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From the Desk of the Head of School: The lifelong journey that begins now

We are not quite three weeks from the start of the 2025-26 school year and we have already begun preparing for Homecoming 2025 – a night of sports, spirit and celebration that will allow our newest Raiders and longtime Raiders to unite as one community. Mark your calendars for Friday, September 19. For many alumni, RE parents, parents of alumni, grandparents and friends, homecoming offers a chance to reconnect. For our newest families, it provides a new avenue to experience The RE Way and develop meaningful connections. Judging by the dozens of letters I received from our newly admitted students throughout the summer, the newest members of our community – both students and families – are truly excited to dive into this special community.
Our students’ letters – some hand-written, others typed – follow a tradition started more than a century ago when founder Paul Ransom urged admitted students to respond to his invitation to join the “third class” of people, those who leave the world better than they find it. At the very beginning of their Ransom Everglades journeys, the newest members of our community see RE from a unique vantage point. Their letters, which arrived throughout the summer, exude hope, gratitude and aspiration. The letters show the earnest desire to be good and do good – to join the third class. The letters reminded me that Ransom Everglades is not merely a stepping stone to college, to growing up and moving on. RE is a part of a student’s life journey.

Knowing this, our professional community proceeds with great care. When students arrive at the RE middle school, they encounter an environment that is equal parts nurturing and academically challenging. The goal is to ensure that our students feel supported as they stretch themselves academically, grow in critical and creative thinking, and discover the joy of learning in a community of their peers. In a world where AI can provide instant answers, it is especially important that our students understand the importance of personal connections and being ethical, informed and active learners.

I re-read all of our new students’ letters the night before the first day of school, and it is clear that students crave the connection and community we offer. Their letters made me laugh, smile and even get a bit teary-eyed. I hope this glimpse as some of our newest students’ insights will inspire you as much as the letters inspired me:

  • “When I look at all the amazing things Ransom Everglades students and graduates do to make the world a better place, I think that this school will give me a chance to make a difference, too.”
  • “I am committed to being a model student, helping my friends, and having a good attitude. I will do my homework on time, even on my birthday, always do extra credit, and always do my best.”
  • “When I come to Ransom, I want it to feel like my second home. A place that I can always feel comfortable in … I hope I get to know everyone at the school like a part of my family and who I can rely on.”
  • “I’ve been waiting to come to Ransom Everglades for many years. I’m so honored to be a Raider for the next seven years of my life.”
  • “New beginnings are hard, and writing a middle school quality letter feels a little bit nerve-wracking. There is so much to look forward to, and I can’t wait to get started. Thank you for the opportunity to attend such an amazing school.”
  • “I plan to show honor and dedication to everything I do. Having this chance at Ransom Everglades to expand and enhance my horizons is completely and utterly incredible.”
  • “What I’m most excited about for Ransom besides the school lunch (which I heard is delicious) is making new friends! The more friends you make, the happier life is.”
  • “What other school offers swimming for PE, going out on boats, seeing sharks and sailing?”
Our new students’ excitement will gradually morph into a deep understanding of RE’s mission and core values: Support & Community, Honor & Excellence, Service & Outreach, Diversity & Inclusion, and Joy & Wellbeing. Homecoming 2025 will help reaffirm those values. Whether a sixth grader or senior, recent graduate or older alum, or parent-of-alumni, grandparent or RE friend, this night is for you. Coming to RE means coming home.

Rachel Rodriguez
Head of School
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Middle School

2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305 250 6850

Upper School

3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133
Phone: 305 460 8800

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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.


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