I cannot imagine leading an independent school, most especially during COVID-19, that does not have its own version of the Log. Whether in the form of a newsletter, a website or a beautifully written and designed magazine like ours, it really is the content that matters. Content that connects generations of alumni to their alma mater. Those connections reinforce for us working on the inside the strength and resiliency of our school and the love that supports it. Stories of our graduates who have gone on to follow the words of Paul Ransom and “put more into the world than you take from it,” and who have selflessly helped those profoundly affected by the virus, animate us. We share more than a few such stories in these pages.

Our 2020 Founders’ Award winner, Beverly Watson ’90, has lived a life in service to others since she graduated from RE 30 years ago. You will be inspired by the scope of her efforts to extend opportunity through education, and touched by her powerful connection to her late mother. Throughout the pandemic, we asked members of our community – students, parents, alumni and others – to tell their stories, and our mailboxes overflowed. We offer a small sample of what you shared in our For the REcord section: You nominated REal Heroes; you captured service efforts in photos; you offered reflections; and some of you crafted poetry. Two seniors went the extra mile for Big Brothers Big Sisters; actually, the Hicks brothers went more than two thousand miles – by bicycle – to support their favorite charity. Read their story here.

You may be most inspired to hear from our faculty, whose agility, energy and commitment allowed us to shift from in-person learning to REmote RE without missing a single day of school. Enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at the school’s response to the pandemic, followed by insights and reflections from many faculty members. Google paideia (education) and you might come across the same ancient Greek depiction that we did. The scholar’s wax tablet looks very much like a laptop. The cover of this magazine is a testament to the times; all our students received school-issued laptops with that distinctive RE sticker. 

In many ways, the last few months have brought out the best in our community, but they have indeed been difficult times. The Class of 2020 modeled optimism and resilience despite losing out on many senior traditions and the much-anticipated fun of their final weeks at RE. Don’t miss the emotional message from Preston Edmunds ’20, our student-body president, and the news story on our creative and adaptive celebrations of our senior class. While our nation battled COVID-19, we also grappled with a historic reckoning on racial injustice. Members of our Black alumni coalesced and formed reBa (Ransom Everglades Black Alumni). Their Juneteenth letter to the community reminded us that “diversity without inclusion is exclusion” and that racism, in all its forms, must be eradicated. Carla Hill, our Director of Inclusion and Community Engagement, shares how Ransom Everglades and the Board of Trustees have responded.

Finally, it is with great pride that we share a photographic tour of the new Constance & Miguel Fernandez STEM Center, which opened to students for the first time this fall. You can learn more about the RE families, beginning with trustee Constance Fernandez and her husband Mike Fernandez, whose generosity helped us bring to life this important center of innovation. See the story here.

Your support, your letters, and your encouragement have energized us as we fight through what most likely will be one of the most –  if not the most – challenging periods in Ransom Everglades’ 117-year history. We are grateful for the bedrock that supports us.

I hope that the memories of the traditions, rituals, teachers and classmates that the Log invariably elicits call out to you in a way that is both comforting and inspiring. We are doing well at Ransom Everglades and wish the same for you.

Penny Townsend
Head of School