Hello Ridgeline Families- One of the most satisfying aspects of this week was the presence of music. The winter concert, Solitary Wish, was outstanding! Band, orchestra, choir, and combinations of the groups provided a magical night of music. We have some very talented young people who never cease to amaze. Thank you to Mr. Parker for his effort and dedication to the band and orchestra groups. Special thank you and congratulations to Mrs. Peterson and the inaugural Ridgeline Choir for sharing their beautiful voices with us in your first full public concert! I’m not sure if I’ve shared this out publicly, but I told one of our performance groups last year that music literally saved us coming back out of covid. Hearing live music for the first time in over a year was almost shocking. Same feeling with our last spring musical—to hear music, singing, and dancing again made life feel right. This year, and hopefully forever, I have felt an even greater appreciation for the performing arts and how important they are to our culture and how much joy it brings to others.

Thank you to our Falcon Boosters Kaaren Kardonsky, Jason Wills, Diane Freeman, Ellen Beck, and our own teacher, Mrs. Foster for treating all of Ridgeline staff to an amazing Christmas breakfast Thursday morning! You too can be a booster and are encouraged to join! Falcon Booster Link

We’ve enjoyed some entertaining athletics and great performances from our student athletes as winter sports is fully underway. You are invited to come to all sporting events, even if you don’t have an athlete on the team. Same as any school event—all students are encouraged to attend and be a part of the fun while sharing quality time with your friends in a safe and festive environment! We introduce the Ridgeline Dance Team this past week and they will do a special performance tonight! Another reason to come to basketball games!

Please note Ridgeline office hours and days open over the break. And, of course, enjoy all the great things happening in today’s Falcon Flyer! Not sure if we’ll have an edition of the Flyer next week? So… Have A Merry Christmas, and Make It A Great Holiday! --Mr. Hardt

During both lunches on Wednesday, Mr. Spraggins and Mrs. McMurtrey offered a Dual Credit/Running Start informational session to interested sophomores and juniors. In it, the counselors couched Running Start within Washington’s dual credit options and shared a general overview of the Running Start program, the keys to success within it, and the process for applying to it. If you would like to become familiar with the information they shared, please access this PDF of the presentation. After reviewing it, if you and your student wish to learn more about dual credit and Running Start, please watch this space for an evening meeting Ridgeline High School will host in February. We will discuss Running Start in the context of Washington dual credit options, with a deeper dive into Advanced Placement (AP) and specifics of the Eastern Washington University and Community Colleges of Spokane Running Start programs. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact your student’s grade level counselor (Ms. McGlohon for sophomores cmcglohon@cvsd.org and Mrs. McMurtrey for juniors mmcmurtrey@cvsd.org).

Early in the week, current sophomores and juniors had an opportunity to learn about the many programs offered by NewTech Prep. Assistant Principal, Kathleen Proud, was on hand to explain the program structures, benefits, and processes for accessing NewTech Prep. If your student is interested in any of NewTech’s programs, be sure to have them register for a Welcome Wednesday visit to the NewTech site. If you have questions, please contact your student’s grade level counselor (Ms. McGlohon for sophomores cmcglohon@cvsd.org and Mrs. McMurtrey for juniors mmcmurtrey@cvsd.org).

Our latest list of schools to which Ridgeline students have been admitted has grown yet again! Thanks to all who’ve encouraged your students to access the Google form (Admitted!) and let us know where they’ve been admitted! I expect the admit letters will continue coming in—perhaps at an even more rapid rate. So, please encourage your students to keep sharing the good news with us!

Debaters take 1st and 3rd in Pasco

Seniors Isabella Kelp and Cambrea Lombardo competed in the Chiawana Riverhawk Speech and Debate Invitational in Pasco on Dec. 10.

Kelp earned first place in the Impromptu Speaking event and third in Congressional Debate. Lombardo took third place in Original Oratory speaking.

The Speech and Debate team has decided to enter an extra tournament, the Gonzaga University Conway Classic, on Jan. 6-7. It will be the first time since the pandemic hit that GU is hosting in-person events during its annual tournament. Schools from California, Utah, and Texas will also compete.

On Monday December 12th, 60 students from RHS participated in the area-11 DECA competition. Competing against other Spokane area schools, Ridgeline represented well, with 26 qualifying for the state competition in March. Way to go Falcons!

Hotel Lodging Management- Sydney Glascock- 6th place

Integrated Marketing Service: Kelsey McDevitt, Maddy Murphy, Romy Robinson- 8th

Marketing Management Team Decision Making: Taylor Waltermire, Jillian Persicke- 8th

Apparel & Accessories- Frankie Mallard- 5th

Business Finance Series- Sienna Shadd 3rd

Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making: Ataviah Adams & Alexandra House- 2nd place/ Grace Sheppard & Lilly Pederson- 4th Place

Buying and Merchandising Team Decision Making: Olivia Smith & Savannah Smith- 8th Place

Start Up Business Plan: Lily Pesnell, Hailey Bronec & Kameron Lewis 8th place

Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making: Lexy Aitken & Charley Palm- 1st

Financial Services Team Decision Making: Marco Lopez & Owen Packebush- 2nd

Financial Services Team Decision Making: Dylan McDermott & Merrick Gipe- 1st

Food Marketing Series- Isabella Campa- 4th

Principles of Marketing- Eva Harris- 2nd

Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making- Brooklyn Hansen & Kate Mulligan- 7th

The Falcon gymnasts placed second at their first meet at Mead on Tuesday, Dec. 13th. For All Around, Bella DeLaRosa scored 4th and Trynity Van Gelder scored 10th. On beam, KJ Haneke scored 7th, Bella DeLaRosa scored 8th, Trynity Van Gelder scored 9th, and Belle Frazier scored 10th. On bars, Bella DeLaRosa scored 7th. On vault, Bella DeLaRosa scored 1st place with an 8.5, Belle Frazier scored 9th with a 8.0. On floor, Bella DeLaRosa scored a 9.075 and Belle Frazier scored an 8.450.

Green Team, Ridgeline's Environmental and Outdoor Club, spent the afternoon making holiday ornaments out of repurposed materials. Many creative ideas and lots of laughs!

Join us on Tuesdays at 2:25 in C109. Be on the lookout for our Winter Outdoor Photo Contest coming up.

See Ms Larsen for questions.

Intro to Food Production had a Winter Spirit Week themed cake decorating competition. We have some very talented students!

Fabric and Apparel 1 students worked on their hand sewing skills while making felt monsters!

Careers in Education 1 and Early Childhood Education 1 students created little gifts for students at Liberty Creek Elementary and Liberty Lake Elementary, which includes a pair of gloves and a sweet treat for students.

In conjunction with reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel, all sophomores had the amazing opportunity to hear Carla Peperzak tell her story of working with the Dutch Resistance to fight Nazis during WW2. Mrs. Peperzak was 16 – the same age as most in the room - when she risked her life to help fellow countrymen find hiding places, forged ID’s for people to flea, and distributed newsletters to inform citizens about what was really happening during the war. At 99 years old, Mrs. Peperzak reminded to: “Always treat each other with respect. Because if you respect someone, it is much harder to hate them.”

Tyson Ramsey took 4th place in the 145 pound weight class at the Varsity Inland Empire tournament on 12/9-10

Kaedyn Aurand took 1st place and Zac Lytle finished 2nd at 120 pounds at the Joe Ridlington Mt Spokane 9th grade tournament 12/10.

Ridgeline girls wrestlers competed at their first ever league event on 12/8 at East Valley. Charlotte Mason 4th place at 110, Mackenzie Sternod 2nd place at 115, Maelia Amen 2nd place at 120, Emmalee Merker 3rd at 120.

Our Ridgeline band, orchestra and choir programs hosted a festive combined-holiday concert on Wednesday and Thursday!

These talented groups shared music from all corners of the world this holiday season. This event included the stage debut of both our Ridgeline Choir and our Ridgeline Full Symphony Orchestra! It was fun to bring in the season with some awesome musical tradition.

The RHS Podcast Club will be putting on a 12 hour Live on Youtube Video Podcast on Saturday December 17th from 8am - 8pm.

The club members are excited to do this and have worked hard in the planning process

Green Team, our Environmental and Outdoor Club, is holding a winter photo contest from today until January 17th. Students are encouraged to enter photos for the theme “Winter in the Wild” using the QR Code posted above. Photos will be judged by staff and winners will be posted in the newsletter. So get creative, Falcons! Ask Ms. Larsen any questions!

Seniors: Please check to see if your picture and name spelling is correct for the yearbook. Copies of your photos are available by room E203, the library, and near the business office during both lunches.

Speak with a yearbook staff member in room E203 during either lunch if something is incorrect.

Reserve Eyrié, Volume 2, before our December 19th deadline to receive a $10 discount and be guaranteed a copy: $50 per book, $60 with name stamping.

Purchase through our business office or online (click link below).

Limited quantities will be available to purchase starting in January. Each will then cost $60 and name stamping will not be available. First come, first served while supplies last.

Senior Tribute Yearbook Ad sales are NOW OPEN!

Senior Tribute Ads for Yearbook: Now available until Jan. 9

Have extra-curricular photos, family, special pictures or additional portraits of your senior you'd like to share? Use the attached link to purchase a senior tribute ad for our yearbook, Eyrié, Volume 2.

Tributes vary in size and price. Parents and guardians get to choose the layout, photos and write a special message.

Please be advised that yearbook staff members will not edit spelling or crop pictures, and the administration does reserve the right to refuse tributes due to inappropriateness.

Make a special trip to Bruttles Candy Shop on December 17th. 20% of sales are being given back to Class of 2023 (and you're supporting a small business).

Spokane Valley Shoppe

12609 E Sprague Ave
Spokane Valley, WA 99216

Save the Date: GRAD NIGHT DETAILS:

June 10th, 2023

Triple Play Family Fun Park

175 W Orchard Ave

Hayden, Idaho 83835

10:30pm-4:30am

Make sure to follow the grad night page: @rhs_grad_night_2023

Get your grad night forms turned into the office before winter break and Seniors will be entered into a drawing for 3 separate nest coffee cards ($20) for all seniors who get forms turned into office by next Friday, December 16th.

School will be closed due to holidays on December 23rd, December 26th, December 27th and January 2nd.

Free and Reduced meal application regular free and reduced-price meal program.

Want to add money to your student's meal plan? It's easy! Click the link below!

Just a reminder to keep checking the Digital Jobs Board on our Ridgeline Web Site under Counseling and Careers for job openings and internships. New postings have been added this week! Job boards are linked in our Instagram Bio, too!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I8aJ7YAR0qw956RC22XqTnPpCYCwbBG5ad_8ygqE2Z0/edit

Do you own a business that is hiring? We would love to add your job posting to our CVSD Digital Jobs Board, all of our CVSD students have access to this! Please email the information to Kelli Demarest at kdemarest@cvsd.org and due to district email issues, please also email kdemarest@cvsd356.org!

Thank you!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

• In-person - Open House: Saturday, December 17th at 2:30pm
  
• Early Bird Application Deadline: Sunday, December 18th
• Interview Dates: Monday, December 19th - Thursday, December 22nd
• Next Training Date: February 2023
• Program Start Date: As early as the end of February 2023

Just a reminder to please call ahead for appointments and other excused absences to help make sure teachers and students are aware. Our attendance line is 24/7 so feel free to leave a message! Parent notes to request an early dismissal for an appointment can also be given to the office ahead of time

Business Office Open Hours:

7:15- 2:30pm

(Closed 12:30-1:30pm daily)