RE LOG Spring '25

2 Ransom Everglades LOG SPRING 2025 From The Pagoda As we enter the final stages of planning for a new humanities building envisioned as a beautiful and modern counterpart to the Fernandez STEM Center, I am reminded that we have been building continuously since I returned to RE in 2022 – and, to be clear, not just building buildings . Even as we aspire to have shovels in the ground on a long- awaited humanities center by the fall, we’ve been razor focused on thoughtfully building our programs and taking care of our professional community to ensure that Ransom Everglades remains at the forefront of the educational landscape far into the future. Buildings are incredibly important, but what resides in them is what makes Ransom Everglades one of the strongest schools in the world. In the nearly 20 years I’ve been associated with RE, our marvelous professional community and curricular offerings have always set us apart, and in the last three years we have made major strides in bolstering both. Our faculty is the beating heart of everything we do, and a priority since the pandemic has been working to ensure that every teacher has the means to call this community home – a significant challenge amid soaring housing costs in Coconut Grove and Miami. Please be sure to read “A Lifeline for Faculty: the ‘cost-of-living allowance endowment’” on page 12 to find out how RE’s board of trustees has worked diligently to address the cost-of-living crisis that literally threatened the livelihoods of many of our faculty. The recently created COLA endowment, launched with a generous seed donation from Kristen and Patrick McMahon and just over halfway to being fully funded, represents a novel and critical solution to help RE continue to attract and retain the best faculty anywhere. The heartfelt gratitude shared by so many of our teachers is one of the most uplifting elements of this story. This magazine also illustrates how we have worked to strengthen a foundational element of an RE education: our humanities curriculum and programming. A story by humanities department faculty member Matt Margini on page 18 provides insight into our efforts to elevate the humanities at RE even while ensuring students are equipped for success in STEM fields, artificial intelligence and other growing areas. If we expect our students to give more to the world than they take from it, and to lead with kindness, humility and a service-oriented mindset, it is imperative that we train them to reflect, discern, communicate effectively and make ethical decisions. The planned new building – which Matt briefly highlights – will eventually provide exciting spaces for those critical elements of an RE education. Building the Future at RE We’ve been razor focused on thoughtfully building our programs and taking care of our professional community to ensure that Ransom Everglades remains at the forefront of the educational landscape far into the future.” “