RE Log - Fall 2021

FALL 2021 Ransom Everglades LOG 3 and she hasn’t slowed down since she left for Oxford University. Now the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, she stepped up during the pandemic to serve as an advisor to governments, policymakers and citizens alike – showing us what living out Paul Ransom’s vision for the third class looks like. Read her story on page 6. A guiding light in her field, she is, as University of Miami president Julio Frenk said, “the face of the next generation of leaders in global health.” We also share a tribute to Ginny Onorati, the ageless and ever- spirited math teacher who retired last spring after 47 years at Ransom Everglades. We are thankful to Joe Mauro for his wonderful piece and reflections (see page 16). If there was ever a person deserving of retirement, it is Ginny, so you might be amused to know that she was back at the upper school for the first few weeks of this school year, serving as a substitute teacher – much like fellow faculty emerita Jean Duty. She was like a celebrity on campus, a magnet for upper school students tickled to see her again. I think they were trying to persuade her to forgo retirement! Turn to page 20 to get to know some of the campus leaders who are helping us Navigate to Next: We were pleased this summer to bring in a founding Director of Arts, Shawn Costantino, who recently worked at Harvard-Westlake School and Occidental College in Los Angeles. We also named Dr. Kelly L. Jackson our first Director of Environmental Sustainability, a move that demonstrates both our faith in Dr. Jackson and commitment to the environment. We provide personal introductions to Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement Wendell Graham ’74 and DEI Consultant to Ransom Everglades Victoria Beatty ’00 , active members of our Anti-Racism Task Force. These two alumni are determined to keep RE on the path to ensuring that every student feels seen, heard and respected. Finally, see our Head of School’s Award winners on page 32. It was in recognition of the massive community effort required to endure the last two years that we named not one, but two recipients for 2020 – Andrew L. Ansin ’81 and Vanessa Chartouni-de la Serna ’90 – as well as Susan Matson Lampen ’71 for 2021. I am thankful to them, along with 2021 Founders’ Award winner Jeffrey Miller ’79 , for their limitless contributions to our school. Thanks to all of you for accompanying us on this journey. We are off and running, excited about what’s next! Penny Townsend Head of School A lot happened while we had our eyes on the horizon and hands on the tiller.We grew as a community; that has been clear in watching our students interact and engage on our campuses.” “