The Riviera Ridge School welcomed families and students to campus recently for the second annual Middle School Genius Night.
With workshops, presentations, and social time for parents and children, Genius Night showcased the type of hands-on, personalized, and deeper learning that students in fourth-seventh grades delve into each day.
The event opened with a poolside meet-and-greet for parents at the historic campus Tea House, featuring a performance of “Under the Sea” from the cast of the Middle School musical, “The Little Mermaid.”
Current and prospective students broke the ice with a pizza party, karaoke, and team-building games. Parents then cycled through presentations and interactive experiences led by teachers from an array of disciplines, getting a taste of the students’ multi-faceted curriculum.
“A Riviera Ridge School education is unique in the fact that we truly get to know every child as an individual and provide opportunities for all students to find the joy in learning and build resilience at every age and every learning level,” said Chris Broderick, head of school.
“Our incredible teachers inspire students to nurture an intrinsic love of learning and find their purpose beyond self. Genius Night allows our families to experience a taste of this everyday magic themselves,” Broderick said.
Parents discussed the significance of historical events with each other while creating personal timelines and learning about the ways students strengthen their voice, writing, and reading skills in the humanities.
In the state-of-the-art Center for Creative Design and Engineering, Math and Science teachers explained the STEAMM (Science, Technology, Arts, Mathematics, and Movement), elective programming, and how they make their courses come to life.
Members of the Student Support Team addressed Riviera Ridge’s signature programs supporting social emotional learning courses, and the Middle School Success Seminar equipping students with the cognitive and emotional skills to thrive in middle school and beyond.
“We are committed to the development of the whole child at the Riviera Ridge School, and that means we provide the highest level of expertise and care to educate both the heart and our mind of each student,” Broderick said.
“Research shows that the adolescent student who feel supported, believed in, and are able to process their emotions in a healthy way, have the confidence to grow and succeed academically at a higher rate, preparing them for high school and beyond,” Broderick said.
Sudents at the event participated in interactive experiments and games as well. STEAMM faculty taught them how to make ice cream with liquid nitrogen, Performing Arts faculty shared the offerings from their electives program, such as School of Rock, and the Middle School Musical; and visual srts teacher Alexandra Shennum helped them create a Scratch Art 3D landscape.
“We hope that students and families walked away from the night understanding our school’s vibrant culture of creativity, the nurturing warmth of our teachers, and the idea that when every child has the opportunity to find a passion, they all have the chance to cultivate their inner genius,”
The Riviera Ridge School will be hosting its annual free STEAMM-focused Maker Fair, 10 a.m.-noon Jan. 21. The event is open to the public.
For more information, email info@rivieraridge.org or call 805-569-1811 ext. 131.