurely pace

Dream Vacation: Santorini

Home Town: Andover, MA

No School

Fall Fest

11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Middle School Halloween Party

6 - 9 p.m.

Upper School Halloween Dance

7 - 10 p.m.

Admissions Open House

1 - 4 p.m.

Pacific Ridge Showcase

7:30 p.m.

Pacific Ridge Showcase

2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.