The Riviera Ridge School Celebrates Kindness Week

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Santa Barbara, CA. (January 2024) –  The Riviera Ridge School kicked off 2024 with community activities celebrating The Great Kindness Challenge, a week dedicated to one of their school’s most important core values – Kindness. From Monday, January 22nd, to Friday, January 26th, lower and middle school students spread positivity by participating in activities designed to bolster campus compassion. Students were also invited to dress in the corresponding color that went with each day and were rewarded with a friendship bracelet in that hue when they completed the kindness challenge. 

The week started off with an impactful visit from Santa Barbara artist, composer, and non-profit creator Grace Fisher. When Fisher was 17, she developed a rare neurological disease, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. She found a passion for painting in the early days of rehab after her diagnosis. Fisher joined Riviera Ridge to present her art, share her story, and guide the students through a mouth-painting activity. She also shared with the students about her inclusive clubhouse, The Grace Fisher Foundation, which provides a safe and joyful space for creativity with daily programming entirely run on donations. 

“This experience helped open up a deeper understanding of differences for our students while also normalizing humanity and connectedness through the arts,” Rebecca Ryser, Middle School Division Coordinator and Teacher, said. “It was the perfect way to kick off our week with the spirit of empathy and inclusivity we champion.”

Other highlights included middle school students writing letters of gratitude to their little buddies in lower school, a campus-wide clean-up, and a visit to the Community Arts Workshop (CAW)’s new photography exhibit, which features previously lost and newly developed photos from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s anti-Vietnam War speech outside the UN Headquarters in New York City in 1967.

“On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we were invited by CAW to visit their amazing selection of images from photojournalist Santi Visalli capturing a powerful moment of protest in our nation’s history,” Director of Visual and Performing Arts, Miriam Dance, who spearheaded the event, said. “With Dr. King’s emphasis on non-violent communication and desire to foster peace and compassion for all, this seemed like the perfect event to highlight in our annual Kindness Week programming as well.”

Riviera Ridge students were treated to a private tour from CAW’s Helene Schneider and reflected on quotes, images, and the relevance of Dr. King’s words today.

“Students ended the week united with an assortment of colorful bracelets on their wrists and an imprint on their hearts that creating and maintaining a culture of kindness matters, that it’s contagious, and that it’s alive and well in our school,” Head of School, Chris Broderick, said. 

At Riviera Ridge, we provide student-centered, individualized learning in a joyful and nurturing community, inspiring academic excellence and valuing difference. The educational vision for each Riviera Ridge graduate is to empower individual potential, inspire purpose beyond self, and cultivate social responsibility as they prepare for high school and beyond. 

For more information, email info@rivieraridge.org or call 805-569-1811 ext. 131.