Evan Bartlett is always on the scene. He’s highly dedicated to improving his community from wiffleball, to camp counseling, to Eagle News, but he’s never in the spotlight. In every place Bartlett goes, he tries to make connections between people beyond what is seen as standard. He’s quite reserved, which can make him seem distant, but he’s always listening.
“I don’t like to talk about things that I do very much,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett had to break out of his shell. He used to be a very private individual, shy even, but four years ago, Bartlett took a position as a camp counselor in Plymouth Swim Clubs’ Fun in the Sun for children. It forced him to interact with people. He came back the next summer, and then the next few summers after that. The experience at the summer camp slowly wore down his guard and helped him find his calling.
“It’s super awesome working with kids,” Bartlett said. “It’s definitely prepared me for being a teacher.”
Bartlett’s relationship with teaching dates back further than summer camp. His mother, Kate Bartlett, is a 12th grade English teacher here at NAHS and a Blue & White advisor. Growing up, he saw the efforts his mother put forth. In the final stretch of his summer break days, he’d watch his mom prep her classroom with posters and supplies.
For her, teaching was more than an occupation. He grew an astounding respect for teachers, which inspired him to become a teacher himself.
“The teachers are just constantly working super hard,” said Bartlett. “And I know they don’t always get seen by their administrators.”
Bartlett is set on going to Kutztown University and achieving his goal of becoming a history teacher. Almost any kind of history interests him, including world history, American history, and even sports history. But this interest arose from his deepest passion.
“It really started with music history, I find music history super awesome,” Bartlett said. “It just blossomed into all the other forms of history.”
His favorites include bands such as Phish, Geese, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Grateful Dead, along with individual artists like Bob Dylan. They opened the floodgates, bringing together his political and musical interests.
“[Bob Dylan]’s a super smart writer, and he used his music to pretty much protest,” said Bartlett. “But the government, of course, did not understand it.”
Similarly, Bartlett believes mass audiences also misunderstand music. It’s not that they don’t get the lyrics or the emotions communicated within a song, but rather the intention behind its creation. Music is a force that draws out the rawest forms of people, yet the ‘popular’ music seems to be lacking something dearly important to Bartlett.
“I don’t like things that were made just to make money,” said Bartlett. “You can tell when [artists] make it with real passion.”
Passion and the unrestrained human experience speak loudly to Bartlett, though he hears it most in the music of Phish. Phish stands out to Bartlett for the way the band members carry out their lives, matching his own values. They’re comfortable in their modesty even though their success could have pushed them much further.
“[Phish] is over a million dollars,” said Bartlett. “They still live in a simple, tiny house in Vermont.”
Bartlett already practices this idea of being non-materialistic in a lesser manner. This is displayed through his dynamics with his friends.
“We’re not into our phones like other group chats,” Bartlett said. “We don’t constantly feel the need to text.”
Bartlett is one of the founding members of a group called the CCC (Cheesesteak Cheesesteak Cheesesteak). The CCC plans activities together, such as playing sports like wiffleball and football, listening to a variety of different music, hosting sleepovers, and exploring what Norristown has to offer.
It’s not uncommon to see him with his friends after school, whether it’s exploring Norristown, watching professional sports, or being extras in a movie. The CCC are often grouped together, forming tight-knit sporting teams that range from high school freshmen to university students.
He has been a coach for his own Wiffleball team, the Shakedown Sluggers. This was created within the CCC, along with the Science Demons, to give people a chance to get out of the house and play sports.
He understood that not everyone could play many sports, but many could play wiffleball due to its simplicity. All one needs is a plastic bat, a ball and two teams of people. Bartlett wanted everyone to be included in these games. He decided to step up and become coach of the Shakedown Sluggers, leading them to victory last season.
But Bartlett steps up to lead people outlets beyond coaching and camp counseling. This bled into the school calendar, as Bartlett gets involved in the programs with kids his own age, like the Best Buddies program, Unified Bocce, and Acing Autism.
“It’s one of our school’s biggest positives,” Bartlett said. “Not everyone sees it either.”
Bartlett wants the unseen to be seen. Through teaching, coaching, and even through friendships, Bartlett highlights the real rather than the superficial. He’s genuine and means what he says, even if it’s controversial or even a bit strange. It’s all something he encourages in humanity.
