Gretchen Everhart School

We are sad to see summer ESY services come to an end. We had so much fun in the pool and working on walking skills and spending time with peers. A big thank you to Coach Vicky, our staff and our Peer Volunteers who helped us this summer! We are looking forward to a great school year ahead!

Every student left their mark. Together, they created the sun!

This art project began with one simple goal: creating something that every single student helped with. Each student started with a sheet of white paper and created their own masterpiece using shades of red, orange, and yellow. The inspiration was drawn from Eric Carle, so different and unique tools were provided with paint brushes, such as toy cars, bubble wrap, forks, etc. Every page reflected that student's own creativity. From those painted papers, we traced each student's hand. For students who were unable to make a handprint due to various reasons, we traced a fist or a foot instead ensuring that every student participated in a way that honored their unique abilities.

Those individual prints became the heart of the sun. The remaining painted pieces from every student's artwork were cut into rays that radiate outward, meaning that every inch of the finished piece contains a part of every student.

This isn't just a collaborative art project. It represents children and young adults with a wide range of abilities coming together to create something bright, joyful, and whole. The finished sun reminds us that our students shine in different ways, but when every person is valued, encouraged, and included, they create something extraordinary together.

We hope you enjoy this creation. A big thank you to the students and staff that made this possible. We hope to maybe see it on the CBS Sunday Morning show!

We are having fun using the pool this summer! The staff got to try out the collars that help students float in the water! Enjoy the summer break! ESY services will resume on July 13th with more learning, fun and swimming!

Gretchen Everhart School is so proud of our students and the artwork that is now displayed at the Leon County Schools' district office! Don't we have some owlmazing artists?! Thank you to art teacher, Sarah Hall for sharing the artwork with others!

We had our first ever Transition Student Send-off today. It is a big deal to our students when they leave. Some of them have been here most of their lives! The whole school celebrated by making personalized posters, waving shakers, and spreading joy. Our transition students got to walk around the whole campus feeling the love. Congratulations!!! And remember, once an owl, ALWAYS an owl!

We had a combined cheerleading/basketball banquet last week. Family was invited to celebrate their loved one and all of their hard work this year. There are not enough THANK YOUS to give to Miss Deans, Miss Alyssa, and Miss Vicky. Without them, none of this would have been possible! Congrats, Owls!

A great time was had at our annual Fun Day!! We would like to thank Mike Sims at Custom Furniture Installations for providing snacks to students and staff for today's Fun Day. Also, thank you to the parents and volunteers who came out to help. Happy summer!

Our Talent Show today was a BLAST!! Thank you so very much to our music teacher, Alyssa, for putting together such a fun show! There was poetry, singing, dancing, and more. Thank you to all of the family and friends who came to enjoy it also!

Congratulations to our 2026 Gretchen Everhart graduates! Last night was a wonderful celebration all for them. Thank you so much to our presenter, Dr. David Plack, for his inspiring message celebrating the graduates’ resilience, growth, and achievements. Thank you, also, to Superintendent Rocky Hanna, our School Board representative Dr. Marcus Nicolas, and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Michelle Gayle for coming out to celebrate our students.

Way to go, Owls!

We had our final Super Star awards ceremony yesterday and got to celebrate all of the students who received a Super Star award, an Owlriffic award, a Principal's award and/or a Citizenship award. We are so proud of them! A big THANK YOU as always to Culver's of Tallahassee for providing special treats for each student.