Ready to Thrive

Evergreen graduates leave middle school with the academic skills, intellectual habits, and confidence to take on what’s next. They’ve practiced research, writing, public speaking, and debate; collaborated on complex, open-ended projects; and tackled challenging coursework—including accelerated math and electives in science, arts, and humanities. Most importantly, they know how to ask questions, wrestle with nuance, and pursue learning with purpose.

Finding the Right Fit

With the support of teachers and advisors, 8th graders engage in a thoughtful high school placement process that balances reflection and readiness. Students write personal essays about their values, create artistic expressions of their beliefs, and prepare resumes and interview skills. By exploring both who they are and where they want to go, they find schools that align with their goals and growth.

Global Studies — A Signature Rite of Passage

In their final year, students step into a tradition that has shaped generations of graduates: the four-week global studies trip. Destinations such as Vietnam or Peru become both classroom and proving ground as they put a year’s preparation into action—researching history, economics, and culture; practicing the language; and fundraising for a community-based service project. Before departure, they share their goals and intentions with the school community, stepping into a role that symbolizes their place as leaders and role models.

During the trip, they stay in homestays, hike Machu Picchu or the hills of Sapa, share meals, barter in marketplaces, and engage in daily journaling and guided reflection. They navigate unfamiliar settings with growing independence, adapt to new perspectives, and experience firsthand the joy and challenge of cultural exchange. Upon return, they speak again—this time with the insights, confidence, and self-awareness that come from truly stepping into the wider world.

For Evergreen students, this is more than travel. It is a defining milestone—an experience that strengthens resilience, deepens empathy, and affirms their readiness to lead as capable, connected global citizens.

What It All Ads Up To

By the end of 8th grade, Evergreen students are ready in every sense. They are academically capable, grounded in their values, and globally aware. They have taken intellectual risks, reflected deeply, and built the skills to succeed in high school and beyond.

The global studies trip—this signature rite of passage—is the culmination of years of curiosity, courage, and growth. In those four weeks, they step beyond their comfort zones, embrace new cultures, and return with the confidence, empathy, and perspective that will shape their lives. With hearts wide open and minds engaged, they leave Evergreen not only prepared for the next step, but ready to meet the world with leadership, compassion, and purpose.