RE Log - Fall 2021

FALL 2021 Ransom Everglades LOG 27 Summer at RE More than four dozen rising fifth through eighth graders spent a month this summer engaged in experiential learning that harked back to the 19th- century Pine Knot Camp, the forerunner of Ransom Everglades School. The new program – in its first year and fittingly called the Pine Knot Scholars Program – served as the centerpiece of Summer at RE, combining exploration, water activities, scientific analysis and experimentation, and plenty of fun. Students in the four-week program spent their mornings attending classes in math, English and Spanish. After lunch, they participated in The Third Class, a co-curricular, integrated, project-based course that took students out on the bay and immersed them in nature. The course was named after the “third class” of student that RE founder Paul Ransom sought out to build his school. Pine Knot Scholars sailed out to nearby islands for exploration, engaged in water sampling and snorkeling, and examined the data they found. They studied water quality and marine life. They reported on what they discovered, and wrote letters to local officials and state representatives. The morning classes also included experiential components. Students – many of whom attend Ransom Everglades – became fast friends, working together on various projects and experiments, such as making s’mores using solar ovens of their own creation. “This new program exceeded our expectations,” said Jimmy Oxsalida, RE’s Director of Summer Programs and Middle School Dean of Students. “Students had a fantastic time, and – in the great tradition of Ransom Everglades – they learned by doing, by experimenting, by exploring. Every day brought more excitement than the previous. I can’t wait until next summer.” Experiential learning highlights new Pine Knot Scholars Program