Ridgewood Preparatory School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ridgewood Preparatory School is a university preparatory school located in Metairie, an unincorporated community in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Ridgewood was founded in 1948 as a college preparatory school for boys. The school became co-educational in 1952. Ridgewood is approved by the State Department of Education and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is generally regarded as the top private school in New Orleans, producing numerous National Merit Scholars and Ivy League students each year, despite its small size.
Ridgewood's student body is a diverse population drawn from six parishes as well as from around the world. Fifteen percent of students are foreign citizens coming from nations as far-ranging as Nigeria, Norway, Japan, and Egypt. The school is organized as a primary school, middle school, and high school. The school year consists of two semesters, each divided into three grading periods. Ridgewood today remains an independent unit school for pre- kindergarten through twelfth grade. The school is operated as a non-profit corporation aided by an advisory board.
Contents |
[edit] 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, and the campus was moved in 1972 to the present address at 201 Pasadena Avenue in Metairie, Louisiana. M.J. Montgomery followed Stuckey, and is the current headmaster.
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 the first school in the New Orleans Metro Area to re-open following the storm, opening on September 26, 2005.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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, cross-country, 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.
[edit] External links
- Ridgewood Prep website
- RPS Alumni website (in development)
