FALL 2026 Ransom Everglades LOG 29 The Ransom Everglades professional community celebrated the careers of four highly respected retiring faculty members during an emotion-filled end-of-year professional community event on June 4. With tributes, tears and standing ovations, Ransom Everglades said goodbye to retiring faculty Cathi Leibinger – RE’s newest faculty emeritus after 26 years at RE – Heidi Steen (20 years), Kathryn Bufkin (18 years) and Jody Salzinger (17 years), who ended their teaching tenures at RE with a combined 81 years of service. For a quarter of a century, Leibinger – RE’s middle school band director – turned student “potential into pride,” noted Performing Arts Department Chair Cecilia Gonzalez. She quoted colleagues who described Leibinger as “passionate, resilient, spunky, organized, sassy, talented and spirited.” One faculty member summed up her gift of transforming neophytes into accomplished musicians using just one word: “magician.” Bufkin, who joined the RE college counseling team this fall as a part-time Raiders for Life RE recognizes long-serving, retiring faculty essay-writing specialist, received several tributes, including an impromptu one from Co-Executive Director of College Counseling Jason Locke. Locke shared snippets from Bufkin’s legendary letters of recommendation, which were laced with both humorous analysis and exquisite writing. English teacher Matt Margini described knowing his former office mate as “one of the greatest privileges of my time at RE,” adding that, “she inspired me. I cherish the time I got to work with her and learn from her.” Faculty member Adrienne Fama lauded Steen for holding her world languages students to an extremely high standard and maintaining a structured classroom environment that kept even rambunctious sixth graders on course. “Heidi created routines and systems that served her and her students well,” Fama said. “She was calm, consistent and supportive.” Salzinger is “kind, curious, thoughtful, dedicated and compassionate” faculty member Ali Fisher said about her colleague, and Humanities Department Chair Jen Nero described her as “a master of her craft.” Added Nero: “she is exceeding kind, welcoming and humble ... [and] represents the best in RE humanities and in RE in general.” Nero concluded her tribute to Salzinger with gratitude: “Thank you for reminding all of us what makes this place special, and for being a colleague we all aspire to be.” The event also recognized current professional community members who reached milestone anniversaries. The longest-serving: science teacher Don Kappelman, who achieved an extraordinary 40 years of dedicated service at Ransom Everglades. Three employees received honors from their colleagues: Monique Regis earned the Arthur Moses Award for staff, and James Monk (upper school) and Vanessa Lopez (middle school) each earned the honor for faculty. All were lauded for their exceptional work as individuals and contributors to the larger RE community. Jody Salzinger, Kathryn Bufkin, Heidi Steen, Cathi Leibinger
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