Most students at Ransom Everglades walk in and out of the bookstore at least once daily. After grabbing their snack of choice, Mrs. Sara Scarfone greets them with a wide smile and rings them up. She doesn’t even have to ask their name, as she knows—and feeds—almost every single student. While Mrs. Scarfone is well acquainted with each member of the Ransom Everglades community and their usual purchase, hardly any students remembered her name when asked. Who is the smiling woman behind the glass at the checkout counter?
I had the privilege of getting to know Mrs. Scarfone through more than our typical small talk as I stared undecidedly at the various granola bars. As we sat under the oak tree canopy outside the bookstore, Mrs. Scarfone gave me her undivided intention. After each question, she paused and let out a gentle chuckle as she pieced together thorough responses with carefully selected sentences. What I learned through my conversation with Mrs. Scarfone—which has been edited for length and clarity—is that she serves the community through more than prepackaged cereals; she is a pillar of stability.
What first brought you to work at Ransom Everglades?
I’m not originally from here, so we moved to Florida or Miami, I should say. I just wanted to do something to get involved in Miami and get to know where I lived. I had always volunteered a lot in schools, so I understood schools and enjoyed how they worked. I first started as a substitute teacher in the fall of 2017 and then was asked to manage the bookstore in the fall of 2018.
Do you have a favorite anecdote from working here at Ransom Everglades?
A lot of stuff. There are a lot of funny things I hear.
Like what?
One of the funnier ones is when a student said they were happy that the school realized that kids don’t eat at home. I don’t want to get anybody in trouble. There is a lot of really cute, innocent talk between students about the food and how they enjoy the bookstore, which just makes me laugh.
How do you remember all of the students’ names?
Honestly, it’s repetition. Especially when we started, we had to ask their names because we typed it into the system and gave the receipts. Now we scan IDs, but it’s also sometimes it’s easy to remember if they’ve had siblings or if I’ve talked to their parents about something. So that makes me remember a name. And once you get familiar with the names, it’s easier to match them to the face and then match the face to the order.
What are your favorite and least favorite parts about working at the bookstore?
The least favorite is we always seem to have so many boxes we’re trying to move around and find space for and kind of just keep the store organized when we get crowds. In general, it’s supposed to look like a nice store, so keeping that visual in the front is a challenge sometimes with so many students. I mean, it’s fun for the most part. There’s always just something that makes me laugh every day. You can get frustrated sometimes with the kids, but generally speaking, they always make me laugh.
What is something about yourself that you’d like every student who walks in to know?
They don’t need to know me, but I think they need to—and I think most of them do— respect the position or respect that we do a lot of behind-the-scenes things to make their day. Not just with food, but with the books and the supplies here. It’s a lot of things that kind of make the students’ lives easier. When they need calculators, or they need paper, or whatever that is, it’s here. But I think, for the most part, people do owe respect to the fact that somebody thought about it, I guess. I mean, that’s our motivation for having a bookstore.
What is one of your core beliefs, and why?
I believe I’ve been lucky, I’ve had a lot of different opportunities. I’ve been able to travel a lot, and I’m a generally happy person. I think it’s important for people to remember to not get bogged down in everything that’s wrong. Even just being on this campus, were offered a lot of opportunities and privileges; I think it’s important to remember how lucky we are and to be grateful for it.
What is your favorite place that you’ve visited?
Oh I have a lot of favorite places. Well, I’m from New York, and that is still my favorite place to travel.
What about New York makes it your favorite place?
There’s always something to do and something to see. I love the whole frenetic nature of everyone walking along the streets versus all driving here in Miami.
When are you at your happiest?
That’s an interesting question. I think walking around any city. I always enjoy that, even in Miami. Walking around a city and seeing the people and just getting to know what the city is all about. It’s just a joy to explore, especially early in the morning. That or I would say any time I’m out on the water, like at the beach or on a boat. On the water, I can get a unique perspective of where I am and see the whole city.
You mentioned not being from Miami. Where in the world have you lived before coming here?
Originally my family lived in Long Island, but we moved around New York and the tri-state area quite a bit. We actually spent several years living in Japan.
Tell me more about Japan…
It was really cool. It was in the ‘90s, and it was just a really great experience to have at that point in time. We got to do alot of traveling, especially around Asia. I mean, it was pre-internet, so to an extent, it was a simpler time. To do a trip like that back then was much easier than it is now. But it was great. To be able to live in another country is a great thing.
Could you name a few examples of people who have had a great impact on your life?
Well I guess the greatest influences on me would come from my family, including my parents, my husband, and my kids.
Why is that?
I think all age groups impact you differently and give you that perspective of what’s going on for every age group if you will. For example, my kids, while they were growing up and going to school, they were exposed to things that I wouldn’t even know about. I think that’s why its also interesting to work in a school and keep up with what is the latest newest modern thing that’s happening in the world and in lifestyle trends and pop culture. So I’d say just all the different members of my family and evern my friends and people I’ve met here. It’s interesting to me to meet different people at different stages in their lives. I find it fascinating to know what kinds of lives they live that are so so different from mine. It’s incredible that we’re all here just doing the same thing. I guess I would say all of the people around me at any given time have the greatest influence on me.
What are a few things you couldn’t live without?
Coffee. Access to the ocean. Physical newspapers, like the Wallstreet Journal or the New York Times. I guess now I, unfortunately, must say my phone, but only in the sense that it allows me to keep in touch with people. I don’t think I could live without my photo albums and my pictures either.
What is at the top of your bucket list?
I guess there are still places in the world I’d love to see. It’s funny I don’t really have a list. My husband and I are always talking about where we’re going to go next. I don’t have bucket list items like sky diving or bungy jumping those don’t interest me. Mostly I just want to keep exploring, it doesn’t really even matter where.
What is something you are passionate about?
I would say I’m passionate about people doing the right thing. It’s not that you can’t take the easy way out or work around things, but I think it’s really important to always follow your general moral compass.