News Detail
RE students uphold a culture of respect
The increasingly divisive tone of this year’s presidential race has caused many of us to reflect – and at times, to despair. Our students have witnessed incivility and the absence of respect, yet I am happy to report that they have not fallen prey to such behavior. In fact, they have made it clear there is no place for it at our school.
In the next few days you should receive in your mailboxes the fall edition of the Ransom Everglades Log. In this very special and exciting edition, you will find detailed stories on the La Brisa property we acquired this summer; our plans to build a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) facility on our Upper School campus; and profiles of some of some of our most successful alumni working STEM fields. I know you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you read.
Consider the magazine a welcome diversion from the news generated by this year’s political campaign. The increasingly divisive tone of this year’s race has caused many of us to reflect – and at times, to despair. Our students have witnessed incivility and the absence of respect, yet I am happy to report that they have not fallen prey to such behavior. In fact, they have made it clear there is no place for it at our school. Several of our students delivered a presidential-issues debate last week that, by design, contrasted sharply with the televised ones. We listened to thoughtful, well-researched and reasoned arguments on significant national issues. There was no name calling or hostility. Despite the deeply divergent views presented, students under RE’s Speech and Debate Coach Kate Hamm shook hands, and the Upper School audience responded with respectful applause.
In recent weeks, Associate Head of School John A. King, Jr., and Vanderbilt Professor Alan Schwartz separately offered historical perspective on presidential campaigns. Faculty member Greg Cooper presented an analysis of the evolving political climate via an archived TEDxCoconutGrove talk that we replayed to the students. Their presentations reaffirmed our approach to education at Ransom Everglades. From the moment students arrive in sixth grade, they are challenged to hone critical skills, two of which are public speaking and respectful listening. We expect them to find their own voices while hearing from and respecting those who hold different views. In many classrooms, students face one another while seated around oval tables – Harkness tables – that encourage discussion and intellectual debate. They learn that thinking critically means being open, not closed, to a diversity of ideas and opinions. They learn they can’t win an argument without first considering the other side — and without knowing the facts. Respect, in this environment, becomes instinctive.
Consider the magazine a welcome diversion from the news generated by this year’s political campaign. The increasingly divisive tone of this year’s race has caused many of us to reflect – and at times, to despair. Our students have witnessed incivility and the absence of respect, yet I am happy to report that they have not fallen prey to such behavior. In fact, they have made it clear there is no place for it at our school. Several of our students delivered a presidential-issues debate last week that, by design, contrasted sharply with the televised ones. We listened to thoughtful, well-researched and reasoned arguments on significant national issues. There was no name calling or hostility. Despite the deeply divergent views presented, students under RE’s Speech and Debate Coach Kate Hamm shook hands, and the Upper School audience responded with respectful applause.
In recent weeks, Associate Head of School John A. King, Jr., and Vanderbilt Professor Alan Schwartz separately offered historical perspective on presidential campaigns. Faculty member Greg Cooper presented an analysis of the evolving political climate via an archived TEDxCoconutGrove talk that we replayed to the students. Their presentations reaffirmed our approach to education at Ransom Everglades. From the moment students arrive in sixth grade, they are challenged to hone critical skills, two of which are public speaking and respectful listening. We expect them to find their own voices while hearing from and respecting those who hold different views. In many classrooms, students face one another while seated around oval tables – Harkness tables – that encourage discussion and intellectual debate. They learn that thinking critically means being open, not closed, to a diversity of ideas and opinions. They learn they can’t win an argument without first considering the other side — and without knowing the facts. Respect, in this environment, becomes instinctive.
We strongly believe that respectful engagement builds good citizens and a strong community. We see evidence of both when our students gather for assemblies, performances, presentations and other events that unite us. I’m always encouraged – sometimes even surprised – at the way our students support one another during these community-building gatherings. Even when things go awry or fall flat, students refrain from jeers and boos. It’s simply not part of the RE culture. I’ve also been repeatedly touched at the way our students have helped one another through tragedy and heartbreak. Our community suffered another devastating loss last week with the passing of Mary Allraum, the mother of Lucas ’20 and Nicole, a student at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, and wife of Thomas Allraum. I am confident our students will pick up Lucas during this sad time, as they have others who have lost a parent. I know our community of parents will do the same.
This conduct is what makes up our “other” curriculum at Ransom Everglades. We strive to produce graduates who make the world, and those around them, better. This is an art that must not be lost.
Penny Townsend
Head of School
Head of School
Middle School
2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
Upper School
3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 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.