The Riviera Ridge School Brings Community Together for Creativity and Discovery

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service.

Santa Barbara, CA. (January 2025) – More than 250 people of all ages came together at The Riviera Ridge School’s mountain-view campus on Saturday, January 11th for a morning filled with hands-on learning for the whole family at the 8th annual Maker Fair. Families, students, and the general public explored more than 20 different activity stations while mingling, enjoying refreshments, and getting to know the staff and community. Each of the more than 20 booths set up posed a scientific question that attendees answered through an interactive project. 

“The Maker Fair is a wonderful event to bring the community together and give everyone, kids and adults alike, an opportunity to explore, create, and tinker with fun materials,” Tracy Williamson, JK-8th STEAM Integration Specialist and coordinator of the school’s Center for Design, Engineering, and Creativity (CDEC), said. The ocean-view CDEC includes a kitchen, backyard garden, 3D printers, and tons of materials with which students can explore robotics, cooking, art, and inventions of all kinds.

“The Riviera Ridge School is all about coming together to inspire, imagine, and innovate, so the activities at the Maker Fair are meant to do just that,” Williamson said. “We’re very STEAM-education forward, and we are able to represent everything under the STEAM umbrella (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) at the annual Maker Fair.” 

Guests at the Maker Fair chatted with Riviera Ridge faculty from all disciplines, who partnered with students to run the tables hosting various experiments. These investigations included engaging inquiries, such as “How can you make ice cream in a bag?” “How can you create music with Play-Doh?” and “How far can you make a rocket fly?”

“The event was a huge success, with families creating everything from bristle bots to moon dough to pumpkin seed mosaics. Our guests had the opportunity to code with robots, explore the physics of air cannons, and more in a lighthearted and compassionate environment,” Williamson said. “It was a beautiful, sunny day full of STEAM learning and fun.”

The Honors Coding Gaming Station, Microcomputers booth, and Tinkercad 3D printing centers were also impressively student-run, demonstrating the school’s commitment to project-based learning. Visitors enjoyed breakfast burritos and coffee while speaking with students about their multifaceted learning experiences, such as the school’s interdisciplinary electives. 

A signature Middle School program in the RRS curriculum, the STEAM² Electives program allows students to choose from a variety of passion-centered activities during each of their three terms throughout the year. Students discover new interests through different courses, such as surfing, robotics, cooking, podcasting, food blogging, musicals, engineering, knitting, and many more. 

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.