Riviera Ridge School Celebrates Innovative Teaching and Learning at Genius Night

Santa Barbara, Ca. (December 10, 2021) – The Riviera Ridge School welcomed families to campus this past Tuesday for an evening of teacher presentations, workshops, and interactive experiences for both parents and students. Their inaugural middle school Genius Night showcased the type of hands-on deeper learning that students engage in every day.

“At the Riviera Ridge School, we are committed to a vigorous educational experience that provides every student with the opportunity to learn with joy, build resilience, and seek out academic excellence, both intellectually and socially,” Head of School, Chris Broderick, said. “We also help students cultivate a deep love of learning and purpose beyond self. At Genius Night, we wanted our families to be able to experience this philosophy in action for themselves.”

The evening started with an outdoor social poolside at the historic campus Tea House with drinks and appetizers for the parents, and a pizza party and games for the students in the middle school courtyard.. The heart of the evening’s activities began with Parents enjoying presentations from the RRS faculty highlighting the Math/Science Curriculum and the Middle School STEAMM Elective program in their state of the art Center for Creative Design and Engineering. 

Parents also crafted a poem and learned about how students strengthen their voice and sense of identity through the study of novels from diverse perspectives and hone their writing skills during the English Language Arts presentation. The Director of Student Wellness, the School Counselor, and the Middle School Division Head discussed the ways in which their Social Emotional Learning and Success Seminar classes prepare students with the emotional and organizational skills to succeed in their classes and in the world at large. 

“Now more than ever, in this unprecedented and unique  time of growth in education, both the intellectual and social/emotional needs of our students and families demand a vigorous response in raising the best prepared and mindful humans we can support on their journey to adulthood,” Broderick said. 

Students enjoyed a variety of interactive experiments and games, including the design and development of making square bubbles in the Science & Chemistry lab creating a silent robotic dance party with the STEM  faculty, and creating their own unique paintings and improvisational team-building activities with the Visual and Performing Arts faculty.. 

“A person can be a genius at science, mathematics, visual art, basketball, technology, collaboration, building, language, storytelling, and more,” Broderick said. “At Riviera Ridge, we cultivate the genius inside all of our students through personal connections, creative learning opportunities, and innovation. Genius Night gave families a taste of the magic we get to experience every day in all of our classrooms, from Junior Kindergarten to 8th grade.” The Riviera Ridge School will be hosting a Lower School Genius Night and All School Genius Week in the Spring of 2022.

At Riviera Ridge School, we provide student-centered, individualized learning in a joyful and nurturing community, inspiring academic excellence and valuing difference. The educational vision for each Riviera Ridge graduate is to empower individual potential, inspire purpose beyond self, and cultivate social responsibility as they prepare for high school and beyond. 

For more information, email info@rivieraridge.org or call 805-569-1811 ext. 131.