RE Log - Fall 2021

FALL 2021 Ransom Everglades LOG 37 Excellence REinvented ‘A transformation, not just a construction project’ In the spring of 2015, at the end of my first year at Ransom Everglades, the board of trustees gathered at an off-site retreat to brainstorm about the school’s future. We talked long and hard that day, and we emerged from the retreat with five strategic initiatives: Enrich the curriculum; build and retain the best faculty; integrate technology creatively; upgrade buildings, facilities and spaces; and develop RE as an institution. By the fall of 2017, we had architectural drawings for a STEM center and improved traffic circulation and parking on the Ransom Campus; we had purchased La Brisa; and the late academic visionary, Sir Ken Robinson, helped us launch the REinventing Excellence campaign. The RE Board of Trustees was clear on this point: We wanted a transformation, not just a construction project. Four board chairs and seven years later, we have a magnificent new STEM center that is, indeed, merely a piece – admittedly a strikingly beautiful one – of what REinventing Excellence brought to our school. There is no doubt we have made great strides on each strategic initiative. The faculty has never been stronger or more accomplished, and our skillful integration of technology enabled us to pivot overnight and continue to deliver excellence in the classroom through the virtual learning brought about by COVID-19. Our stature as a leading independent school in the nation has continued to soar, and demand for an RE education has never been stronger. Under the inspired leadership of Eric Mendelson and successive chairs Rudy Prio Touzet ’76 , Andrew L. Ansin ’81 and Jeffrey J. Hicks ’84 , we added a host of new courses to our curriculum, including International Law and Human Rights, Marine Field Research, The Intelligence Behind AI, Applied Data Science, Analytic Pre-Calculus and Programming with Python and Music Technology, ambitiously answering the question: What beyond AP? We increased the size and enhanced the quality of our faculty. We revamped our educational technology program and provided laptops to each student. We added new director positions in diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; technology; environmental sustainability; the arts; and student health andwellness. We also increased the size of our endowment. And, of course, we have the Constance &Miguel Fernandez STEMCenter, an upgraded Cameron Hall and College Counseling Office, the Lampen Family Wellness Center and plans to rehabilitate both Ludington and the dining hall on the Ransom Campus. Perhaps most remarkably, we reached the finish line of the $75 million campaign two years early and $7.3million over goal, an indication of the extraordinary heart, will and commitment of our community. Seven years after we started, and with so much behind us and more ahead, I can think of one thing left that I have to do over and over again: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I could not be more grateful. Stephanie G. Townsend Head of School