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Leadership
From the Desk of the Head of School: Insight into a 'Portrait of a Ransom Everglades Graduate'
Head of School Rachel Rodriguez shared this email with the RE community on October 1, 2026
Dear Ransom Everglades Community,
For more than 120 years, one defining principle has helped shape Ransom Everglades graduates: our commitment to leaving the world better than we find it. That commitment was first articulated in founder Paul Ransom’s letters to prospective students at the turn of the 20th century. It was illustrated in the tenets of the Everglades Creed, then reaffirmed in The RE Way, our current core values.
Last year, under the leadership of Director of Teaching and Learning Jess Merrick and with the help of academic leaders, students, alumni and faculty, we began to explore the question of how Paul Ransom’s vision has shaped the educational experience at RE. What qualities, we asked, do RE students develop on our campuses, and take into the world as alumni?
Last year, under the leadership of Director of Teaching and Learning Jess Merrick and with the help of academic leaders, students, alumni and faculty, we began to explore the question of how Paul Ransom’s vision has shaped the educational experience at RE. What qualities, we asked, do RE students develop on our campuses, and take into the world as alumni?
The result was a white paper entitled "Portrait of a Ransom Everglades Graduate," a beautiful piece of work that captures the heart and soul of those who carry Paul Ransom’s legacy: our alumni.
We followed that effort with what I share with you today: a special video that brings that detailed portrait into more vivid focus. In this fast-paced video, more than a dozen graduates – spanning generations and careers – share a single storyline and one collective voice. They demonstrate that our core values – Support & Community, Service & Outreach, Joy & Wellbeing, Diversity & Inclusion, and Honor & Excellence – are not just aspirations, but are being lived out every day by Ransom Everglades graduates, whether they are working in education, public service, medicine, the arts or other fields.
Our professional community often thinks about “our why.” Why do we work with teenagers? Why do we continue to serve as educators? Why do we find Ransom Everglades our professional home? The answers to most of our questions are revealed in our alumni. More than 120 years later, our founding principles are as relevant as they were when Mr. Ransom articulated them, and we wanted to show you what this commitment looks like today.
The video serves as an engaging reminder of the power of a Ransom Everglades education, and an inspiration for the work we continue to do to produce the next generation of ethical leaders. We are proud that our students, current and former, will leave the world better than they find it.
Rachel Rodriguez
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
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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. It is rated the top private school in Miami and among the 10 private schools in North America. 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.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.
Ransom Everglades School®, The RE Way®, RE Pathways® and Bowden Fellowships in the Humanities™ are trademarks of Ransom Everglades School.