Ridgefield honors students, employee of the month

Ridgefield — The Ridgefield School District named its students and employee of the month for October. The students of the month are: South Ridge Elementary School fifth-grader Ruben Esquibel, Union Ridge Elementary School second-grader Joseph Gallant, View Ridge Middle School eighth-grader Kira Newman and Ridgefield High School senior Tamarick Mendoza. Steve Rinard, who teaches math, biomedical and pre-engineering classes at the high school, was picked as employee of the month. Ruben was selected for making friends quickly despite being new at South Ridge, Joseph was selected for being considerate and helpful, Kira was honored for her critical thinking about math and Mendoza was nominated for the award by five different teachers for his leadership abilities and assistance in helping with new teacher transitions. Rinard was nominated by his peers for his work in the classroom, as well as coaching, chaperoning and willingness to meet with students throughout the day.