Evergreen School District rolled out the red carpet Wednesday for East Evergreen Elementary students on their first day of school, welcoming them with a special visit from Gov. Greg Gianforte and first lady Susan Gianforte. 

The first-day fanfare shifted to the district office where the governor, school leaders, parents and community partners gathered for a roundtable discussion on Evergreen’s approach to supporting students and families beyond the classroom. 

The discussion centered on the Evergreen School District Community Council, a group established in 2014 to bring families, school officials, churches, civic organizations and businesses together around student success. 

Representatives from Hope Church, foster families, Kalispell Public Schools, Flathead Valley Community College, the Rotary Club of Evergreen, the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce and others described how the council has helped connect students and families with support ranging from school safety and mentoring to basic-needs assistance and family engagement. 

Gianforte said Evergreen is an example of what is possible when schools and community partners work together to meet local needs.  

“There’s a lot of excitement on the first day of school and I remember my first day of school, and it's a good reminder of why we're here to recognize the good work of organizations working together with their neighbors, willing to step up when there's a need, and that's where Evergreen is really leading by example,” Gianforte said. 

Superintendent Laurie Barron, starting her 14th year leading the district, described the council as a collaborative partnership intended to foster meaningful engagement, open communication and shared responsibility for student outcomes. 

The council meets quarterly to discuss the needs of students and families in the district and ways the community can meet them. Barron said the value comes from bringing those diverse perspectives together, so decisions reflect what students, families, staff and the wider community need. 

Parents and guardians make up the largest share of the council, Barron said, because families are children’s first and most important teachers. Law enforcement partners help address safety and security; high school students and officials at Kalispell Public Schools support students’ transition after Evergreen; business partners connect classroom learning to workforce needs; civic and faith-based partners provide volunteers and family support; and higher education partners support professional learning and career exploration, Barron said. 

“At the heart of this work is a simple truth: When a community invests in its schools, it invests in its future,” she said. 

Barron pointed to the district’s grant-funded family and community engagement liaison position as one of the clearest examples of the council’s impact. The position helps connect families to housing, food, healthcare and other essential services that can affect whether children are able to attend school, focus in class and succeed academically. 

Over the past three years, Barron said engagement efforts connected 870 families with nearly 2,300 individual services. Families receiving support saw a 56% improvement in attendance and a 68% improvement in behavior and academic performance. 

“When barriers are removed, students are better able to attend school, engage in learning and achieve academic success,” Barron said. “That is the power of a community coming together around a common mission.” 

Among the community partners highlighted was Hope Church, which Barron said is one of the district’s longest-serving collaborators. She said the relationship began more than 12 years ago when Hope Church Community Life Pastor David Halliburton approached the district about supporting Evergreen Junior High School. 

Barron said Hope Church members continually stepped in to meet school and student needs, recently spending a service day landscaping the district grounds. 

“We wanted to get outside of the four walls of Hope Church and demonstrate the love of Jesus by meeting practical needs in our community,” Halliburton said. “Over the last couple of years, we wanted to become a difference maker in our valley.” 

Over the years, he said church volunteers have helped make over the library, upgrade the gym sound system, serve at athletic events, host teacher luncheons and send appreciation gifts, mentor students academically and offer a class intended to help struggling students build perseverance, responsibility and hope. 

He said the church’s intent is service, not promotion of a religious agenda. 

“And perhaps the most important thing that we have learned over the last 12 years is this: Sometimes serving our community doesn't require a big program. It simply requires showing up regularly, day after day, week after week, year after year. Teachers have one of the most difficult and important jobs in our community, they invest in our children every single day, and we wanted them to know how much we value and appreciate them, and we wanted you as the students to know that you are important, that you matter, that your future matters, and people in the community believe in you,” Halliburton said as a group of fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders stood by. 

Halliburton said Hope Church’s broader vision is that other churches could adopt schools in a similar spirit of service. “ 

“Gov. Gianforte, we're grateful for the opportunity to celebrate what can happen when churches, schools, families and communities come together,” he said. “Our dream at Hope Church is that we would go beyond one church and one school, and our vision is for churches throughout this great state of Montana to adopt a school — not to promote an agenda — not to promote agenda — and to serve. For the last 12 years, Hope Church has tried to live out one conviction: don't just tell your community you love them. Find a way to serve them and be difference makers.” 

Asked how larger districts could replicate the approach, Barron said that every district is different and any similar initiative should be adapted to meet a school’s needs. She suggested starting with one school instead of trying to build a districtwide network at once. 

“It seems huge when you talk about a whole district, especially a large district. But when you start with one school at a time, I think it's much more manageable, and you can build partnerships. And sometimes it's more appropriate,” she said. 

Tamara Williams, chair of the Evergreen School District Board of Trustees, said the Community Council has helped turn community relationships into a practical part of school life, including family nights and other events that bring people into the schools. 

Rob Lawler, faith and community-based services coordinator at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, said his work involves helping connect community organizations, churches and government agencies.  

“And we can spend lots of money for other programs, or we can just rely on our community partners,” Lawler said. 

“And one of the things I charge [Lawler] with is when we find best practices like what's going on in Evergreen — we want to lift and drop it into other communities if it makes sense for that community,” Gianforte said. “And that's a community decision, but part of the job here is to promote these best practices, just what Evergreen has done with the community here. 

“Superintendent, I want to congratulate you, and I want to thank all the community members for being engaged in the way you are. I hope you have a wonderful school year,” he added.   

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

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    Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks with Evergreen Junior School students before the start of a press conference held at Evergreen School District No. 50 on Wednesday, Aug. 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    Gov. Greg Gianforte speaks during a press conference held at Evergreen School District No. 50 on Wednesday, Aug. 26. With Gianforte is Dr. Laurie Barron, Evergreen School District Superintendent. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
  

    David Halliburton, left, pastor of Hope Church, speaks during a press conference with Gov. Greg Gianforte at Evergreen School District No. 50 on Wednesday, Aug. 26. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)