From the Desk of the Head of School: Traditions that we treasure
The most revered rituals and traditions are handed down to the next generation with care and gratitude. Though passed on, they are not forgotten; they live on in our memories and connect us to others forever. RE’s annual St. Alban’s Day, which will take place December 8 on both campuses, is one such tradition; it unites RE alumni across generations. First held at the Everglades School for Girls more than 50 years ago, the event brings hundreds of children to our campuses for festive winter carnivals planned and executed by RE students and faculty, providing an inspiring illustration of our core values of service and outreach.
St. Alban’s Day is a singular event, unforgettable and treasured by alumni, but it’s hardly the only annual undertaking at RE rooted in service. Many of our most cherished traditions involve outreach to our local community, and many take place this time of year. At Ransom Everglades, November and December represent a time for sharing our blessings.
Our school continued a long history of helping the Miami Rescue Mission with its annual “Pack the Pantry” food drive (upper school) while providing full dinners for dozens of families connected to the Frankie Shannon Rolle Community Resource Center (middle school) in late November. Our students not only donate food and other items, they also help pack the Miami Rescue Mission truck and assist with the delivery of food baskets. It is interactive, all hands on deck, as our students make a positive impact. This year, upper school students donated 420 bags of groceries, $345 in checks, $425 in gift cards, nine pies, four hams and 21 frozen turkeys. The entire truck was full of items to be distributed to those in need.
A day after St. Alban’s Day, members of our middle school community will spend the morning at Christ Episcopal Church in Coconut Grove, handing out hundreds of toys collected during our annual “Toy Story” drive under the direction of longtime organizers and faculty members Maria Eugenia Abrante and Ramona Miller. Throughout the morning, our students will accompany children visiting the church to help them “shop,” ensuring they find toys and books they are satisfied with and which make them smile. This 30-plus-year-old tradition allows our students to vividly experience the joy of giving, and they do it in the church that was co-founded by the great-grandfather of COO and Interim Head of the Upper School David Clark ’86.
Our alumni extend Ransom Everglades’ reach with their own efforts. One that we can all join in is the annual alumni toy drive at the December 14 RE Community Holiday Celebration. Parents, alumni and parents of alumni are invited to attend this annual, joyful affair (please RSVP here) and to bring a gift card or unwrapped gift for local children. Our alumni board members will distribute those gifts to the St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Center.
When our board of trustees adopted our new mission and core values – The RE Way – it was as much of an affirmation of our school’s storied history as a blueprint for the future. Our core values – support and community, diversity and inclusion, service and outreach, joy and wellbeing, and honor and excellence – are anchored in the vision and values of our school’s founders, Marie and Edward Swenson and Paul Ransom, and the traditions passed down at both schools. We treasure those traditions by extending them, showing the next generation of Ransom Everglades students what it means to be a Raider.
Wishing you and your family a happy and safe holiday season!
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.