It is more important than ever to listen to - and elevate - the voices, experiences, and history of our fellow students and families of color who are deeply affected by current events.

For it is the human aspect of education - the way our lived experiences mold and challenge one another - that makes our time together at Evans vastly different from any other lived experience. Current events may spark an ongoing movement, but for Eagle Nation, these current events continue to solidify our resolve of both the critical reflection and honest conversation within our school community for people of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and lived experiences to engage with issues of racial justice. When one member of our school family hurts - we all hurt.

This is because we fly together.

To the students of Evans: What makes Eagle Nation so special is that we are all individuals working together to do the best we can for one another. Eagle Nation can be - and will continue to be - the conduit for all of us to understand one another and work together to be better for each other. Maya Angelou is quoted as saying, “Do the best you can until you know better, then when you know better, do better.” Eagle Nation will continue to work against the detrimental factors of racism, implicit biases, fear, and ignorance. For ignorance is not saying, “I don’t know.” Instead, ignorance is when an individual says, “I don’t want to know.” Now, more than ever, is the time to "know." Together, we can continue to work to make today and tomorrow better for our future generations through great teaching, equitable resources, challenging curriculum, and working towards eliminating racial inequities.

To all of Eagle Nation: Specifically, at Evans, these efforts have been - and will continue to be happening - through: maintaining the work begun last fall with local experts regarding implicit bias and racial inequity in education; our continued partnership, student mentoring program, and student leadership opportunities with the Bloomington-Normal alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.; and sustaining our school improvement emphasis and focus on academic and behavioral achievement gaps among our student subgroups.

This is because when we fly - we fly together.

“Be the Good” is not a catchphrase or a “safe haven” to help us “feel good” about the person we are - because frankly - it’s never been enough within Eagle Nation to just be a “good person.” Instead, to "Be the Good" is fully lived when our individual differences - skin color, personal lived experiences, economic backgrounds, personal histories, struggles and celebrations - are seen and are honored by one another. It is only then that the ultimate beauty of Eagle Nation is demonstrated to others.

This is not about using someone else’s trauma as a trend. This is not a singular action in response to a crisis moment. This is the continued evolution and growth of Evans Junior High School, as an inviting, supportive, and safe environment where, as stated in our school's mission, we "promote each student's personal excellence by establishing trusting relationships among students, staff, and families, building community partnerships that support and embrace innovation and fostering a sense of pride in our school."

When one member of our school family hurts - we all hurt. However, when we fly, we fly high because we always fly together.

Watch more of Eagle Nation on our official YouTube channel.