Three days after our girls’ lacrosse team won a district championship, two days after our tennis teams won regional titles, and the day our girls’ water polo team clinched a spot in the state tournament, many of our students gathered early in the morning in Coral Gables. They joined a student-organized fundraising walk for cancer treatment in memory of beloved parent Jen Zighelboim, who died last fall.

 

The night before, on April 8, more than a dozen of our musicians took the stage at “Rock 4 Relief,” using their talents in memory of two other parents we lost this year, Kevin Smith and Richard Cochran. The performance drew about 300 students and parents. RE's Director of Instrumental Music Jon Hamm jumped in with a mashup. The effort raised about $1700 for the Kevin Smith Memorial Fund and Habitat for Humanity.

Schools are at their best when they empower students to take the lead. Ransom Everglades shined brightly because our students, without reminders or prodding, lived out Paul C. Ransom’s vision of service and strong leadership. They navigated instinctively. While our community grieved, and adults struggled to rebound, our students leaped into action. They took on challenges together and rallied around each other. While keeping pace in the classroom and meeting obligations, they excelled on our playing fields, performed in our theaters, even danced the night away at our Prom. They also honored, paid homage and remembered.


Penny Townsend
Head of School