Ridgeway Elementary School

• Location: White Plains, New York
• Principal: Sandi Cangialosi
• Grades: K–5
• Featured teachers: Monica Bermiss, third-grade teacher; MaryFrancis Perkins, visual arts teacher
• Number of students: 600
• Demographic information: The student population is 33 percent Caucasian, 33 percent African-American, and 33 percent Hispanic.

Ridgeway School is located about 30 miles northwest of New York City. Ridgeway is a Child Development Project school that emphasizes children’s intellectual, moral, and ethical development. The school’s theme of “global understanding” addresses issues relating to diversity and the environment.

Educators support students’ roles as producers of their own knowledge in this caring community of learners. The school uses a “thinking curriculum” in which knowledge and thinking are intertwined. Teachers use the Balanced Literacy approach to teach reading and writing and offer students hands-on experiences in mathematics and science. Classroom activities are designed to foster creativity, a sense of community, mutual respect among children, and an understanding of the world in which they live. Hallways and classrooms are organized and decorated to celebrate students’ work in the arts and academic subjects.

Information provided by Ridgeway Elementary School. Current as of May 2002.