<p>Last Friday, East Ridge Middle School conducted its annual Geography Bee. Social Studies teachers Will Boylan and Andrea Donigian hosted the event, and Principal Jennifer Phostole was the emcee. </p><p>The entire school competed in a qualifying round&nbsp;with&nbsp;21 students qualifying to compete on stage in front of the&nbsp;whole school. The competitors engaged in prep sessions with Mrs. Donigian and Mr. Boylan. The questions were challenging, and the finalists did&nbsp;a wonderful&nbsp;job with some&nbsp;exceptionally difficult&nbsp;questions!&nbsp;The audience was enthusiastic throughout the competition. Thanks to all the families, staff, and students who helped make this a fantastic event.</p><p>The winners:</p><p>1st place: Ben Pearl</p><p>2nd place: Ben Marceau</p><p>3rd place: Caroline&nbsp;Chaikivsky</p><p>Qualifiers:</p><p>&nbsp;Noah Berman,&nbsp;Ben Pearl,&nbsp;Caroline Chaikivsky,&nbsp;Daniel Piec,&nbsp;Maxim Curt,&nbsp;Jackson Ray,&nbsp;Scott Dadasovich,&nbsp;Suchetha Rao,&nbsp;Declan Good,&nbsp;Supriti Saravana,&nbsp;Charlie Gros,&nbsp;Thomas Turco,&nbsp;Tobey Lieberman,&nbsp;Jack Urquhart,&nbsp;William Lindsay-Jones,&nbsp;Charlie Westcott,&nbsp;Ben Marceau,&nbsp;Kevin Ye,&nbsp;Harry McCausland,&nbsp;Lily Zezula,&nbsp;Liam Mendoza, and&nbsp;Richard Zhuang.</p><p>*Information courtesy RPS weekly newsletter. Read it in its entirety <a href="https://secure.smore.com/n/hv9pf-rps-update?ref=email" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">The Ridgefield High School (RHS) production of&nbsp;</span><em style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Little Women</em><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">&nbsp;received two Stephen Sondheim Award Nominations—the most prestigious regional awards for High School Theatre in Connecticut and Massachusetts!</span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"> One nomination recognizes student Elizabeth Rogers for Costume Design. The other is for the whole company for Scenic Design. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">The RHS Theater creative team, booster parents, and cast/crew of students came together in a collaborative, community-building effort each week on "Set Build Saturdays" to design and build out the set, props, and costumes. </span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">The RHS theater community is such a strong and supportive group, and this&nbsp;is a huge opportunity and&nbsp;major&nbsp;regional recognition for the RPS Visual and Performing Arts Department! Congratulations!</span></p>

<p>The Guild of Artists' 14th Annual Juried Exhibition is now in its final weekend. With the predicted rain this weekend, enjoy a visit to the Guild! Before closing at on Sunday, May 5th, join us for our popular Walk &amp; Talk on Sunday from 2-4pm, when four featured artists will present their works and artistic process. It's always an informative and lively discussion. This event is free and open to the public, and includes light refreshments. </p><p>Come see what Guild members are creating!</p><p>Ridgefield Guild of Artists is located at 34 Halpin Lane, at the bottom of the hill before the Rail Trail. Weekend gallery hours are noon - 4pm. RGOA is a 501c3 non-profit organization, now celebrating its 50th year! For so many years, the Guild has been an open and friendly place, encouraging artists of all levels to inspire, create, and explore. For more information about this show and all Guild offerings, visit <a href="http://www.rgoa.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.rgoa.org.</a> All donations are gratefully accepted.</p>

<p><strong style="color: rgb(45, 44, 46);">Friends of the Ridgefield Library Big Book Sale May 17th -20th -- Mark your calendar for the Spring Big Book Sale. </strong><strong>It's One Big Book Sale!&nbsp;Enjoy four days of great selections for ALL ages. The sale will be held on the Library's Lower Level.</strong></p><p><a href="https://kpntkwn6.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001Ase1Z4sE-I_5lLjkO8YvqPj_VHmGmddnoer1ioS_TNN2B1-GU2cB1cW0SfTSuEO4OnJUc_YfJFQK1WVOlRm4WxuSUAzett8CwoCtoRUBSVMSCanxDT0OElA_TKsYfO57JAjXaQtqXfprZUQmfJ9TZFMdOrOijjrQjG1j7wS2cs-H_rRWcSWEDizTgUzVrjlhgQ-s__qt_eYENG2Y-8yY6Ns8Hh-jnFaVNSMtRuyQoJx_mCiVk9Z5OHqm_7MvjG7KCVWlNT4c-aI=&amp;c=NnKU00sA6_D26lefS588wJ3YKnOrh69zdoWXK3MiTtq33IDD_-0TIg==&amp;ch=ZzyEGbGQ56sONcuenqDXCyoBCUeeOy4PCFguozMBf8vclZofl1sjug==" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(238, 34, 13);"><strong>Click here for more information.</strong></a></p>

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby will electrify Churchill Downs this Saturday, May 4 as&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.kentuckyderby.com/derby-horses/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">20</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> talented three-year-old Thoroughbreds gallop down the tracks for 1 ¼ miles in pursuit of the roses! The starting gates will open at 6:57 EST!&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Next to win, place or show, your Kentucky Derby hat or fascinator should always be prize-worthy!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Look no further than Elegant Ridgefield for classic Derby “picture hats”! Colorful, and artfully decorated, you’ll be the talk of the party on Saturday night! And… picture this: an exquisite Elegant Ridgefield hat on your head and a classic lemon-mint Julep in your hand!</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Check out Martha Stewart’s “</span><a href="https://www.kentuckyderby.com/derby-at-home/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Derby At Home” menu</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> (and head to your favorite Ridgefield shop to pick up the ingredients!) For Martha’s Big Batch Lemon Mint Julep recipe click </span><a href="https://www.kentuckyderby.com/recipes/kentucky-derby-at-home-menu/big-batch-lemon-mint-julep/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">here</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Kentucky Derby just published </span><a href="https://www.kentuckyderby.com/horses/news/top-off-your-look-in-style-with-hats-and-fascinators/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">this article</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> about Derby hats and fascinators stating: “Ever wondered about the origin of these fabulous hats and fascinators? The answer lies with the celebrated Kentucky Derby milliners.” Learn more </span><a href="https://www.kentuckyderby.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">https://www.kentuckyderby.com/</a></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Thank you, Elegant Ridgefield for making sure we are ready for the races!&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Visit Elegant Ridgefield online </span><a href="https://elegantridgefield.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">https://elegantridgefield.com/</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> and bedazzled at 92 Grove Street in Ridgefield!</span></p>

<p class="ql-align-justify"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">(Ridgefield, CT) - May 3, 2024</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> We are delighted to announce that The Prospector has received a generous grant in the amount of $15,000 from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop to fund our second Do Good Business Conference on October 17, 2024. The Ridgefield Thrift Shop has been supporting The Prospector since our Capital Campaign in 2013. Prospects Ren Burkardt and Jenny Bender, also a Ridgefield Thrift Shop Volunteer, attended. It was an honor to receive another grant from the Thrift Shop alongside 49 other grant recipients, including Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Ridgefield Police Department, and The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="ql-align-justify">&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify">“We are grateful to receive this funding from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop. Our goal is to help more businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs understand the value that people with disabilities add to the workforce.” -Juliana Fodera, Grants Manager, The Prospector.</p><p><br></p><p class="ql-align-justify"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The 2024 Do Good Business Conference is a platform where we aim to inspire, educate, and advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce. We are thrilled to announce that our keynote speakers are John and Mark X. Cronin of John’s Crazy Socks! Their story of entrepreneurship and inclusion is truly inspiring.&nbsp; If you have any questions about the conference, please feel free to reach out to our Director of Continuing Education, Kathleen Eubanks: </span><a href="mailto:kathleen.eubanks@prospectortheater.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">kathleen.eubanks@prospectortheater.org</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">.</span></p><p><br></p><p class="ql-align-justify"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">About the Ridgefield Thrift Shop: </strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">To support local non-profit organizations through recycling, repurposing, and reselling generously donated goods and to provide the opportunity to purchase affordable merchandise at our shop: www.ridgefieldthriftshop.org.</span></p><p><br></p><p class="ql-align-justify"><strong style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">About The Prospector:</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> The Prospector is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing competitive and inclusive employment to people with disabilities through the operation of a first-run movie theater and online popcorn business. Employees of The Prospector are known as Prospects. Approximately 75% of our workforce self-identify with a disability. Check us out at www.prospectortheater.org!</span></p><p><br></p>