Ridgefield School District officials, educators, students and community members gathered on Thursday, Oct. 15, to celebrate the opening of Sunset Ridge Elementary School, a new campus designed to accommodate the community’s growth while providing students with more room to learn and build connections.
The dedication ceremony marked the culmination of years of demand for additional classroom space in the growing district. The new campus brings together students and staff, including many who previously attended South Ridge Elementary, while creating additional capacity at the district’s existing schools.
“To say that our staff and students are excited to work and learn in this beautiful facility is a true understatement,” Principal Todd Graves said during the ceremony.
The celebration included student-led tours, remarks from district leaders and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Community members had the opportunity to explore the building and hear from the educators and students who are beginning to make it their own early on in this fresh school year.
Superintendent Jenny Rodriquez welcomed attendees and thanked the school board, construction and architectural partners, local officials and community members whose support helped bring the project to completion.
“Almost 16 months ago, which does not feel like that long to me, many of us stood right here on this very parcel of land with shovels in hand,” Rodriquez said.
The school stands on land that was previously part of the Claiborne family farm, where green beans and strawberries were grown.
For the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2025, attendees received small jars of soil collected from the original Union Ridge and South Ridge campuses. During Thursday’s dedication, community members were invited to add the soil to garden beds at the new school, symbolically connecting the district’s past with its future at Sunset Ridge.
“By blending that foundational soil with the soil of this new school, we honor and carry our history forward into the future,” Rodriquez said.
The district’s theme for the school year is “Together We Grow,” a message Rodriquez said reflects the importance of the people who will fill the new school campus.
“While the building is beautiful, and we're incredibly grateful to everyone who made it possible, a school is more than concrete, steel, and glass,” she said. “It is a garden for human potential.”
Rodriquez said students need supportive teachers, school staff, volunteers, families and an engaged community to thrive. While the district plans and builds its schools, she said, educators and students are responsible for bringing them to life.
Graves echoed that message, promising the community that the school would provide a welcoming environment for students.
“Our promise to you is that inside these walls and on these grounds, every child will feel valued, supported, and challenged to grow,” Graves said.
For third grade teacher Stephanie Pederson, who previously taught at South Ridge Elementary, the opportunity to help establish a new school community has been one of the most rewarding parts of the transition.
“I have been enjoying the newness of it,” Pederson said. “They carefully picked out furniture, the design of the building, and all of the students coming together to form a new community.”
Pederson said the new campus also supports the district’s broader vision for accommodating growth by creating more space at other schools and reducing crowding.
She praised Graves’ emphasis on inclusion and said she has enjoyed watching the school community begin to take shape.
“It's a very nice-sized school, and I've enjoyed working under Principal Graves, who has a really nice vision for inclusion, including everybody, and all the students that are here, and the warm community that's starting to form,” Pederson said.
The campus also provides specialized academic support for students across grade levels. Intervention specialist Tiffany Quast said the school offers three programs: reading intervention, math intervention and English support for multilingual learners. Students receive assistance in small groups throughout the school day.
Quast, who has deep roots in Ridgefield, said the opening represents an important milestone for the community.
“My favorite part I think is two-fold for me. One, I have deep roots in Ridgefield, and so to see this growth is really exciting. This is something we've been needing for a really long time,” Quast said of the new Sunset Ridge campus.
The transition has also allowed students to maintain relationships with familiar classmates and educators while meeting new friends.
Elliott, a fifth grade student, said many former South Ridge classmates moved to the new campus, making the transition easier, while providing opportunities to meet new people.
“I've made a lot of new friends, too,” Elliott said.
He said the new playground has been a favorite feature of the campus, particularly its recently opened slides. The student also highlighted the swings and basketball area as favorite places to spend time.
“It's been pretty fun,” Elliott said of the playground.
The student was also among those helping introduce the school to the community. Student leaders practiced giving tours with Graves and other school leaders on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the dedication. Elliott provided Reflector reporters Cade Barker and Marcus McCormic a detailed tour of the entire Sunset Ridge campus.
The leadership opportunity came through an application process facilitated by the school’s Foundations teacher, the student said. The role has provided students with an opportunity to represent their school and help visitors learn about the building.
“It's been fun,” the student said.
Looking ahead, Elliott said becoming a teacher might be a future career possibility, inspired in part by the educators at Ridgefield schools.
During the ceremony, Rodriquez presented Graves and the inaugural student body with a symbolic key to their new school home, recognizing the beginning of a new chapter for the campus.
Rodriquez said the school would serve generations of students, including children who will eventually graduate from high school in 2039.
“Today, those doors are open, thanks to everyone in this room and in our community,” Rodriquez said.
