Ridgewood Preparatory School

Infobox Private School
name = Ridgewood Preparatory School


motto = "Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle"
established = 1948
type = Private, college preparatory
religion = Nonsectarian
head_name = Headmaster
head = M. J. Montgomery Jr.
city = Metairie
state = LA
country = U.S.
campus = Suburban, 4 buildings
enrollment = 270 total
faculty = 35
class = 16 students
ratio = 8:1
athletics = 10 Interscholastic Sports
color = Blue/Gold
mascot = Golden Eagle
homepage = [http://www.ridgewoodprep.com/ www.ridgewoodprep.com]

Ridgewood Preparatory School is a university preparatory school located in Metairie, an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Ridgewood is approved by the State Department of Education and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school produces numerous National Merit Scholars and Ivy League students each year, despite its small size.

Ridgewood's diverse student body comes from six parishes as well as from countries around the world. Fifteen percent of students are foreign citizens coming from nations as far-ranging as Argentina, Nigeria, Norway, Japan, Vietnam and Egypt. [cite web|url=http://ridgewoodprep.com/info.html|title=Ridgewood Preparatory School|year=2007|accessdate=2008-01-30] The school is organized as a primary, middle, and high school. The academic year consists of two semesters, each divided into three six-week grading periods. The school is operated as a non-profit corporation aided by an advisory board.

History

Ridgewood Preparatory School was founded in 1948 by Ottis O. Stuckey as a college preparatory school for boys in grades kindergarten through twelve. The original address was 201 Northline in Old Metairie. The school became co-educational in 1952.

The campus was moved in 1972 to the present address at 201 Pasadena Avenue in Metairie, Louisiana. M.J. Montgomery Jr. followed Stuckey and is the current headmaster.

Hurricane Katrina

Ridgewood is part of the Greater New Orleans Metro area, and thus felt some effects of Hurricane Katrina. The school did not flood. It was one of the first schools in the New Orleans Metro Area to re-open following the storm, opening on September 26, 2005. [Hunter, Michelle. [http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_27.html "Reopening of schools brings welcome routine"] , "Nola.com", September 27 2005. Accessed November 10 2007.]

Philosophy

The philosophy of Ridgewood is to provide a total education to help form the complete individual. To implement its philosophy, the Ridgewood faculty focuses its talents on the practical fulfillment of these goals:

*Growth in intellectual skills such as critical thinking, thoughtful analysis and expression, computation, accurate and interpretative reading.
*Awareness of both the physical and social worlds, their natures and histories, their problems and prospects.
*Deepened appreciations in aesthetics, philosophy, and religion.
*Responsible participation in the home and in organized society.
*Preparation for occupational choice, usually at the professional level.

Athletics

Ridgewood competes as a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA). Students compete in football, baseball, softball, girls' and boys' basketball, track, tennis, volleyball, and soccer. In recent years, teams have won district, regional, and state championships. The Ridgewood extracurricular sports program begins in middle school, with a soccer program available for boys and girls in grades 5-8. Junior varsity participation in volleyball, boys' and girls' basketball, softball, and baseball usually begins at the eighth grade level. Students are not restricted from joining one sport by participation in another sport, other than by seasonal and scheduling constraints. Ridgewood follows the LHSAA guidelines regarding student academic requirements for participation: a student must have a minimum GPA of 1.5 and passing grades in 5 out of 6 subjects.

References

External links

* [http://www.ridgewoodprep.com Ridgewood Prep website]
* [http://www.rpseagles.com RPS Alumni website]