In a meeting with her faculty and staff on Wednesday, Rosa Ramos, Head of School at The Island School for half of the School’s history, announced her plans to retire at the end of the current school year.

“We are of course very sad that Rosa will be leaving us,” said Island School Board Chair Margo Freeman, “but we have been discussing this eventuality for some time now and we are extremely grateful for all that Rosa has done for this wonderful School during her time here, and we wish her nothing but the best in her much-deserved retirement.”

After four years of running Boca Grande’s Royal Palm Players and leading its return to an unprecedented financial success, Michele Strauss, the Managing Director/Artistic Director, has decided to leave at the end of this season.

Strauss said, “It has been a wonderful four years but I am ready for a bigger challenge.”

Fewer shows, more fun. That’s the new direction Royal Palm Players announced for its 2012-2013 season.

After successfully producing six plays and seven special events this year, RPP has decided to streamline next year’s offerings. Three plays will be produced, with two in a different venue than the usual Boca Grande Community Center.

The Boca Grande Woman’s Club, one of the island’s hardest-working non-profit organizations, has had a great season of receiving ... and giving ... donations. This year, more than $380,000 has been generously given to the Boca Grande Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, and to numerous island organizations.

Among those donations are $10,000 marked for the Friends of Boca Grande Munchkin and After School Programs and $16,000 for youth summer camps.