RE LOG - Spring 2017

10 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2017 Terron Ferguson ’04 Breakthrough student and teacher BA in Philosophy at Morehouse College London School of Economics JD at New York University School of Law Ransom Everglades Class of 2004 Notable Work History Legal Fellow, Equal Justice Initiative, Birmingham Teach for America, Miami Special Education Teacher, College Park Elementary, Atlanta “I grew up in Liberty City, and Breakthrough surrounded me with like-minded kids for the first time. That was the magical thing about Breakthrough: It takes a lot of kids who don’t really have a lot of educational opportunities; it puts them all together; and it makes education cool. That was a really powerful thing for me … The more practical way Break- through helped me was offering the opportunity to go to Ransom Everglades. That just changed my life. I wasn’t even thinking about college until I went to Ransom Everglades.” classrooms of children, full course loads and the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences. The teachers didn’t merely inspire, they made it fun. “You have these college-student teachers who are energized and young and vibrant,” Miller said. “You are motivating the students, and making education cool. You are making it something that doesn’t feel onerous and rigid like most public education.” Awards and recognition rained down. The National Association of Independent Schools recognized the national program with its Leading Edge Award in 2003 for achievements in equity and justice, and Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center honored it with the Klingenstein Leadership Award in 2006. Teach for America, the non-profit that places recent college graduates into teaching positions in inner cities, signed on for a partnership. In Miami, the Knight Foundation awarded Breakthrough Miami a $3.25 million grant, which called for an expansion to 1,000 students and new sites at additional schools. Breakthrough also received its first significant grant from The Children’s Trust, a local government agency that provides funding for worthy children’s programs. Those grants allowed the program to expand to Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami Country Day, Palmer Trinity and the University of Miami. Even as Breakthrough expanded, families from Ransom Everglades returned year after year, offering help. “We relied heavily on the generosity of families from Ransom Everglades from the start – and we still do,” Vanaver said. “We are so grateful that the school and its families continue to see the value in the Breakthrough program. The RE community’s embrace of Breakthrough has been critical in attracting the support of the other schools.” Breakthrough scholars surround special guest Franklin Sirmans, director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, in July 2016. “A challenge I was happy to undertake,” – Magaly Pena, Project Designer, D’Asign Source