RE Log Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 Ransom Everglades LOG 25 Everglades wasn’t that it was a beautiful facility, or had these gorgeous new build- ings. It was the core of the school, and what was inside. The academics. The seri- ousness of it. The faculty. The curriculum. That’s what brought my family to Ransom Everglades. We don’t like to talk about rankings, yet I can’t help but mention that Ransom Everglades has been ranked the No. 1 school in Florida for years. It’s hard to stay No. 1. You have to be ahead of the curve to stay No. 1. I feel our students and faculty and administration made us a No. 1 school. We owe it to them to give them the classrooms and facilities they have earned and deserve. We absolutely should build that around them. Imagine where that will take us? We already have what it takes to be No. 1. The physical enhance- ments will elevate our academic program. They will enhance our curriculum. Great facilities will help us keep and attract the best and brightest teachers. The entire institution will benefit. We will lift the level of excellence in every facet. Jeffrey: We are starting by building a STEM Center – a science, technology engineering and math building. We expect to start construction this summer. The STEM Center has been designed in such a way as to make it flexible so that as our world changes and as education changes, the facility is adaptable enough in design to incorporate those changes in that build- ing. So regardless of what is happening 10 years from now, this building will be able to adjust to that. It’s really exciting that we’re undertaking something with the understanding that we’re trying to look forward and not build just for our needs today. During this campaign, Ransom Everglades is not going to change in terms of substantially growing in numbers. We’re going to remain about the same size. That’s a remarkable thing. We are adding seven acres of land, but there is not going to be a big push to have another 1,000 kids here. We like our size. We like the intimacy of our classrooms. We like the community atmosphere that develops in each class. And we want to add more green space. We want our students to en- joy an expansive property that feels like a college campus. Constance: We’re paying forward. This will benefit many of our current stu- dents, but it’s primarily a gift for our next generation. There is no question this is a critical time: we will need to be educat- ing this next generation for careers we don’t even know about yet. They need to be well-rounded. We need to prepare the whole child intellectually, socially, athleti- cally. They must be well-rounded to best handle what they are going experience, what has yet to be seen. It’s scary, but it’s also exciting. Jeffrey: Education is the key to every aspect of a community being strong and vibrant. Education, whether it be in public schools, charter schools, magnet We need to keep raising the bar for education as our city raises the bar in so many other ways.” – Constance “