Evergreen High School

The story of Evergreen High School’s redevelopment is interwoven between people and place. The place is a bucolic landscape that has been sculpted over time by glaciers, erosion, and human development. The site is characterized by a relatively natural yet urban setting that includes undulating landscape surfaces, mature trees, structured playfields, and Lakewood County Park.

Evergreen High School’s motto is Dig Deep, Rise Up, Branch Out. It expresses the aspirations of the school community – the people. From an understanding of place, the design seeks to enhance and express the regeneration of the site, the glaciation that shaped the larger region, the historic watercourse (labelled an unclassified stream) that evokes the concept of erosion, and the current generation of large conifer trees. Each of these temporal layers are strong drivers of the site planning concept and building forms.

From an understanding of people, the design seeks to develop a safe place nestled into the elegant site; welcoming entries that provide shelter and support security for all; engaging public spaces that encourage community gathering; differentiated spaces that support diverse social and academic activities and interactions; quiet spaces that enhance collaboration and individual focus; learning neighborhoods that support rigorous learning and personalized connections between students and adults; flexible layouts that support evolving pedagogies; and visible learning that inspires exploration and critical thinking.