Student NEWS & shoutouts

In the fall of 2025, Kian E. '25 showcased his photography skills by entering the Connecticut Youth Photo Competition, ASAP!'s 14th Annual Celebration of Young Photographers. Kian’s work stood out among submissions from 280 students across 58 towns throughout the state. Both of his unedited photographs, Swan Lake and Graceful Grit were selected as part of the top 60 and earned a spot in a special exhibition at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury.

Kian’s photograph Swan Lake was recognized for its beauty and its embodiment of the competition’s theme of “grace.” This stunning piece earned Kian First Place in the Middle School category, as selected by a panel of judges.

The annual 18 Under 18 feature in Bedford & New Canaan Magazine’s September/October Education Issue is always a highlight, showcasing increasingly impressive student achievements each year.

This year, Ridgefield Academy is proud to announce that three of our outstanding students and alumni have been selected:

- Elle Murphy ’27 (p. 161)
- Kiran Rao ’21 (p. 163)
- Quinn Maloney ’25 (p. 166)

Congratulations to all on your remarkable achievements!

Photo Credit: Bedford & New Canaan Magazine

Grace S. '27 began her equestrian journey at just six months old and started riding in shows by the age of three, according to a 2023 article about the Hampton Classic. Having accumulated many titles over her years of riding, Grace's achievements soared to new heights at the 2024 Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania. As the top horse show in the country, the Devon Horse Show accepts only 30 ponies in total. Grace received the highest honors, being awarded Best Child Rider on a Pony and taking home the Grand Pony Hunter Championship.

Over the summer of 2024, Minho C. ’27 competed for the third time in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, the largest junior tournament in the world. He competed in the Boys 12 division and placed 11th out of 150 players, earning a top 20 finalist award—a significant achievement. Minho also played for the PGA Jr. League team, Fairview Farm, in Connecticut, winning both the CT Sectional and Regional Championships. For the second time, his team has advanced to compete in the 2024 National Car Rental PGA Jr. League 13-and-Under Championship this fall in Texas, which will be broadcasted on ESPN, and the RA community will be cheering him on! Additionally, Minho placed 3rd in the Notah Begay III Jr. Golf Regional Championship this summer and won six events in the PGA Metropolitan Section Junior Tour (Players Tour, Boys 12-14 Division).

Quinn M. ’25 is a competitive speedcuber, which involves solving a variety of Rubik's cube puzzles as quickly as possible. Quinn started solving rubix cubes in August of 2022 and has competed in eleven competitions and counting! Quinn competes in eleven different puzzle events, and his best event is the 2x2 cube. In July, he qualified for the Speedcubing National Championship in Pittsburgh, PA and finished 18th out of 863 competitors in the 2x2. In October of 2023, Quinn competed in the New England Championships in Springfield, MA, and came in first place in the 2x2 out of 193 competitors - with an average of 1.8 seconds in the final around and personal best of 0.83 seconds. Quinn also placed fifth overall in pyraminx, a pyramid-shaped puzzle, and became the New England Champion in that event as well. Quinn has enjoyed making new friends through the speedcubing community and is looking forward to more competitions!

Watch Quinn’s YouTube Channel.
View Quinn’s World Cubing Association page.

According to The New York Times, Elle M. ’27 is one of the “tiny dancers who make The Nutcracker sparkle”. Elle, a student at The School of American Ballet, played the role of Bunny in the 2022 New York City Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Read Elle’s interview with The New York Times here. Her photo in The New York Times was selected as one of the best arts photos of the year in the article, “How We Saw the Arts in 2022”. In the 2023 production, Elle is again taking to the Lincoln Center stage in a new role.  inRidgefield spotlighted Elle as“NYC’s Tiny Ballet dancer”, and she can be seen dancing in a NY1 piece about George Balanchine’s classic production below! In the spring of 2024, Elle once again took to the stage with the New York City Ballet, opening a Midsummer Night’s Dream in the role of Titania’s page.