RE Log - Fall 2021

32 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2021 RE alumni celebrate three special alumni from afar More than 250 alumni gathered remotely on April 24 for Ransom Everglades’ 2021 Virtual Alumni Day, a first-time event that offered a slate of alumni activities. The livestreamed opening program emceed by Alumni Board Co-Presidents Enrique Conde ’97 and James G. Weaver, Jr. ’90 recognized the 2020 and 2021 Head of School’s Award winners. The special event – which also included several virtual class reunions and RE’s inagural poetry competition – brought a special announcement. Head of School Penny Townsend revealed that she had selected two Head of School’s Award recipients – Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90 and Andrew L. Ansin ’81 – for 2020, as well as Susan Matson Lampen ’71 for 2021. Alumni weekend was not held in 2020 because of the pandemic. Chartouni-de la Serna helped Ransom Everglades raise more than $3 million as alumni chair for The Fund for RE in 2019-20, and she also served as co-chair of the Class of 1990 30-year Reunion. Ansin, a former board chair, promised a $5 million donation if the RE community reached the $70 million threshold by June in its REinventing Excellence campaign, a pledge that helped the school reach more than $82 million. And Lampen, a current trustee, and her family named the Lampen Family Wellness Center, honoring their commitment to student health and wellness. “The Head of School’s Award recognizes alumni whose commitment and service to the school serve as an inspiration to all alumni,” Townsend said. Vanessa “has kept her positivity and energy at an all-time high during this challenging year, energizing her fellow alumni.” Added Townsend: “I couldn’t be more grateful to Andy for his generosity and leadership … [and] we are very grateful to Susan for her vision, concern for our students’ wellbeing and deep support of our school during this challenging time.” Alumni Day Virtual Alumni Day “I often say that I feel closer and more connected to Ransom Everglades today, 31 years after I graduated, than I ever did as a student, and that speaks to the incredible uniqueness of our school and our outstanding faculty, and the amazing RE community. This isn’t a place that’s just about academics; it’s a place where you make connections and a community for life.” – Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90 2020 Head of School’s Award Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90 Co-chair of the Class of 1990 30-year Reunion Past Alumni Chair for The Fund for RE Member of RE Athletic Hall of Fame Co-founder of the Families for Fragile X and the Steps for Success School Photo by Suzanne Kores