RE Log Spring 2019

20 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2019 From the Outward Bound, leaders learn to follow and compromise out in the wilderness – a locale where a can reminds them to leave no trace behind, a lesson they also learn through their class-wide philanthropic project. This year, it in- cluded students wading in knee-deep water to clean up the mangroves smothered by man-made products. Seeing is believing. They experience the world of poetry through our annual special guests Kane Smego and Giddy Perez, two traveling poets that use language and spoken word to inspire our freshmen during a week of poetry lessons every April. Kane and Giddy, who also inspired the creation of the current poetry club, discuss the fundamentals of poetry, how to tap into an artist’s inner voice, and the importance of each word on the page – each one giving meaning to the next. Students who loathe writing often smile by the end of the week, con- tent with their new poems. When I walk into advisory each morning and greet all 11 of my advisees, I look for the smile I have not seen all week, the frustrated frenzy overtaking the student whose exam is inching closer, or the reflective thinker battling the stresses of growing independence. Each smile or furrowed brow can be met with an understanding nod because, as an advisor, I know our team has prepared for each pitfall and we are ready to catch those that need a helping hand. The ninth-grade program is built around the essential goodness we hope for each future generation, for ourselves even. It is built on the foundations of humanity and the age-old rule we always seem to forget – simply, be a good human being. It teaches lessons of resilience, loyalty to yourself and oth- ers, and inspires students to take advantage of the coming years of high school. Danielle R. Ellis Ninth-Grade Advisor English Teacher Yearbook Sponsor The Freshman Transition RE surrounds its ninth-grade students with support “Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom.” - Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha While wisdom cannot be taught in a classroom, it can be achieved through personal growth. For the past three years, my position as a ninth-grade teacher and advisor has provid- ed insight into the development of our freshman programs at Ransom Everglades. Our challenge is to foster personal growth and ease the transition from middle school in a truly authentic way. A way that challenges, inspires and cultivates Paul Ransom’s third class of people . Our school seeks to transform each pupil into a more confident, self-aware indi- vidual whose love for learning far surpasses the end of a page or the door of a classroom and reaches into the world in new and exciting ways. Dean of the Freshman Class Karen Thompson and RE’s leadership team pair advisee to advisor taking class schedules and varying interests into consideration. Commencing the preceding spring, ninth-grade advisors discuss how to usher in the next group of students. Then, over the summer, advi- sors draft letters to their new advisees welcoming them to the community and previewing some of the special events they will experience during the upcoming school year. It all starts with the new freshman orientation program, which includes Kate Hamm’s teacher scavenger hunt and the junior mentor program, where select juniors from the Health Information Project (HIP) guide their younger peers for an academic year. HIP, run by Alberto Adatto, trains Peer Health Educators (PHEs) to inculcate a strong foundation of current health issues. The junior and senior PHEs plan les- sons, facilitate discussions and disburse extra resources. For me, there is always a moment in October where advi- sees walk in, relax into chairs and look at one another with a knowing ease. Having shed their initial cocoons, they run for Student Government positions and petition to join the Honor Council, observing during the first year to understand how to be both fair and just. Their junior mentors guide them through tests, planning, organizational skills and failures so that when my advisees stare failure in the face, they learn how to move past its icy stare. How to use each stumble as a lesson to a greater cause. We say and mean: Honor and excellence cannot be bought or sold. It is honed and sought here at Ransom Everglades. By December, students learn about their environment and look to ensure documents are printed two-sided or not at all. They give back to the world around them by becoming active participants preparing for a five-day trek in the Everglades, paddling in a canoe with a partner and a compass. During Ransom Campus