A Dog Day at RCS

This past Sunday was day of paws, petting, barks and smiles. Several RCS students took some of their valuable free time to give some much needed attention to some of the most neglected members of our surrounding communities. These students traveled to the North Georgia Humane Society in Gainesville with RCS counselor Paula Kicklighter to lend a hand caring for homeless puppies and dogs, kittens and cats. At the shelter they walked and played fetch with dogs, tussled and teased cats, and even chased an escaped Guinea Pig. The RCS kids also lent a valuable hand to help with the many chores performed at NGHS. It was a day of furry-fun and barking-benefits for all involved.

Eagles Defeated by The Indians after a Heart-Breaking and Courageous Effort

On Friday, December 3, the Cherokee Indians donned their war paint and invaded the RCS aerie hoping to grab more Eagle feathers for their war bonnets. The Indians began their foray with some fierce tomahawk chops, resulting in some heavy hoops casualties, taking the lead by 17 early in the battle. But, the mighty Eagles were not to be plucked that quickly. The B-Ball Birds sharpened their talons and swooped back and inflicted serious damage to the Indians’ lead. Led by Michael T. the RCS Raging Raptors ripped up the court and narrowed the Cherokee lead to one point at the half. When the battle resumed, its outcome was anyone’s guess but, though they fought valiantly with beaks and talons tearing, the Cherokee Indians rode home bruised but carrying a few Eagle tail feathers. The final score of the engagement stood at Indians 59 and Eagles 56. What a heart-breaking and courageous effort by the Mighty Eagles!!! Those RCS Birds have a lot of heart!!!

Thanksgiving Turkey has been Gobbled!

Well, here at RCS the Thanksgiving turkey has been gobbled and winter is knocking at our mountain door. Students are back on campus, full and rested from a week spent with family and friends, and the academic semester is rolling toward its fruition. Teachers and students are preparing for the final few weeks of the term, putting pens to paper and noses in books, while the campus takes on the festive colors of December. Christmas Trees and Menorahs are appearing along side of inflatable snowmen and plastic dreidels. Spirits are high in anticipation of a Ridge Creek Holiday season and all of the extra activities it brings, including a student-judged Chili Cook off scheduled for Welcome Back Day!!!

Eagles Swoop in to Dominate the Anteaters

The Atlanta Adventist Academy Aardvarks burrowed into the Mountain Aerie Arena Tuesday night expecting ant pincers and instead were greeted by the powerful talons of the Ridge Creek Eagles. The Big Bird Basketballers took control early, swooping in to dominate the anteaters with Eagle-eyed shooting by Birdballers, Aim-sure Singh, Big-gun Barrett, and Dead-shot Long. Demoralized by the antics of the frantic, feathered Superfans and the dominating defense of the RCS Raptors, the waddling animals from Atlanta fell prey to the Eagles in a 38-33 defeat and had a long ride home to the termite mound. Today, the Eagles spread their powerful wings and sharpen their talons for a match-up in Atlanta against the pussy cat panthers prowling their den at Brandon Hall.

Running Eagles Gain Ground to Finish in the Top 5!

This past Saturday, October 23, 2010, The Ridge Creek Running Eagles participated in the Cross Country Championships at Boundary Waters Park in Douglasville, Ga. The Eagles were competing against some truly tough teams, many from schools much larger than RCS, and yet with every RCS runner improving his or her time, the Running Birds managed to finish 5th in a 26 team field. This is quite an accomplishment that earned a measure of respect for the Feathered Striders from RCS in this challenging new league.

Ridge Creek Drama Birds

The Ridge Creek Drama Birds are deep in the midst of a grueling rehearsal schedule blocking and emoting each afternoon from 3:00 till 5:30. Lines are being memorized and stage business is being solidified. Rookie director and history teacher Tim Lawson is guiding the RSC thespians steadily toward footlight glory with a strong hand and a dedicated heart. Opening night is weeks away and, with the progress these dramatic Eagles are making, it promises to be a grand evening when it finally arrives.

Ridge Creek School Team Achievements

The Ridge Creek Soccer and Cross Country teams are in the midst of tough seasons with stiff and experienced opponents, but the RCS kickers and runners are determined to give their all, during each outing. There have been some remarkable individual and team achievements which are not reflected on the scoreboards. On the running birds’ cross country team, several Eagles have completed their races in the top 10 finishers in large fields of runners. The kicking Eagles have seen some strong effort from several dedicated players. In addition, the team has come together to help any member that may be struggling academically. Both Eagle’s teams are displaying sportsmanship that will see them through this tough formative year and, more importantly, will provide lessons that will last a lifetime.

RCS Students Wrap up the 3rd Week of Classes

Well, we’re wrapping up our 3rd week of fall semester and students have found their academic strides. Some are stumbling and some are sprinting, but all are hard at work learning, growing, and expanding their scholastic skill sets. The RCS Eagles soccer club has had a rocky start, but the big birds seem to have found a workable flight pattern, putting a talon to the rear ends of staff members in a student vs. staff match yesterday that the club won handily, 10-0. It was an afternoon of bonding and school spirit-building. The mornings are cooling and the trees are beginning to show hints of their autumnal splendor. Fall is fast approaching the Ridge Creek campus.

Ridge Creek Eagles beat the Warriors of Cherokee Christian

Today the Ridge Creek Eagles flew down to Woodstock, Georgia to take on the Warriors of Cherokee Christian. In a hard fought first half, the first goal of the game went to Alex assisted by Jack and Scott. Cherokee Christian fought back and scored before the half to tie it at 1-1. The second half was a defensive stand for Ridge Creek as the defense led by Jake, Frankie, and Jack. The Ridge Creek Eagles with about 15 minutes left in the game, got a break and Braden shot the ball which deflected off a defender and went into the goal to have the score read 2-1 us. For the next 15 minutes and entire second half, Jeff in goal saved 12 shots and at times got vertical as well as horizontal to make amazing saves. When the time ran out, the Ridge Creek Eagles won their first soccer game of the season and leaving Jeff as player of the game! It was an exciting end to a long week. Next game is against Horizon Christian Academy on Tuesday in Cumming, GA. Our first home game is Thursday against Gables Academy out of Stone Mountain, GA. Hope to see everyone there next week. Thanks again for everyone that attended this week with our three games. The fan support is greatly appreciated.

RCS Eagles vs Panthers

Yesterday, the Ridge Creek Eagles flew down to Atlanta to tangle with the Atlanta School for the Deaf Panthers. The field conditions were almost unbearable, but the Big Birds managed to hold the ASD cats to a narrow 2-1victory. The first goal of the season was scored by Ben C. who put the ball in the back of the net from 35 yards out. Defensively, the scoreless second half shows that the Eagles are finding a system. These birds are improving daily, finding their game and getting to know their teammates’ abilities. On Friday the 10th, the Eagles bare their talons against the Warriors of Cherokee Christian in Woodstock at 4:30, looking for their first win of the season.

RCS Eagles vs Rams

The Eagles fought valiantly but had their wings clipped a bit on the soccer field yesterday at the horns of the Monsignor Donovan Rams. The Big Birds fell 5 to 0 in a serious feather-ruffling at the home pasture of the Athens, Georgia based bovines. But our Ridge Creek Eagles are far from bald and have smoothed their feathers and sharpened their talons in anticipation of the coming afternoon’s battle with the AASD Panthers. The Eagles and their fans will be swooping into the Panthers’ home range for a serious raptor vs. feline clawfest at 3:30p.m. today.

First Week of Classes at Ridge Creek School

As the first week of fall classes draws to a close, RCS students are mopping their brows with the realization that they have a challenging and exciting semester ahead of them. Schedules for most students are adjusted and solidified, and their academic direction for the coming months is mapped. After this rigorous first week, it would be safe to say that Ridge Creekers are looking forward to a three-day Labor Day weekend filled with activity and relaxation.

Dramatic Eagles Continue Auditions for Fall Theatre Production

Today, the RCS Dramatic Eagles continue auditions for Ridge Creek’s Fall Theatre Production. Budding stars of stage and screen are vying for the opportunity to win a role in the annual event. Participating actors, actresses, and tech people will let their talents shine for an audience of family, friends, faculty, and staff. In addition, all students participating directly in the presentation of this sure-to-be memorable show will be eligible for an off-campus visit with their parents immediately following the final performance. Learn those lines kids and make the characters live!!!

Fall Semester Starts at Ridge Creek School

Well, Fall Semester has begun at Ridge Creek. The air is cooling and academics are heating up. Halls are filled with hectic students checking their schedules and finding their classes. Syllabi are being distributed and expectations explained. Classrooms are remodeled and new faculty members are settling in. The campus is alive with the buzz of new beginnings and anticipation for the coming academic year. As the week progresses, look for faculty biographies and course descriptions.

"Break Week" at Ridge Creek School

"Break Week" doesn't seem to be the proper description of such a fun-filled and busy time at Ridge Creek School. Students have continued their community service involvement from last week, having been asked to return to the Head Start program to spend more time with the children in that valuable program. At Head Start, RCS students do everything from singing and teaching the ABC's to playing on the playground, pushing swings and organizing kickball games. In addition to this, Ridge Creekers on campus for the break have gone on "Waterfall Hikes" and fishing trips, visits to an Ice Cream Dairy to learn about and sample the end product, and swimming trips to a beautiful, nearby lake. This weekend promises more fun and action with cookouts swimming, and "walk-in" movies.

A Week of Community Service and Development at Ridge Creek School

This has been a week of community service and development at Ridge Creek School.  Throughout the past week Ridge Creek students have been active “giving back” by volunteering at several charitable organizations in the communities surrounding campus.  In addition, students visited the Carter Center in Atlanta and were inspired by the work of Jimmy and Roselyn Carter in their on-going efforts to spread democracy and provide basic necessities to the less fortunate worldwide.  While the students were busy with their week of altruistic adventure, the academic department has been finalizing preparations for Fall Semester.  Schedules and academic plans have been solidified and new and exciting college-credit courses have been added.  Fall semester will usher in the addition of a math course that will allow students to earn early credits in college freshman algebra.  This class is the first of several to come, and we at RCS are pleased to be able to offer this valuable opportunity to all eligible students.      

Overture---hit the lights---this is it---the night of nights!!!

And what a night it was, when the Ridge Creek Dramatic Eagles Drama Club hit the “South-of-Broadway” boards with its annual summer presentation of One-act plays this past Friday.  The Drama Club presented two hilarious and surprising plays by two masters, “While the Auto Waits” by O’Henry and “Death Knocks” by Woody Allen.  Directed by Tim Lawson, our resident theatre director, these productions featured standout performances by all of the students involved.  Starring in “While the Auto Waits’ were Corrine, Michael, Josh, and Alex, followed by Frankie and Scott bringing Woody Allen’s play to life.  These students worked diligently through the summer semester memorizing lines and stage movements and all of their efforts paid off with the audience’s enthusiastic response to their performances.  Students, Sean and Ben, participated backstage in the no less important technical support roles of set construction, set lighting, as well as moving set pieces between shows.  This Dramatic Eagles’ production was a great example of team effort and individual dedication to a goal.  All involved should be congratulated for their success.

Ridge Creek School Students "Giving Back" to the community

This Tuesday at Ridge Creek School finds students participating in our end-of-the-semester “Give-Back” week. Ridge Creek School students can be found throughout the surrounding communities performing a variety of outreach services for several vitally important non-profit organizations. From walking rescue dogs to teaching pre-schoolers the ABC’s and helping elderly citizens with daily chores, Ridge Creek Eagles are swooping in and serving their community by helping those that need it most. In doing so, they are also discovering the gifts that come from “Giving Back”.

Ridge Creek School's Running Club Participants at the 5k Etowah River Run

With five students finishing in the top half of a 600-person, charitable run, the
Ridge Creek Running Club made a strong showing at its first outing. The
5k Etowah River Run is an annual event staged to raise money for a worthy
environmental cause. Participants come from all over the southeast to lend
their time, muscles, and feet to help finance the clean-up and maintenance of
the Etowah River and watershed, a vital water source and recreational area
for Lumpkin and surrounding counties. With 600 participants, the course was
packed, and, yet, several RCS Running Club members managed to make
strong finishes. 3 student club members completed the race in the top 100
and 3 others placed highly in the top half of the field. With this run under
their belt, club members are looking forward to their next challenge, a 5k run
benefiting efforts to fight childhood obesity to be staged this coming weekend.

Ridge Creek School Academic Department: Overview

Mission: The academic department at Ridge Creek School has one abiding, unerring goal. We are determined to help each student to achieve his or her highest academic potential. Our commitment to instilling a sense of academic pride and a passion for learning into the consciousness of each child that enters our classrooms leads, in most cases, to the fulfillment of this goal and to the creation of life-long learners, who become considerate, analytical, and self-educating adults. The process that leads to the realization of this objective begins when the child first enters the RCS classroom.

Admission Skill Assessment: Every student’s skill level in every grade appropriate subject is thoroughly assessed in the first few days of class attendance.

Individualized Plan of Study: With this skill overview in hand, teachers begin an individualized plan of study for the student, which highlights strengths in order to build the student’s self-confidence, and creates a positive, success-oriented relationship to the academic journey. With this established, the teacher and the student create a structured plan designed to address any skill-level deficiencies that may exist in the particular student’s education.

Addressing Educational Challenges: This may include, but is not limited to, remedial classes and special educational adjustments, tutoring, and/or classroom accommodations.

Special Educational Provisions: Ridge Creek School maintains a “Learning Center” manned by a special education specialist whose primary task is to work with students whose needs are more challenging than can be met in the standard classroom. Each student with a specific need is ample time each academic day to work with educational professionals that are dedicated to his or her success in intensive, one-to-one sessions.

Teacher Qualification Standards: All Ridge Creek School educators are qualified to the designation and strict standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Unique Teacher/Student Relationship: Teachers are encouraged to build a professional rapport with each of their students in order to gain an understanding of the therapeutic issues of their students. The therapeutic boarding school environment is especially conducive to this important aspect of our educational plan. Teachers share most meals and many activities with their students, gaining insights into personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition, the student becomes familiar with the teacher as something beyond a classroom pedagogue. This leads to a solid teacher-student relationship and builds trust and understanding, which, in turn, helps the educator form a complete picture of the “whole” child.

Interdepartmental Coordination: The academic and counseling departments at RCS work side by side to coordinate reasonable expectations for each individual RCS student. This interdepartmental cooperation is key to the success of the student academically as well as therapeutically. For instance, if a student is addressing a particularly difficult and stressful therapeutic issue, the rapport that has been built by the teacher with the child and the communication between the child’s counselor and the teacher, enable both to meet the emotional and educational needs of the child in such a situation.

Experiential Learning/Course Related Fieldtrips: At Ridge Creek, we believe that learning is a cooperative, participatory, and experiential journey. To this end many of our classes highlight in-class participation, as well as fieldtrips to course related exhibitions and venues each semester.

Small Class size/teacher to student ratio: Our small class size and teacher to student ratio ensure that every child is has the opportunity to become fully involved in the classroom and fieldtrip experience.

College Preparatory Academic Benchmarks: At Ridge Creek School, students are required to reach individually structured scholastic benchmarks. Our academic program is centered on a rigorous college preparatory program of study that is demanding and rewarding. This being the case, dedication, effort, and motivation to improve are important factors in our curriculum and are highly considered in our educational rubric. We want to enable a paradigm shift in the academic life of our students.

Voluntary and Mandatory Academic Support: If a student is struggling with completion of his or her assignments and class work and/or simply refusing to work to their potential, our teachers have the option to remove distractions and privileges in order to redirect the efforts of these students. For example, if a student falls behind with two or more homework assignments for a particular class, fails to complete an important project, such as a research paper, on time, or drops below a 70% average in a class, the student is mandated to attend tutorials and study sessions with a trained academic support team. In extreme cases of defiance and negligence of educational responsibilities, students find that they are held on campus during school breaks in order to refocus on their scholastic needs.

Executive Functioning Skills: All Ridge Creek students attend Executive Functioning class, which, in conjunction with their therapeutic counseling, develop solid organizational, study, and life skills that, when adopted, can make a great difference in the scholastic and social life of the student.

SAT Preparation: Ridge Creek School provides classes dedicated to the preparation of students for the Scholastic Aptitude Test. These classes include skill tutorials, vocabulary development, and test-taking techniques.

The tools and guidelines above provide our educators with the ability to reach their students and guide them to a level of success in school that is lasting and life-changing. Further, our teachers are enabled to achieve a level of professional triumph that is found in few scholastic environments. As a result, the Academic Department at Ridge Creek School achieves its goal with the preponderant majority of our students. This is validated by the success of our graduates in their post Ridge Creek educational experiences.

Rapid Experiences at Ridge Creek

His palms are sweating . He can hear the rapids growling beyond the bend. He has made it this far without tipping the shaky little canoe, but the old, familiar self-doubt is flooding his spirit, threatening to affect his ability to navigate the rocks and the rushing water ahead. The deceptively slow-moving canoe drifts around this hair pin in the mountain river and his teammate looks over his shoulder back at him, wearing a fearful smile. The river's growl has become a roar and the trees lining its banks begin rushing passed. The unrippled surface suddenly begins to shimmy and turn over on itself and the rocks approach as he plants his oar deep, guiding the canoe passed their granite hulks. A fallen tree bobs directly ahead and his teammate gestures and he plants the oar, again, automatically in a steerage around the jutting limbs of the soggy old oak. The river drops in a tricky twisting tumble of granite and water and he is in the shute using the oar instinctively to fend off hidden rocks and to shift the canoe's course to match the river’s path. And, all at once, before he is truly aware, they are back in calm water and his teammate is howling in triumph with his arms held high. pumping in excitement. The self-doubt recedes to a pin point in his mind and a new confidence begins to take its place. Without realizing it, in this roiling mountain river, the boy has taken a step toward the man he will become.

The north Georgia Mountains are carved and divided by hundreds of creeks and rivers, on which folks find solace and triumph each day. Be it navigating the white water, like the boy from Ridge Creek School, or catching a prize trout in a tree-shaded eddy, we can all find a sense of peace and connection to the natural world in these river pastimes.