Week One (July 20-23) materials will be sent out Wednesday.  Look for them in the mail on Friday/Saturday. 

ALL WORKSHOPS WILL BE CONDUCTED VIRTUALLY USING DISTRICT-APPROVED PLATFORMS, including Zoom, Google Suite, and other formats. 

Our Speech/Debate Institute will be conducted via grade levels with grades 5 & 6 (July 20-24) and grades 7-9 (July 27-30) as originally scheduled; however, we will also offer other courses for students outside those age groups during those weeks. 

​AND IN ADDITION, August 3-6 and August 10-13 will feature mini-courses that are open to students in grades 5-9.

ALL OUR WORKSHOPS ARE TAUGHT BY FACULTY WHO HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN SAFE AND ENGAGING DISTANCE LEARNING METHODS. 


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​THREE EASY STEPS TO REGISTRATION FOR WEEKS 3 AND 4.  
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STEP ONE: REVIEW THE SCHEDULE AND COURSE OFFERINGS.

• SUMMER INSTITUTE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE CAN BE ACCESSED HERE or see below.
• ​SUMMER INSTITUTE COURSES CAN BE ACCESSED HERE or see below

STEP TWO: PREREGISTER BY CLICKING HERE.  
THE ONLINE PREREGISTRATION LINK IS THE ONLY WAY TO SELECT YOUR CLASS PREFERENCES. 
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STEP THREE: 'NEW' REGISTRATION AND PERMISSION FORMS MUST BE DOWNLOADED, COMPLETED, AND SENT TO A NEW ADDRESS. PLEASE DO NOT SEND FORMS TO RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL.  ADDRESS IS LISTED ON THE FORMS ARE LINKED HERE OR CAN BE ACCESSED AFTER PRE-REGISTRATION. IF YOU ALREADY SUBMITTED PAYMENT FOR THE ORIGINAL INSTITUTE, PLEASE COMPLETE THE NEW FORMS AND SEND THEM IN (w/ additional payment if you are adding any more weeks).

PAYMENT SHOULD STILL BE MADE TO
RHS STUDENT ACTIVITIES - FORENSICS

but PLEASE SEND TO....
RHS STUDENT ACTIVITIES - FORENSICS
ATTN. BARBARA RETZKO
45 DAYTON CRESCENT
BERNARDSVILLE, NJ 07924
(not Ridge High School)

STEP THREE: A CONFIRMATION WILL BE E-MAILED TO YOU UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR REGISTRATION.

Questions: Scroll down to our CONTACT FORM.
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COURSE OFFERINGS 

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Institute Staff 

David Yastremski—​Mr. Yastremski began the Ridge Forensics program in the fall of 1997 and has led the team to state and national recognition. Mr. Yastremski has served as a Language Arts teacher at Ridge High School since 1996. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and a triple diamond coach with the National Speech and Debate Association. 

Vivek Balija—Dr. Balija is a Physical, Life and Earth Science teacher in addition to being the science instructor at the STEM academy at William Annin Middle School. He holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences, an M.S. in Molecular Biology, a M.A. in Education and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He has previously taught in the New York City Public School System where he was a debate coach for his school debate league.

Jessica Lynch—Mrs. Lynch is an English/Language Arts teacher at William Annin Middle School.  She has been coaching the debate team for 3 years.  Mrs. Lynch is also an alumnus of Ridge High School and the Ridge Forensics team.  She strongly believes that participation in speech and debate helps students develop skills that will greatly benefit them later in life during high school, college, and in their careers beyond! 
 
Stephanie Fletcher—Mrs. Fletcher had been a professional actress after graduating with a BA in theatre. While receiving her M.Ed. She started coaching the Ridge Forensics team in late 90s. She returned in 2011 and just received her first diamond award from the National Speech and Debate Association. 
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Students will work with members of the reigning state championship Ridge Forensics Team, including state and national tournament finalists. 

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