RE Log Spring 2023

SPRING 2023 Ransom Everglades LOG 17 in Service RE alumni lead a charter school in an underserved neighborhood Classical music plays on the cafeteria loudspeakers at Beacon College Prep in Opa-Locka as elementary school students file sleepily past a colorful mural of historically significant Black authors, activists and athletes. Students pick up breakfast and worksheets and slide into seats at long tables, quietly preparing to begin the school day. Suddenly, the loudspeakers start cranking out a pulsing beat. The third-to fifth-grade students at this charter school started a decade ago by a handful of Ransom Everglades alumni seem to wake up at once. The music offers the signal that morning assembly has started, and everyone joins, belting out adapted verses to the tune of a popular song. The students, clapping and bouncing in their seats, sing that they have “goals’’ and “grit” and are “down for the challenge.” They will “work, work” and “never quit” and “will stick with it” “every day!” At the end of the song, principal Patrick Evans moves to the front of the room to welcome the students, and daily “shout- outs” commence; students stand up voluntarily and take turns directing praise to peers. “My shout-out is for Christopher,” says one smiling student, “because he’s a hard worker!” Finally, two students send everyone off to class by leading the Beacon College Prep Creed, which is carried out with the exuberance of a cheer at a rivalry football game: Who are we? BCP! And today we will: Push ourselves to learn and achieve! Show each other respect and kindness! Take responsibility for our choices and actions! What does it take to succeed? Work! Hard work! And when do we do it? Today, tomorrow and each and every day! And we’ll do it with: Gratitude, self- control, grit, curiosity and zest! Who are we? BCP! This impressive performance is not a performance at all; it’s merely the start of a typical day at Beacon College Prep. The morning assembly offers a glimpse of an engaged student body, self-assured children and a positive structure in a school founded by Jeffrey Miller ’79 in 2014 with the support of many members of the Ransom Everglades community. John Flickinger ’74 served as founding educational consultant, and Melissa Krinzman ’86 and Patrick Range II ’95 were founding board members – and remain on the board to this day. Other board members include RE parents-of-alumni Virginia Akar P’14 ’15 ’19 and Gail Dotson P’14 ’16, and alumnus Wifredo Fernandez ’05 . Terron Ferguson ’04 served briefly as Director of Advancement. With the goal of creating a model school for closing the achievement gap for low-income students who often perform below grade level, the RE cohort looked to Opa-Locka, where 98 percent of students receive free lunch and about 85 percent are on public assistance. The decade-long venture has been filled with extreme challenges, daily difficulty and frequent setbacks, yet last summer brought a stunningly sweet reward: the Beacon College Prep Middle School earned an A grade from the Florida Department of Education for 2021-22. It was the first A grade for any middle or elementary school in Opa-Locka in 17 years. For school leaders and Beacon College Prep families, it was a moment of triumph. “The A grade validates that a quality education with excellent results is attainable within the most challenging areas,” Miller said. “We continue to move toward a replicable model where every kid, regardless of socioeconomic and environmental challenges, will receive the tools and support for success.” Photos by Suzanne Kores