RE LOG Fall 2024

intensely bittersweet – not just because he, his wife, Michelle, and daughters, Victoria and Matilda, knew “nobody” in Texas (Eleanor was born in Texas) – but also because he knew everybody at RE. “I left here not heartbroken, but with a heavy heart, because things were really good here,” he said. “I left what I felt was a good, good place.” Back home Much has changed at Ransom Everglades in the decade since Cramp’s departure. The school has gotten bigger both in terms of class size and physical footprint, incorporating new facilities such as La Brisa and the Fernandez STEM Center. RE now has laptops for every student, a significantly expanded college counseling office, and a committee of teachers working to address the rise of artificial intelligence – a new technology that could very well threaten students’ sense of self- worth. At the same time, Cramp feels emboldened and inspired by another change: The RE Way. When he read the school’s new mission statement and core values, he found the language deeply resonant, not just because it echoed his own work on the “ethic of care” – the statement explicitly invokes “caring faculty” – but also because it reminded him of the principles of Sacred Heart education that had drawn him to Duchesne. There, and here, he wants to be the kind of leader who focuses on students holistically, not just academically, and gives them the freedom to make “wise choices.” “The importance of giving back, the importance of being inclusive, and thoughtful, and caring – “The importance of giving back, the importance of being inclusive and thoughtful and caring – that’s holistic education.” – Donald Cramp that’s holistic education. No matter what, whether you’re at Ransom Everglades, Palmer Trinity, Carrollton or Duchesne, that’s what we’re talking about,” he said. His first priority as upper school head, he says, is to be present as much as possible – and to listen to as many people as possible in spite of his natural loquaciousness. “What I’ve been tasked to do is to be a good listener and to really observe the needs of the community – faculty, staff, students, parents, everyone,” he said. “Some things haven’t changed, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But things have changed in 10 years, and I have to be in tune with that.” For Cramp, the return to RE represents a growth opportunity – the opportunity to lead a campus twice the size of Duchesne, with all the complexities of co-education, under a banner of care that resonates with his own convictions. But he thinks of it as a homecoming first and foremost, an opportunity for him and his family “to come back to a community I love.” And if you talk to those who knew him 10 years ago, it’s clear that they feel the same way. “Don is one of the most kind, thoughtful, and genuine people that I know,” Science Department Chair Paul Natland ’02 said. “He is very supportive, has great energy, and knows and respects the history of this place. He believes in it being a force for good in the community.” Donald Cramp with wife, Michelle, and daughters Matilda, Victoria and Eleanor Don Cramp and his parents