NEW Website !!!

Please visit our new website! This new website has the latest Announcements as well as an up-to-date Calendar of Events. Look for teacher pages and department pages coming soon. We welcome any suggestions/comments or questions about our new site (feel free to email us at farmerl@mail.leon.k12.fl.us ) . Thanks for your support!!!

Vision/Mission/Belief Statements

We believe that each individual is unique, differing from all others in types of attributes and degree of endowment.  Each individual should be allowed to grow and develop to his/her greatest potential intellectually, physically, socially and emotionally.

We believe that educational programming should be designed to meet the needs of each student as an individual, rather than trying to fit the student into already established programs.

We believe that it is the joint responsibility of the home, school, and community to cooperatively provide the environment and experiences to enable each individual to develop his/her maximum potential.

Gretchen Everhart School

Where everyone is exceptional!

Gretchen Everhart School is part of the Leon County School system and serves students with intellectual disabilities ages 3-22 years of age.  The school started by concerned parents as the Candle of Hope School during the late 1960s and relocated in 1972 to its current location on Mission Road.  Today the school accommodates approximately 250 students with severe to moderate mental handicaps.  All students at the school in grades K – 12^th have cognitive deficits and special needs which are addressed in Individual Education Plans for each student.  The school serves students from Leon County and the surrounding counties of Gadsden, Jefferson, Taylor, Wakulla, Liberty, and Franklin whose needs can’t be successfully met in a traditional school setting.

Current initiatives at the school include literacy instruction, instruction on the Florida Sunshine Standards through the appropriate access points, use of technology and assistive technology and the coordination of transition services to post school settings.  A critical component of learning for our students is the ability to apply skills in real life through trips to community settings.  It is the goal of the school to help all students achieve to their maximum potential and enjoy an improved quality of life.  Activities at the school include participation in Special Olympics, chorus, cheerleading, proms, dances, swimming instruction, family carnivals, and a special family camping trip each fall.  Students have the opportunity to participate in music, art, P.E., and computer lab activities each week in addition to the specialized instruction provided in the classrooms.  The school offers a before and after school enrichment program (SMILE) that helps reinforce skills and activities learned during the school day while at the same time providing specialized supervision to students beyond the school day.

The school is able to help students achieve through the hard work of the dedicated employees and the active participation of the P.T.O.  The school has approximately 35 teachers, 70 paraprofessionals, 3 speech therapists, 2 occupational therapists, 3 physical therapists, and teachers of the visually and hearing impaired.  In addition the school has 2 nurses and 2 school health assistants on staff to meet the complicated medical and physical needs of the students.

Come and visit!  It is a wonderful experience that you will never forget!

Everhart Year Books Are Here!

It's not to late to purchase your Everhart yearbooks. The yearbook features all our  students from the Owl's Nest to Post-Secondary.  The books are $15 each.

Eagle Project

On July 24th, Andrew Wyatt, a student at Chiles High School and Boy Scout built a deck at Gretchen Everhart School as his Eagle Scout Project.  Read more>>

GES PTO On-Line Volunteer Database

But for the kindness and generosity of Dorret Goodwin, we would not have a brand new, nifty on-line volunteer database!
Read more>>

Thanks for visiting our site!

Page updated: 02/24/2009