I didn’t pause when I was asked to serve as Interim Head of School, as Ransom Everglades is a formidable community. In fact, during my year away from RE, it is the community I missed most. The community itself incudes so many people – faculty, staff, parents, students, alumni, trustees and coaches – who fill a variety of categories and share a commitment and admiration for the school. The extension of our community is far reaching and includes organizations that our students, staff, faculty and families participate in and sponsor, and which positively impact the larger community, reflecting the mission of the school “to give back more to the community than we take from it.” Shortly after my return was announced, I received an email from a rising junior who wanted to discuss the details of RE’s participation in an organization, started by an alum, that she is passionate about. Who could deny her request?

 

Yet, like all communities in the past few years, COVID-19 has permanently changed us. In “How We Can Rebuild Communities After the Pandemic,” Tyler J. VanderWeele, PhD, Director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, reports that “when we are deeply embedded in relationships, we tend to thrive; when we are isolated, the cost to our wellbeing is considerable.” It is within our power to take experiences and lessons learned from the pandemic and positively build upon them. As a community, committing to the mission of the school will help us march into the future with the values we hold dear. Affirming our belief in the third type of student – one who is interested in the greater good of a society and community – will pave the way for students to tackle issues of global proportion.

 

We are not only bound by the mission of our school, one that is both unique and transcends time, but also by the Everglades Creed which provides a blueprint of behavior and interaction. These documents give more to the community than an outline; they provide a shared vision for our work together.

 

As a school community, part of the vision and ultimate goal is to inspire our students. Recently, I learned that former faculty member Jose Rodriguez passed away. As an art historian his passion for his subject was far reaching. Learning of his passing, alumni flooded social media with postings, photos and stories demonstrating the power that a community of faculty has to inspire students the way that Jose did through his love of art and our community. Zoe Kambour ’14 wrote: “His passion flowed through his teaching. Through his crazy Gothic cathedral facade test, his literal artifacts that he got from god knows where (such as a Bernini coin), his distaste for Rococo and love of Richard Hamilton, his absolute love and passion for the subject morphed me into the crazy passionate art historian I am today. I love my subject and field because of him. He meant the world to me.” The mark Jose left upon Zoe and those whose lives he touched is emblematic of that third class of people. Those who would like to share tribute to Mr. Rodriguez are invited to do so by clicking this link.

 

As we move into the summer, and in a flash the 2022-23 school year, please plan to re-emerge yourself in the community as I have. Use the school as a source for entertainment, involvement and family activities. Please come to our games and cheer in our stands; watch our performances and energize our thespians, dancers, and musicians; view the intricate pieces made by our artists; watch our academic teams face their competition; witness the power of our robotics teams; join us for lectures and events; attend Back-to-School Night, orientation, parent conferences and volunteer. As VanderWeele says, “rebuilding community is ultimately the work of everyone,” so please join us for the journey.