Pacific Ridge School's mission statement incorporates concepts such as respect, understanding balance, and purpose, all logical and admirable ideals in a community that prides itself on its solid educational foundations. But the mission also includes “passion” in its overall pursuits. As the profile of the private, college-prep school becomes more visible in the North County community, it is apparent that passion is one of the main forces behind its rapid success.
Dr. Eileen Mullady, Head of School, describes Pacific Ridge School (PRS) as a non-profit, independent middle and upper school firmly rooted in academic excellence, which sounds straightforward and lofty, if a little generic. Her description of the school, which enrolled 103 students in its first year of operation, engenders respect. But passion?
That response comes later, as the list of accomplishments and undeniably unique and impressive attributes of the school are listed. In fewer than three years, Pacific Ridge School can boast business and academic successes that elude much more established organizations.
The school opened in 2007 with 12 teachers. In 2010 the teacher roster has grown to 47. PRS is two years ahead of its original enrollment goals, resulting in the need to proceed with the construction of a permanent high school building. Members of its student body have been awarded scholarships and prizes from Young Epidemiology Scholars, California Merit Awards, the Model United Nations Conference, and Science and the Public's National Science Competition, among others.
On the student body side of things, passion seems to be a defining trait. According to Mullady, there are only about 15 students to a class at Pacific Ridge, arranged not in traditional desks, but in more of a seminar-table forum with their teacher. The classroom curricula focus on academic achievement, but with an overarching goal of ethical responsibility and global engagement.
“As students explore assumptions from new perspectives and become aware of their role as members of a global community, students learn the importance of finding their purpose in life,” said Mullady. “We strive to create an environment that inspires and prepares students to be life-long learners who act with compassion and integrity.”
Toward that goal, students engage in school programs such as Community Life and Service Learning, which give students the opportunity to broaden the scope of their education as they listen to, work alongside, and interact with members of the local and global communities.
International studies also drive the global curriculum goals. Each year, middle and upper school students participate in educational enrichment trips to destinations in the United States and beyond. Each trip includes service work, academic research and/or language immersion. This past school year, the ninth grade class embarked on a two-week trip to China to strengthen their studies from Ancient World History and their year-long focus on water with visits to Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Shanghai and a cruise on the Yangtze River.
Pacific Ridge's student body is culled from all over San Diego County, according to Mullady. More than half come from public schools. The rest come from other private schools, with a small percentage of students coming from a homeschool environment.
More than 60 percent of Pacific Ridge School's teaching staff has advanced degrees in the subjects they teach. The teachers come from all over the United States. Mullady noted that the teachers share a common passion for the type of education PRS offers. “They are all excited about the opportunity to build a new school that Integrates strong academic content across educational disciplines,” she said.
Mullady is quick to credit thorough and forward-thinking business planning for the school's “Pacific Ridge School has succeeded because its founders began with a well-developed business plan and were committed to hiring experienced professionals to implement the plan at every step,” she said.
The business plan was created by the founders, under the guidance of an educational consultant, Jacqueline Smethurst. “Ms. Smethust had guided the founding of four other independent schools in California and was able to share their experiences with the founders,” Mullady said.
The founders hired a professional firm to search for the school's Head of School. Mullady came to Pacific Ridge in 2005, two years before the first school year, after completing ten years as Head of School at the prestigious Horace Mann School in New York.
The founders then hired Hoffman Planning Associates of Carlsbad at an early stage to advise them in evaluating the feasibility of building a school on available land in North County. Hoffman Planning worked for the school in obtaining the conditional use permit and building permits.
The community has been instrumental in the school's success as well. “Pacific Ridge School has succeeded because of its compelling mission that inspired hundreds of families to contribute to its founding,” Mullady said. “Families began donating time and money as early as 2003.”
While the school's business plan is clearly a winner, Mullady and the rest of the staff and faculty define success somewhat differently. “The important successes are those that we observe every day in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the arts classes, and in communities near and far,” she said. ” A success is the lively, intelligent discussion that results from bringing a group of 15 students together around a seminar table. A success is having the majority of Pacific Ridge students participating in competitive athletics. A success is having 95 percent of the school community of students and faculty on academic trips around the world.”
Pacific Ridge School recently broke ground on its new high school building site. The 32,500-square-foot building will house 19 classrooms, science labs and common spaces. The building was designed to achieve gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation, and will be open in time for the 2010 fall quarter.
Dr. Eileen Mullady, Head of School, describes Pacific Ridge School (PRS) as a non-profit, independent middle and upper school firmly rooted in academic excellence, which sounds straightforward and lofty, if a little generic. Her description of the school, which enrolled 103 students in its first year of operation, engenders respect. But passion?
That response comes later, as the list of accomplishments and undeniably unique and impressive attributes of the school are listed. In fewer than three years, Pacific Ridge School can boast business and academic successes that elude much more established organizations.
The school opened in 2007 with 12 teachers. In 2010 the teacher roster has grown to 47. PRS is two years ahead of its original enrollment goals, resulting in the need to proceed with the construction of a permanent high school building. Members of its student body have been awarded scholarships and prizes from Young Epidemiology Scholars, California Merit Awards, the Model United Nations Conference, and Science and the Public's National Science Competition, among others.
On the student body side of things, passion seems to be a defining trait. According to Mullady, there are only about 15 students to a class at Pacific Ridge, arranged not in traditional desks, but in more of a seminar-table forum with their teacher. The classroom curricula focus on academic achievement, but with an overarching goal of ethical responsibility and global engagement.
“As students explore assumptions from new perspectives and become aware of their role as members of a global community, students learn the importance of finding their purpose in life,” said Mullady. “We strive to create an environment that inspires and prepares students to be life-long learners who act with compassion and integrity.”
Toward that goal, students engage in school programs such as Community Life and Service Learning, which give students the opportunity to broaden the scope of their education as they listen to, work alongside, and interact with members of the local and global communities.
International studies also drive the global curriculum goals. Each year, middle and upper school students participate in educational enrichment trips to destinations in the United States and beyond. Each trip includes service work, academic research and/or language immersion. This past school year, the ninth grade class embarked on a two-week trip to China to strengthen their studies from Ancient World History and their year-long focus on water with visits to Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Shanghai and a cruise on the Yangtze River.
Pacific Ridge's student body is culled from all over San Diego County, according to Mullady. More than half come from public schools. The rest come from other private schools, with a small percentage of students coming from a homeschool environment.
More than 60 percent of Pacific Ridge School's teaching staff has advanced degrees in the subjects they teach. The teachers come from all over the United States. Mullady noted that the teachers share a common passion for the type of education PRS offers. “They are all excited about the opportunity to build a new school that Integrates strong academic content across educational disciplines,” she said.
Mullady is quick to credit thorough and forward-thinking business planning for the school's “Pacific Ridge School has succeeded because its founders began with a well-developed business plan and were committed to hiring experienced professionals to implement the plan at every step,” she said.
The business plan was created by the founders, under the guidance of an educational consultant, Jacqueline Smethurst. “Ms. Smethust had guided the founding of four other independent schools in California and was able to share their experiences with the founders,” Mullady said.
The founders hired a professional firm to search for the school's Head of School. Mullady came to Pacific Ridge in 2005, two years before the first school year, after completing ten years as Head of School at the prestigious Horace Mann School in New York.
The founders then hired Hoffman Planning Associates of Carlsbad at an early stage to advise them in evaluating the feasibility of building a school on available land in North County. Hoffman Planning worked for the school in obtaining the conditional use permit and building permits.
The community has been instrumental in the school's success as well. “Pacific Ridge School has succeeded because of its compelling mission that inspired hundreds of families to contribute to its founding,” Mullady said. “Families began donating time and money as early as 2003.”
While the school's business plan is clearly a winner, Mullady and the rest of the staff and faculty define success somewhat differently. “The important successes are those that we observe every day in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the arts classes, and in communities near and far,” she said. ” A success is the lively, intelligent discussion that results from bringing a group of 15 students together around a seminar table. A success is having the majority of Pacific Ridge students participating in competitive athletics. A success is having 95 percent of the school community of students and faculty on academic trips around the world.”
Pacific Ridge School recently broke ground on its new high school building site. The 32,500-square-foot building will house 19 classrooms, science labs and common spaces. The building was designed to achieve gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation, and will be open in time for the 2010 fall quarter.