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From the Desk of the Head of School: The traditions that connect us to each other – and the past

No matter how far removed they are from their RE days, Ransom Everglades alumni grow nostalgic when they recall St. Alban’s Day. Their memories of campus winter wonderlands are not merely dusty relics from the past. The event comes to life year after year as alumni watch new generations of RE students – and, in some cases, even their own children – experience this decades-old, hallowed tradition.
Whether St. Alban’s Day, the annual Christmas “store” stocked with donated toys, or our Thanksgiving drives and delivery, members of the RE community cherish the longheld rituals that bring us together and strengthen our ties to each other, the local community and our school’s history. 

St. Alban’s Day remains essentially the same as when it began at the Everglades School for Girls more than 50 years ago, though it has grown; now, some 600 school children from two St. Alban’s Child Enrichment Centers and multiple elementary schools enjoy RE’s holiday festivals. RE students still accompany our campus guests as they enjoy the Polar Express trains, visits with Santa, facepainting, cookie decorating and encounters with artificial snow – and many others. 

The event ignites a connection among alumni like almost no other. RE graduates recall when they clutched the hands of small children, ushering them from activity to activity and ensuring their buddies felt cared for and special. They remember how good it felt to make a difference on that day. 

As outside-the-box thinking and innovation drive us forward, these powerful traditions keep us grounded. They are emotional anchors that have given generations of students a sense of community and purpose. We no longer gather for the annual holiday reading in December by the late Dan Leslie Bowden; instead, we embrace a new, expanding tradition: the Dan Leslie Bowden Fellows Gallery Night – an event named after our most iconic former faculty member that provides a showcase for students’ summer humanities research projects. Students, parents, professional community members and alumni came out on December 8 to celebrate the intellectual achievements of some of our most polished seniors.

Last month, we held the first-ever Under the Stars: A Night at Music and Art on the Touzet patio and La Brisa lawn. This event brought together our visual artists and strings and band musicians for an inspiring evening of art and music. Our students shined, and our community turned out in joyful droves. The evening was truly something special and, perhaps, a tradition-in-the-making. Stay tuned!

Wishing you a very happy holiday and wonderful new year!

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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