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Capitol Hill School

A Great Place to Grow

8401 SW 17th Ave•Portland, OR 97219•Ph 503-916-6303•Fx 503-916-2616

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Capitol Hill
School News

2024-2025 Principal's Message

  • Welcome to Capitol Hill!

    I am thrilled to be entering my 3rd year as the principal of this amazing school. I've been a teacher at the Elementary, Middle School, and High School levels. I’ve been a Learning Specialist, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, and Principal. I’m passionate about creating a school environment that allows every single student to feel special and valued. I have been married for 13 years to my wife and we have 4 wonderful girls. I strive to be present and enjoy every bit of life I am offered. I love being outside, eating and cooking good food, and watching movies. My favorite parts of Oregon are the cool mornings and evenings and beautiful landscape.

     

    When it comes down to it, our core values are what drives us forward as humans. My core values are a steadfast way that I anchor every decision as a building principal.

     

    Core Values

    Honesty and Transparency

    Student First Decision-Making

    Listen to Understand

    Realize We Are All Humans

     

    2024-2025 Message

     

    I believe that every single student can be successful. At Capitol Hill we are committed to helping students realize their full potential and be their authentic selves by giving them the support they need. Students come to school with different levels of unique needs. It is our job as a school staff to develop relationships with students and families so that we can better understand what each child needs to be successful. When students struggle academically or behaviorally, we need to ask ourselves: What is the lagging skill? What support is or is not in place? What do we need to do differently in order to lift up that student towards growth and success?

     

    All students at Capitol Hill will feel a strong sense of belonging and value for who they are and what they bring. All students at Capitol Hill will find joy and excitement in their learning journey. All students at Capitol Hill will become kind, empathetic, and collaborative human beings. All students at Capitol Hill will actualize their learning in order to successfully move forward after their time at Capitol Hill.

     

    I am committed to our educators at Capitol Hill. Our staff are human beings and it’s important they are treated and respected as such. Being a teacher is one of the most important jobs you can have AND is one of the most challenging. I am committed to supporting our current staff and hiring the best of the best. The staff at Capitol Hill are compassionate, driven, and caring human beings who take educating your children very seriously.

District News

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  • HeART of Portland Returns to Portland Art Museum April 16th

    3/31/2025
    This is the poster for the Heart of Portland event

    HeART of Portland, the annual celebration of local student artists, is returning to the Portland Art Museum (PAM) beginning April 16.

    The two-week fine arts showcase features work by students from across Portland Public Schools and is made possible by the Arts Access Fund, which also supports elementary visual and performing arts educators.

    2025 HeART of Portland kicks off with an opening reception at PAM on April 16 at 6:30 p.m. and concludes with the Miller Family Free Day on April 27. The opening reception will include musical and theatrical performances, as well as a set from the elementary school honor choir – made up of two singers from each PPS elementary – and the debut of the honor dance collective. 

    In addition, the showcase will feature more than 100 works of student visual art, handpicked by PPS arts educators, and a collaborative art project for K-12 students that embraces the rebellious spirit of the current PAM exhibition, Psychedelic Rock Posters and Fashion of the 1960s. 

    The reception and HeART of Portland exhibits are free and open to everyone. Please join us in lifting up our student artists!

  • Join Us for "The Ride Ahead"

    3/11/2025

    Portland Public Schools is continuing to host a series of events aimed at starting productive conversations about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

    As part of this series, we are excited to welcome you to a free screening of The Ride Ahead on Thursday March 20 at McMenamins Kennedy School. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the movie begins at 7:00.

    The Ride Ahead is a film about adult life with disabilities by a man with disabilities. It is the debut of 21-year-old Samuel Habib who, struggling to find his place in the world, decides to make a film that charts how a group of disabled adults navigate challenges and forge their own unique paths. The film serves as a roadmap for himself and others and illustrates the compelling power of one person truly determined to live life on his own terms.

    In documenting his journey, Samuel is following in the footsteps of his father, the filmmaker Dan Habib. You can learn more about their work here.

    Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and McMenamins' full menu is available for ordering. We hope to see you there!

  • To Close or Not to Close? The Many Factors that Go into an Inclement Weather Decision

    2/12/2025

    In meteorological terms, Portland’s first big weather event of 2024 was the definition of a perfect storm. Frigid temperatures and high winds combined with snow and ice to bring down tree limbs, close roads, scramble traffic, freeze pipes, and knock out power for tens of thousands of residents.

    It was a metaphorical perfect storm for Portland Public Schools as well. Fallen trees cut power to multiple schools and others have suffered water damage from broken pipes. Lack of heat was also a problem, and impassable roads, paired with snowed-in and icy parking lots, made it impossible for buses to run safely. Those same conditions limited how the district’s facilities and operations teams can even assess the scope of the issues, let alone begin working on solutions. And icy sidewalks meant walkers have no safe route to school.

    This week could bring similar conditions to the Portland area, and PPS’s School Closure Team is ready to meet the challenge. The team convenes regularly during inclement weather to take all of the above into careful consideration. By now, families are quite familiar with how the district communicates these decisions. What’s perhaps less known is how district leaders arrive at such decisions in the first place. 

  • Free Screening of "Champions" as Part of Our Series Boosting Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion

    2/4/2025

    As part of our district's focus on events that center belonging, equity, and inclusion, we have been screening a series of films that we hope will challenge our perceptions about what is possible in the systems we create for our children with disabilities.

    The next film in the series is “Champions,” which will screen on Saturday February 8th at 2:00 PM at Lincoln High School. This event will also include first-hand testimonials from PPS students.

    This movie highlights the journey of a basketball coach who leads a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Through humor and heartfelt moments, the movie emphasizes the strengths, individuality, and value each player brings to the team and how inclusion enriches communities and creates positive, supportive environments.

    Staff, families, and community members are all invited. Parking is free and light refreshment will be provided. We hope to see you there!

     

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