The Headmaster’s Perspective
Welcome to Ridgeview
Ridgeview Classical Schools, above all else, offers an experience as much as an education. We are fortunate to be situated along the Front Range in Fort Collins, Colorado, and we have endeavored to make the most of our location and the talented people it attracts. We take pride in cultivating curious minds and resilient spirits through a classical liberal arts education and the Socratic method. Our mission is to develop students holistically, fostering intellectual rigor, moral character, and a deep appreciation for the adventures to be found in the great books and in our native state.
At the heart of our approach is a commitment to timeless principles and texts. Our curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, articulate communication, and an unparalleled engagement with literature, history, mathematics, and the sciences. We believe that an appeal to wonder and curiosity inspires students to ask profound questions and seek Truth, Goodness, and Beauty with honesty, courage, and humility.
The school harnesses the breathtaking Colorado landscape to enrich our students’ experiences. Our rigorous outdoor program challenges students physically and mentally, develops lifelong friendships, perseverance, and an enduring connection to nature. From hiking in the Rockies to studying ecology in our backyard, students discover the joys of adventuring together and the value of stewardship.
We nurture the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Our dedicated faculty guide students to grow not only as intelligent citizens but also as compassionate, principled individuals ready to lead and serve. By blending classicism with alpinism and combining it with a virtue-based character education, we prepare students to thrive in and adapt to an ever-changing world while remaining grounded in enduring values.
I invite you to explore our website, visit our campus, and join our community. Together, with family and school aligned, every student can be empowered to reach his or her fullest potential.
Warm regards,
Mr. Derek Anderson, Headmaster
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Set against this backdrop, Martin Luther King, Jr. enters the national consciousness, most notably with his 1963 I Have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial. What we recognize today is not simply the man, but the long train of abuses that he stood against.
Post-Solstice Solace
We hope you will join us on January 18th as we host our fifth annual Post-Solstice Solace at High Peak Camp near Estes Park. It is an opportunity for us to go sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing, and play broomball. The day is unique for more than what we do, but also for where, why, and how we do it.
On Resolutions and Resignations
Shakespeare has Macbeth deliver a nihilistic soliloquy that begins, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.” When death waits for each of us, what can be the ultimate meaning of our lives regardless of how floridly or cleverly they are described in exquisite language?
Christmas' Gift
It is our custom to associate gifts with Christmas rather than to think of Christmas as a gift. In this custom we are not wrong, but fail to see deeply enough.
The Christmas Season
Christmas is one of the only holidays for which we speak of there being an entire season imbued with a particular spirit. If the spirit that breathes life into Christmas is charity, it is a good thing that we lengthen it from a day to a month or more.
Thanksgiving
A remarkable holiday is now before us, and it is one that speaks to our sense of American exceptionalism in a way few holidays do.
Veterans Day
November 11, 2019 is Veterans Day – the 100th since President Wilson brought it into being as Armistice Day in 1919. It is interesting to note that in acknowledging this day there are no calls for students to be released from the schools as there are for other holidays.
A Sporting Community
Whether it was with seasoned veterans or newcomers, the Turkey Shoot has proven to be a welcoming venue for all members of our community. There is a hot chili meal in the clubhouse, a petting zoo, and an abundance of games for our youngest Hoplites.
Homework at Ridgeview
That homework at Ridgeview has long been contentious is to say little more than that homework has long been contentious. The debate about homework is decades, if not centuries, old.
Autumn's Arrival
This time of year makes it remarkably clear how fortunate we are to live in Colorful Colorado. It also makes it much easier as a school to exhibit a life lived in harmony with the seasons.
First Responders Day
In our current age, we tend to be especially cognizant of our rights as citizens, but less inquisitive about our duties.
The Purpose of Colloquia
We can promote our own growth by learning from one another. As a result of this growth, we can be better proponents of that kind of life that is marked by curiosity and intelligence and that we hope our children will aspire to emulate.