RE Log Fall 2019

FALL 2019 Ransom Everglades LOG 5 You will also read about board chair Andy Ansin ’81 , a constant presence on our campus since he assumed the mantle just over a year ago. It takes a person bold enough to spearfish among sharks – Andy has holds many spearfishing world records – to willingly assume board leadership amid such a complicated construction project. The Q and A that begins on page 20 offers insight into the spirit that motivates Andy and the upbringing that guided him, and it will also bring you up to date on the new STEM Center. This magazine also introduces our new Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement Carla Hill. Carla is an inspiring leader whose entire life seems to have been preparation for this important job at this time. Shaped by a vast array of personal and career experiences, Carla will advance our campus culture and expand our reach in the com- munity. We are thrilled to have her! Read more about her on page 25. You can also learn how the REinventing Excellence campaign – of which the STEM Center is part – is elevating our academic programs. Faculty members Jen Nero and Doug Heller ’80 explain how we have restructured our departments to amplify opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, and Head of the Middle School Rachel Rodriguez explores our decision to redesign the middle school schedule to allow for deeper learning and more student engagement. Significant steps that illustrate our commitment to preparing our students to “put back more in the world than they take from it.” We also continue to stoke their “explosive creativity.” Finally, please review the Report of Giving that begins on page 45. This report celebrates those who have supported our school in 2018-19 with annual gifts that reached nearly $2.8 million and total support of $9 million. I could not be more grateful to the many alumni, parents, trustees, grandparents and friends who have demonstrated their belief in the mission of Ransom Everglades School through their generous gifts. A special thank you to John Fleeman ’75 who will celebrate his 45th reunion this year, having supported annual giving for more than 25 of those years; and Leslie Wakefield Buchanan ’72 , whose continuous record of giving is unsurpassed among our alumnae. The true measure of a school is not test scores and college placement; the true measure is what our graduates go on to accomplish. It is about the challenges to which they rise, and I could not be more proud of Ransom Everglades and its alumni. Penny Townsend Head of School We’d love to hear from you! If you have comments about stories in this magazine, please submit your Letter to the Editor to REnews@ransomeverglades.org . The true measure of a school is not test scores and college placement; the true measure is what our graduates go on to accomplish. It is about the challenges to which they rise, and I could not be more proud of Ransom Everglades and its alumni.” “