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RE sends up last year's eighth-grade class

Ransom Everglades celebrated the annual 8th-grade Send-Up a bit later than usual, and in a virtual format, yet made sure the Class of 2024 received recognition for its graduation from the middle school to the upper school. This year's send-up conferred special honors, featured a roll call of the entire class and opened with a welcome from Head of the Middle School Rachel Rodriguez. The August 22 event also included an uplifting speech from class president Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24 – who earned the prestigious Ransom Cup.
Gomez Rivas-Vazquez reminded his peers that they were greeted by Hurricane Irma when they arrived to the middle school as sixth graders, and departed the middle school amid a pandemic, yet they made the most of their middle school years.

"Ransom Everglades is much more than a building with walls," he said. "It is a community of learners and leaders ... The RE spirit was one thing COVID-19 could not cancel."

Zoe Katsoufis ’24 and Mackenzie Buckner ’24 jointly received the Swenson Cup, joining Gomez Rivas-Vazquez in claiming the highest honors bestowed on RE eighth graders. Tyira Jackson ’24 and Jake Perdigon ’24 received Faculty Awards; Diana Gonzalez ’24 received the Citizenship Award; Will Charouhis ’24 won the Parents' Association Service Award; and Isabel Chong ’24, Erick Gross ’24, Diana Gonzalez ’24, Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24 and Mackenzie Buckner ’24 each won Special Service Awards. 
 
Andrea Ortiz ’24 received the Female-Student Athlete Award; Alexander Tong ’24 received the Male-Student Athlete Award; Sofia Srebnick ’24 was named Outstanding Female Athlete; and Bryce Sadler '24 was named Outstanding Male Athlete. Many faculty members participated in the event by announcing winners of special department awards; see the full list of recognized students below.

Head of School Penny Townsend concluded the event after a yearbook tribute, offering encouragement to the class. Diana Gonzalez '24 and Erick Gross '24 combined to read the names of every member of last year's eighth grade.

Middle school faculty and staff who achieved significant work anniversaries also were honored:

35 years: Joe Mauro
25 years: Alina Mendoza, Bobbie Bassuk, Michelle Mondell
20 years: Cathi Leibinger
15 years: Erick Ceballos, Greg Noblet
10 years: Jan Bekkevold, Kristen Castle, Ana Fabiola Weinberg, Cecilia Gonzalez, Jody Salzinger

2020 Middle School Award Winners
 
Swenson Cup
Zoe Katsoufis ’24
Mackenzie Buckner ’24
 
Ransom Cup
Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24
 
Faculty Award
Tyira Jackson ’24
Jake Perdigon ’24
 
8th Grade Citizenship Award
Diana Gonzalez ’24
 
Parents’ Association Service Award
Will Charouhis ’24
 
Special Service Award
Isabel Chong ’24
Erick Gross ’24
Diana Gonzalez ’24
Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24
Mackenzie Buckner ’24

Visual Arts Award
Sofia de la Torre ’24
 
Strings Award
Christine Keedy Brown ’24
 
Drama Award
Zoe Katsoufis ’24
 
Piper Bonnell Award 
Gerardo Mena ’24
Finn Oberg ’24
 
Musical Theatre Award
Grace Hucks ’24

Technical Theatre Award
Jake Perdigon ’24
 
Band Award
Eugenio Arango ’24

Lois Styles Award for Excellence in Mathematics
Victoria Paraoulaki de Miranda ’24
 
Dance Award
Ariya Zhuk ’24
 
History and Social Science Award
Daniel Figueroa ’24
 
Margaret Fitzgerald English Award
Lauren Scott ’24
 
Harriet Grinnell Writing Award
Finn Oberg ’24
 
World Languages 
Spanish Award
Skye McPhillips ’24
 
French Award
Francisco Gomez Rivas-Vazquez ’24
 
Chinese Award
Mikey Zoi ’24
 
Physical Education Award
Ariana Kaye ’24
 
George Kasyan 8th Grade Science Award
William Charouhis ’24
 
Outstanding Female Athlete
Sofia Srebnick ’24
 
Outstanding Male Athlete 
Bryce Sadler ’24
 
Male Student-Athlete Award
Alexander Tong ’24
 
Female Student-Athlete Award
Andrea Ortiz ’24
 
Photo Gallery of Send-Up Awards
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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
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.