Ridgefield School District honors employee and students of the month

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, officials of the Ridgefield School District recognized one employee of the month and six students of the month at the regular board of directors meeting. 

Peggy Horne, a first grade teacher at Union Ridge Elementary School, was selected as Employee of the Month for the district. In the release, the district said Horne has a “remarkable willingness” to bring others into her first grade classroom and to learn new things if it benefits her students. Whether spending endless hours in the summer training to learn new technologies for remote learning or collaborating with support staff in creating behavior support plans, she is open-minded and is willing to take on the challenge.

Horne maintains high expectations for her students by focusing on their emotional development and by building social connections and community through engaging classroom activities such as a weekly brunch. She is serious about student learning but can laugh at herself and is the adult epitome of having a growth mindset. For these reasons, Union Ridge Elementary is proud to recognize Peggy Horne for Ridgefield School District Employee of the Month for December.

Henry Wilson was selected as the Student of the Month for the Ridgefield Early Learning Center. In his second year at the Early Learning Center, Wilson has shown growth and demonstrates responsibility, respectfulness and resilience - the three R’s. He initiates play with his classmates and often misses school on his days off. “His ongoing love for learning, friendship with peers, and steadfast, quiet leadership are what make Henry our Student of the Month for December,” the district said in a news release. 

Second grader Lincoln West was selected as Student of the Month for South Ridge Elementary School. From day one of learning online, West has been motivated and a creative and self-directed learner. According to the release, he writes a to-do list on his whiteboard each morning and comes to the screen with an enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn that motivates the entire class. He is a natural leader and strives to be a great human being and has bounced back from disappointment and frustration and uses self-talk and self-care to get himself into a better place so he can keep learning.

Kordae Smith, a fourth grader, was selected as Student of the Month for Union Ridge Elementary School. Smith has shown responsibility during remote learning and attends Zoom meetings on time, with a “can-do” spirit, despite the challenges around online learning. He is funny, kind and respectful to his peers and teachers during lessons and exhibits the “Three R’s” of being respectful, responsible and resilient. 

Sixth grader Lorelai Henry is the Student of the Month for Sunset Ridge Intermediate School. She brings a blend of excitement, enthusiasm, energy and positivity to remote classes and is a strong advocate for learning. During Social/Emotional lesson discussions centered around examples of unkindness or bullying, she advocates for kindness, compassion and empathy and strives for a world that is supportive, kind, tolerant and whole and lives this vision on a daily basis. This year, she befriended two students that were new to the district, despite distance learning. 

Eighth grader Nathan Walker was selected as Student of the Month for View Ridge Middle School. In the news release the district said Walker always adds to class, works hard and is a positive role model for his peers. He is always eager to help both teachers and classmates through tech problems, doing so with patience, understanding and a sense of humor. He is polite and shows up every day ready to participate and complete high-quality work and is a responsible and thorough student. His willingness to lead discussions and to share his knowledge in testing out various platforms and processes is appreciated in class. 

According to the release, Ridgefield High School had more students nominated for the month of December than any other previous month in years past with 25 nominations. For December, senior Leilani Starns rose to the top to be selected as Student of the Month. Starns is described by her teachers as a student who has a “great attitude, always sharing and active in class, and a hard worker.” In addition to taking three Advanced Placement classes, she is active in National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Leos Club and basketball. She also chaired the anti-bullying campaign and helped design the cover and create the book theme for the yearbook – all while carrying a 3.947 GPA. Starns recently accepted an invitation to the University of Minnesota where she plans to study international business and marketing and travel to Italy where she can get back to her family roots. Like the vast majority of RHS students, Starns is making the most of the challenges that remote learning brings, and her teachers are impressed with her “can-do” attitude.