Ridgewood High School was a four-year

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

serving residential suburbs in

New Port Richey, Florida New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was counted at 16,728 in the 2020 census. History By ...

on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, part of the Pasco County Public School System in

Pasco County, Florida Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...

. The school was founded on August 22, 1978, as a junior high school with the intent of it becoming the third high school in western Pasco County. As of the 2014–15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,133 students and 73.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a

student–teacher ratio Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students ...

of 15.5:1. There were 787 students (69.5% of enrollment) eligible for

free lunch A free lunch is the providing of a meal at no cost, usually as a sales enticement to attract customers and increase revenues from other business. It was once a common tradition in saloons and taverns in many places in the United States, with the ...

and 98 (8.6% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.School data for Ridgewood High School

National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance ...

. Accessed December 12, 2016. The school closed at the end of the 2017–18 school year for conversion to Wendell Krinn Technical High School, a technical high school named after Ridgewood's first principal, Wendell Krinn. The school's closing ceremony took place on May 22, 2018, and was attended by faculty and alumni. The ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

'' wrote, "The community is losing its traditional high school, with sports teams and bands and the spirit that comes with sending generations to it."Solochek, Jeffrey S
"Ridgewood High faithful recall ‘Pride of Pasco’ as school forges a new path"
''Tampa Bay Times'', May 23, 2018.

History

The Pasco County School Board approved the creation of a new junior high school north of the City of New Port Richey in response to population growth in the area during the 1970s, with the expectation that the school would ultimately become west Pasco's third high school. Superintendent Thomas Weightman had Ridgewood built to senior high specifications and purchased extra land near the school for the future expansion and conversion.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sPMNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=N3sDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2371,4384283&dq=pasco+ridgewood+school t. Petersburg Times accessed May 25, 2009 The school was built for $3.2 million and opened on August 22, 1978. Wendell L. Krinn became the first principal of the school and would serve in that position for 20 years.The Written History and Story of Ridgewood High School
accessed January 5, 2007 The St. Petersburg Times proclaimed Ridgewood, "The new home of education" in Pasco County because of its state of the art facilities and unique architecture.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VRsMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tVkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5245,1706755&dq=pasco+ridgewood+school t. Petersburg Times accessed May 25, 2009 Rowe Holmes Associates designed the main building of Ridgewood High School after the Tampa Bay Center in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, with its courtyard, high ceilings, and second floor overlooking the building. On August 5, 1981, the school board voted to convert Ridgewood to a high school. The first freshman class started in 1983, and one grade was added per year, until the 1985–1986 school year, which was the first graduating class. As part of the transition to a high school, Ridgewood underwent a $1.6 million renovation project, which included a gym added to the back of the main building, a stadium built by the football field, as well as a new weight room and tennis courts. After winning the "Pride of Pasco" academic award, in 1988, the title stuck as the nickname of the school. Ridgewood High School excelled during this period, leading the county in HSC Test scores four consecutive years. In 1998, Dr. Arthur O'Donnell became the second principal in Ridgewood's history after transferring from Hudson High School. In 2003, he retired after working for 35 years in the Pasco County School system. Randall Koenigsfeld succeeded O'Donnell as Principal of Ridgewood High, a position he held until July 2009, when he was transferred to Schwettman Education Center. Angie Murphy, principal of J.W. Mitchell High School was named principal of Ridgewood.

School symbols

During the establishment of the school in the late 1970s, the student body at Ridgewood voted to make the official nickname and logo the Ram, "which symbolizes the endless determination of our spirit to strive for high standards in every aspect within our institution."Profile for Ridgewood High School: Improvement and Self Study Report for Accreditation
accessed January 11, 2007 At one time a real ram was brought in as a mascot for sporting events who would soon be replaced by the present day Rocky the Ram.” The colors orange and blue were adopted, matching those of the

University of Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

Academics

By 2004, Ridgewood High School had a graduation rate of 80%, exceeding the

Pasco County Pasco County is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 census, the population was 561,691. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is Zephyrhills. The county is named after Samuel Pasco ...

average of 72% and state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

average at 68%. Its dropout rate of 2.2% was lower than both the district and state averages at the time. The school's curriculum offered 14 classes of

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

, an honors program, and many Dual-Enrollment options due to the proximity to Pasco-Hernando State College. Ridgewood was also the pilot school for a wellness program in Pasco County, to improve and teach good habits for now and in the future. 80% of Ridgewood High School students moved on to post-secondary education in 2004, the school reported. In 2006, Ridgewood High School won the state championship of the

Odyssey of the Mind Odyssey of the Mind, abbreviated OM or OotM, is a creative problem-solving program involving students from kindergarten through college. Team members work together at length to solve a predefined long-term problem and present their solution to t ...

competition, representing the state of Florida against the world.http://www.odysseyofthemind.org/competitions/wf_competition_schedules.php?sch_event_ID=800&sch_problem=5&sch_div=3&show_breaks=1 dyssey of the Mind Results 2006 accessed July 1, 2007 In recent years, however, the school's state test results had declined.

Athletics

Ridgewood High School won its first Pasco County All-Sports Trophy in 1986 after winning the district title in cross country, track, baseball and soccer. "The other schools kid us a lot," said Principal Wendell Krinn to the St. Petersburg Times in 1986. "They call us the University of Ridgewood or the Taj Mahal of the county." RHS continued this success and won two state titles in Boys' Cross Country under then Coach Glenn Cable in 1991 and 1999. Ridgewood won the Class 3A state title in Fast-Pitch Softball in 1992, led by coach Marlyn Bavetta, defeating

Berkeley Preparatory School Berkeley Preparatory School is a Pre-K to Grade 12 independent, college-preparatory day school affiliated to the Episcopal Church located in Tampa, Florida, in the United States. On this 86-acre campus some of the notable features include: a 7 ...

by a score of 7–6. Ridgewood achieved success in both sports during the 1990s with victories at both the district and conference level. Competing in a group of 61 high schools in

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and

Pinellas Pinellas is the name of a peninsula located roughly halfway down the west coast of Florida. It forms the western boundary of Tampa Bay and comprises the bulk of Pinellas County. There is a city named Pinellas Park in south Pinellas. The peninsula ...

counties, participating in 19 different sports, Ridgewood High School was recognized in 1992 as a winner of the fourth annual St. Petersburg Times All-Sports Championship, paced by state titles in boys cross country and softball. The football stadium is also the winter and spring break home to the

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

cycling team from Indiana University. The Phi Delta Theta team has won the Little 500 3 times, in 1982, 1996, and 2001. With its athletics program drawing to a close in 2018, the final games for Ridgewood's teams were marked by gatherings of former coaches and players for the last home baseball game on April 24. The following month, the Boys' Basketball team made it to the region finals, playing its last playoff game at home before an emotional crowd of 1,500 fans and players.

Notable alumni

Mike Rabelo Michael Gregory Rabelo (born January 17, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played with the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins from 2006 to 2008. He is currently the Third Base Coach and Major League Field Coordinator for the Pi ...

(Class of 1998),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

, minor-league coachMike Rabelo

Baseball Almanac Baseball Almanac is an interactive baseball encyclopedia with over 500,000 pages of baseball facts, research, awards, records, feats, lists, notable quotations, baseball movie ratings, and statistics. Its goal is to preserve the history of baseba ...

. Accessed September 14, 2017.

References

External links

Ridgewood High School websiteData for the Ridgewood Public Schools

History of Education in Pasco County - Ridgewood High School
{{authority control High schools in Pasco County, Florida Public high schools in Florida Educational institutions established in 1978 Educational institutions disestablished in 2018 New Port Richey, Florida 1978 establishments in Florida 2018 disestablishments in Florida