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Deer Ridge Elementary highlights community service, social-emotional learning and partnerships
Summary
Principal Jennifer Sprague and students described Deer Ridge Elementary's focus on social-emotional learning, buddy classrooms, community partnerships with local fire and nursing facilities, and a student-led fundraiser that raised $947.45 for a school in Zimbabwe.
Jennifer Sprague, principal of Deer Ridge Elementary, and several students presented the school’s community and instructional activities to the MSD Southwest Allen County Schools board, emphasizing social-emotional learning, service projects and community partnerships.
Sprague told trustees the school focuses on building "a positive, caring community" through weekly pledges, community circles, buddy classrooms that pair older and younger students, and regular assemblies that spotlight life skills and kindness. She described classroom activities, a reading challenge that included teacher pie-throwing rewards, and a fifth‑grade cookout designed to teach teamwork and problem solving.
Deer Ridge partners with local organizations for experiential learning. The school welcomed visits from the nearby fire department, participates in Junior Achievement and BizTown experiences, and maintains ongoing outreach: fifth graders visited Shepherd’s House to share food and activities with veterans, and first graders visited Lutheran Life Villages to build relationships with residents in memory care. Sprague said the student council led a fundraising campaign for Feed Zimbabwe, raising $947.45 to buy school supplies for Mount Saint Mary's School in Wedza, Zimbabwe.
Sprague also noted staff study of Permission to Feel to inform classroom practices that teach students about emotions and perspective-taking. Trustees praised the students and staff for the breadth of community engagement and social-emotional programming; board members thanked parents for choosing Southwest Allen County Schools and invited the students to stay for the remainder of the meeting.
The presentation was informational; no board action was requested or taken.
