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Wellness and safety seminars prepare seniors for college
Ransom Everglades provided the Class of 2021 with two health and wellness seminars in April designed to help them prepare for college in the fall. On April 19, health educator Shafia Zaloom, the author of Sex, Teens & Everything in Between, gave a talk entitled “Consent: Healthy Sexuality and Relationships.” A week later, the parents of Antonio Tsialas ’19 and attorney David Bianchi presented "REal Talk: REcognize and Prevent Hazing" to seniors. Tsialas died during his freshman year after a hazing event at a fraternity.
The complementary events were designed to provide seniors with tools and guidance that can help protect them as they embark on a new stage of their lives.
On April 26, John Tsialas and Flavia Tomasello joined Bianchi, a former RE parent, leading a heart-wrenching and frank virtual talk on hazing. The Tsialases have been deeply involved with RE since the death of their eldest son, creating the Antonio Tsialas '19 Leadership Endowment Fund this past winter. They shared a video on the horrific case involving their son's death, and participated in the seminar with the goal of preventing a similar tragedy.
"They've taken what is the most devastating event in a parent's life," Head of School Penny Townsend said, "and turned it into a force for positive change."
Bianchi has handled hazing cases for more than three decades and was instrumental in drafting and later revising hazing laws in Florida. He explained how hazing happens, who is affected, the legal consequences and the incalculable personal toll.
A week earlier, the San Francisco-based health educator, parent, consultant and author, Zaloom, addressed a variety of topics including respect, responsibility, rights, power, context, consent and coercion during her evening webinar, setting the stage for in-depth discussions on real-world scenarios. Zaloom followed up the evening seminar with small-group breakouts with seniors on April 20-21.
A week earlier, the San Francisco-based health educator, parent, consultant and author, Zaloom, addressed a variety of topics including respect, responsibility, rights, power, context, consent and coercion during her evening webinar, setting the stage for in-depth discussions on real-world scenarios. Zaloom followed up the evening seminar with small-group breakouts with seniors on April 20-21.
During those sessions, she helped students identify social power dynamics, potential risks and benefits, and opportunities for bystander intervention. She guided discussions that touched on the social landscape of college campuses as well as tools and strategies for taking care amidst party culture.
Middle School
2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
Upper School
3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 460 8800
Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.