As winter approached its fluid finishing line, I had two avian close encounters that have since been on replay in my mind. The first of which took place on a quiet weekend here at school. As I walked across the empty parking lot toward the front doors, a red-tailed hawk flushed from behind a small bush beneath our office windows. Its powerful wings pumped somewhat awkwardly as it righted itself in its ascent towards the woods across the street. In a surprising, exciting, and in-my-face sort of way, it was a sight to behold.

The second occurrence happened while I took the long way home from work on my bike. I was climbing a hill near Reeds Lake when a flash of blue caught my peripheral vision. As I grabbed my brakes and scanned the roadside forest, two eastern bluebirds were found flitting from branch to branch. The depth of their blue feathers was breathtaking. Their movements were small and graceful and they, too, were a sight to behold. 

As I’ve continued to revisit these scenes in my mind, I’ve been struck by how widely different the two experiences were. The largeness and power of the hawk contrasted to the lightness and color of the bluebirds. And yet, without a doubt, both were moments of great beauty. As I’ve walked the halls of Evergreen these first two days back from break, I’m reminded of the stark differences between all of our students…and how they each, in their own way, are a sight to behold. What a gift it is to see these preschoolers through 5th grades showing their God-given beauty day after day. 

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

-Psalm 96: 11-12

— Graham Schultze
Evergreen Campus Principal