RE Log Spring 2023

SPRING 2023 Ransom Everglades LOG 37 Welcome Work RE contingent attends diversity and inclusion conferences Six RE students attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Nov. 30 through Dec. 3 in San Antonio, as nine members of RE’s faculty and staff participated in the simultaneous NAIS People of Color Conference. In their 29th year, the parallel conferences are designed to give students, faculty and staff the confidence, tools and skills to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment on their home campuses. Eleonora Cavallini ’23, Karyna Steele ’23, Malena Tewari ’23, Mackenzie Buckner ’24, Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24 and Daniel Figueroa ’24 were joined by administrators David Clark ’86 , COO and Interim Head of the Upper School; Wendell Graham ’74 , Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement; and Amy Sayfie Zichella ’93 , Director of Admission and Enrollment Management; DEI Consultant to RE Victoria Beatty ’00 ; and faculty members James Monk, Brandon King, Vanessa Lopez, Franz Huggins and Corinne Rhyner. “The time spent at PoCC and SDLC is something everyone should experience,” Graham said. “The sheer number – thousands – of talented educators of color is an eye-opener. Also, the number who recount virtually identical experiences is shocking. Regardless of your race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, you leave fulfilled knowing there are many who work every day to provide an optimal educational experience for all of our children where they are not only seen but also supported and safe.” The students who attended shared their experiences with faculty and fellow students during an upper school assembly on Jan. 18. The theme of the 2022 SDLC was “We the People: Leveraging our Community to Preserve our Humanity,” and the conference was focused on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. The participating students enjoyed large group sessions and guest speakers as well as “family groups” and “home groups” to allow for dialogue and sharing in smaller units. The simultaneous PoCC conference carried the theme, “Reunited in Purpose: Elevating Our Worth, Our Agency, and Our Excellence.” Class on the Bay Six sharks tagged on recent student expedition Students in RE’s Marine Field Research classes tagged and tested six sharks during a pair of research trips on Biscayne Bay in November. Under the direction of shark expert and RE faculty member Kristine Stump and scientists from the Field School, RE students assisted with full-scale scientific work-ups of each shark while also helping to place tags that would allow the creatures to be tracked. The students in two classes made separate trips on the 55-foot Field School research vessel and each class handled and quickly released three sharks. Besides inserting tags into the sharks’ cartilage, students helped scientists measure the sharks, take blood samples, perform muscle biopsies and run genetic testing. In a matter of moments, the sharks were returned to the bay. Dr. Stump, who has appeared on the Discovery Channel series Shark Week , teaches the Marine Field Research class with along with Drs. Brooke Gintert and Kelly Jackson. The class is designed to provide students with a deep-dive into college-level field research. The Field School offers educational expeditions designed to explore ecosystems, train future scientists and protect the natural world.