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Miami-Dade public school board commends Ransom Everglades
The Miami-Dade public school board voted on May 11 to recognize Ransom Everglades teacher Greg Cooper and his AP U.S. Government and Politics students for the online voter guide they launched in February, passing a resolution stating that the class was "to be commended for helping create informed voters in Miami-Dade County."
Cooper appeared in front of the school board along with seven of the two dozen students who conceived and created the fact-based web site, which was designed to counter the rhetoric that's accompanied the race for the 2016 presidency.
School board member Raquel A. Regalado, who authored the resolution, invited Cooper and Alexa Bishopric '16, Sarah Kirke '17, Frank Civantos 17, Josh Glottman '17, Jason Perez '17, Dylan Demello '17 and Paul Kalandiak '17 to the appear in front of the board. She presented the group with a plaque of recognition.
"As a board member representing District 6, I have a great partner in Ransom Everglades," Regalado said. "We’ve done a lot of great things together, from the track at Coral Gables Senior High to now rowing at MAST Academy. I believe that it is a wonderful partnership that allows our students to interact in a community that doesn’t see the difference between private or public.
"When I read about what the children at Ransom were doing in terms of civic engagement, I thought that it was a great opportunity to bring them to the school board to talk about their project..."
Glottman and Zoe Tolon '17 designed the site while other students worked in pairs developing the content. They used a variety of public sources – voting records, speeches, debate transcripts, news stories, candidates' web sites – to lay out each candidate's stance on policy issues including immigration, tax and economic policy, education, gun control, climate change, business regulation and health care.
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School board member Raquel A. Regalado, who authored the resolution, invited Cooper and Alexa Bishopric '16, Sarah Kirke '17, Frank Civantos 17, Josh Glottman '17, Jason Perez '17, Dylan Demello '17 and Paul Kalandiak '17 to the appear in front of the board. She presented the group with a plaque of recognition.
"As a board member representing District 6, I have a great partner in Ransom Everglades," Regalado said. "We’ve done a lot of great things together, from the track at Coral Gables Senior High to now rowing at MAST Academy. I believe that it is a wonderful partnership that allows our students to interact in a community that doesn’t see the difference between private or public.
"When I read about what the children at Ransom were doing in terms of civic engagement, I thought that it was a great opportunity to bring them to the school board to talk about their project..."
Glottman and Zoe Tolon '17 designed the site while other students worked in pairs developing the content. They used a variety of public sources – voting records, speeches, debate transcripts, news stories, candidates' web sites – to lay out each candidate's stance on policy issues including immigration, tax and economic policy, education, gun control, climate change, business regulation and health care.
"From the teaching perspective I noticed a real transformation in the classroom of students really becoming engaged with this project," Cooper said, addressing the board. "I didn’t even realize the educational benefit it would have when we sat down to do it. It’s a good example – there’s a lot of talk in education about project-based learning, learning by doing projects like this."
Said Bishopric to the board: "It was really nice when I sat down at lunch to hear people talking about our voter guide, talking about real issues ... seeing young people becoming engaged in politics. I think our discussions in the classroom and socially became a lot more in-depth and informed, and I was really proud to be part of a project that could do that."
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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.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way™, RE Pathways™ and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way™, RE Pathways™ and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.