Young Playwrights for Change

This year we are thrilled to announce that nine da Vinci students are regional finalists in the annual Young Playwrights for Change competition. Congratulations to the following students for their outstanding dramatic writing: Quiet, by Indie Brakken; Rising, Never Falling by Brooklyn Glennon; I’m Fine by Curtis Madlangbayan; Alone Beneath the Border by Lucy Mason; You are Enough by Kylie Moller-Pape; Socks With Sandals by Olivia Sanchez-Bishop; Dem Gay Boyz by Malaika Wandugu; Friends by Penelope Ware; and A Life Through Jewish Eyes by Abby Wendroff.

Dear da Vinci Families & Friends,

I hope you are well. Thank you Capstone A performers and staff for an amazing show! Connections beautifully showcased your talent, creativity, compassion, humor, and ensemble. Your extraordinary effort and risk-taking make us proud.  Visual Art students, your work added another dimension. Congratulations all!

Dragon’s Fire, da Vinci Arts Middle School’s Literary Review is brilliant! Now on our website, it includes superb writing and artwork from over 90 students. Congratulations also to our twelve Creative Writing Capstone students: Alex Barry, Nick Berkson, Elliana Hanna, Delilah Hartwell, Olivia Nally, Sierra Nelson, Lilith Neuse-Kartmazov, Gabriel Robinson, Jack Schneiger, Silas Schoenborn, Ella Van Schoick, and Vince Wilson. To all Dragon's Fire writers and artists, thank you for sharing your imagination, wisdom, and skill. Special Thanks to Advisor and Editor Alison Lanigan and her husband Steve Lanigan for the formatting. Brava, Bravo All!  Enjoy, here is the link: Dragon's Fire

Thank you to Jason Hieggelke, a community volunteer, Sheli and Jim Bryan, parents, and students for clearing blackberry bushes from our da Vinci Water Garden.

The da Vinci Foundation is over half way to reaching our goal of raising $15,000 by Friday, June 8th. As your gift will still be matched up to $5,000, PLEASE HELP us meet or exceed our goal. 

1. Donate directly (A recurring Monthly donation OR a One Time Gift) through All Hands Raised using the following link: http://allhandsraised.org/  Click on the red DONATE button and make sure you “Select” "da Vinci Arts Middle School” OR 

2. Write a check made out to the “da Vinci Foundation” and give it to Liz or Sheli in the Main Office.

Enjoy our last week, and thank you! 

The da Vinci Foundation

I hope you are well. 

• 8th grade families, please consider Paying it forward;
• 7th & 6th grade families, please consider investing in your child’s future; 
  • Up to $5,000 your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.       
  • All donations, large and small, help us towards our goal: 

Dear da Vinci Families, 

On Wednesday afternoon, with roses for every Capstone student, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends, celebrated the prolific and wonderful work of our 8th grade Visual Arts and Creative Writing students. In addition to their vibrant, colorful artwork and prose, every artist and writer wrote a statement describing themselves and their art. Their writing is real, humorous, and profound.  The 2D and 3D art embraces you with color, skill, and wonderings. Thank you all for your bold, expressive imaginations and creative talent. Congratulations, Brava, Bravo!

Earlier on Wednesday, for our May heArt Learning, Advanced Drama students took original monologues by Creative Writing students and created a compelling piece about school cell phone and technology use. The humor, ambiance, and poignant thought-provoking moments captivated the audience. That night, the documentary film Screenagers was very well attended and gave us all excellent information and strategies to find a healthy screen-time balance. Thank you, students and our PTSA. 

Ms. Wasson’s Ashland Trippers were lauded again for their outstanding behavior and enjoyed three incredibly amazing productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival last week. The 6th graders and staff had a great week at Outdoor School as learning and building community took center stage.

Deputy Superintendent Curtis’ email yesterday was a welcome summary of the continued ACCESS process. From attending the PPS School Board’s Budget Listening session at Martin Luther King (MLK) Elementary on Tuesday evening, I gained a new appreciation for the particular complexity of this important decision. MLK staff and parents implored the Board to move forward with the North and Northeast boundary review process and a Focus Option school review, as current boundaries keep MLK’s enrollment small. Comments from the Boise Elliot-Humboldt community also echoed the persuasive theme that a truly equitable high-quality education is only possible when right-sized schools are a reality. Currently, until these issues are addressed, it’s schools with predominantly underserved Black and Brown students who are most impacted by the need for right-sizing. Compounded by the recent Bond shortfall, and significant cuts to the PPS Central Office, the School Board is grappling with numerous hard choices.  

Thank you for ALL your advocacy and letters on behalf of keeping da Vinci a shining arts focus option school without having to share our building space. To continue to respectfully advocate for the ACCESS community to be housed elsewhere is entirely appropriate and recommended until a clear decision has been made that enables all school communities to move successfully forward. 

Thank you for your patience, for expressing your belief in our unique community, and supporting an outstanding and equitable education for all PPS students. 

Have a great weekend, and strongly encourage your students to do their very best work in our remaining three weeks. 

Finish strong!

Fred

Dear da Vinci Families,

At 7:15 am this morning, the School Board, the Assistant Superintendent, and the Deputy Superintendent were sent an email message by an ACCESS parent that states: "da Vinci students are posting cruel messages about ACCESS kids on Instagram."

This unfortunate development in our otherwise heartfelt messages in support of our community is extremely disappointing. To help ALL our students understand that our words and actions matter greatly, I shared this information with our staff. Our Social Studies teachers agreed to share and discuss this with their students today. Specifically, I asked them to HELP ALL of their students UNDERSTAND the following: 

—It is critical that as an entire community (24/7), our words and actions are respectful, Safe, Fair and Friendly.

—This unacceptable posting (and any other such negative commentary) critically hurts da Vinci AND IS hurtful to others. 

Thank you in advance for reinforcing the importance of positive messaging. This is a great learning opportunity for us all. 

With the recent Spring Dance Concert, the Musical, the GSA Summit, the Visual Art Capstone, and Spring Music Concert on the horizon, we have so much to celebrate. Help us ensure that our art and academic learning speak for themselves, and this always includes our compassion and empathy for all.

Finally, it behooves us to be positive, patient, and give the district time to respond. As more information is available, I will share it.  

Thank you for your children, and all you do for our community.

Fred

Good morning da Vinci Families,

I hope you are well, and enjoying this gorgeous sunshine.

I wanted to share with you that immediately after the daily Bulletin is read this morning at 8:45 am, I am asking teachers to read the following to our students:

Good morning da Vinci. Today is the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine School shooting. The act of violence resulted in the deaths of 12 students and one staff member. On March 14th, PPS supported students in visibly and safely honoring lives lost to gun violence as a school community. The message from the district about today is different. 

As the Deputy Superintendent wrote, 'When students choose to leave or walk out during the school day, we are not able to guarantee their safety.' Furthermore, we will be supporting the important learning activities that are planned in classes throughout the day.

To be clear please understand the following:

1)     For any student who leaves the building today, an Unexcused Absence will be recorded;

2)     Any student who impedes the functioning of our school and classroom activities (for example, making a lot of noise so it is hard for others to concentrate) risks having their family called to pick them up;

3)     Any student who is disruptive today, may lose the opportunity to represent da Vinci in public, such as upcoming field trips like Alvin Ailey, Ashland, and the Eight-Grade Trip.   

Please know that I value your perspectives, respect your passions, and genuinely believe that you will fully respect one another and our school community. Thank you in advance for being Safe, Fair, and Friendly.     --Mr. Locke 

Families, thank you in advance for your support.

Fred 

Good evening, da Vinci families, 

We're just FIVE DAYS AWAY FROM OUR ANNUAL AUCTION and I hope to see many of you there. This is always a spectacular event and its importance for our fundraising efforts for the year is HUGE. There is something for every budget and tickets are just $35, which covers dinner and drinks. There is amazing entertainment lined up thanks to our Arts staff and student groups. 

Many thanks to our auction volunteers for managing all the details involved. It's sure to be a fun time. Please get your tickets today and plan to join us: 

Sunday, 4/15, 5 to 8 pm at BodyVox, 1201 NW 17th

Get your tickets HERE. 

Thank you in advance! 

Fred & Auction Team

Dear da Vinci Families and Friends, 

I hope you are well. It is da Vinci Spring Musical time, and you won’t want to miss the delightfully brilliant Once Upon a Mattress! 

Enjoy the fantastical dreamy set, musical accompaniment, and wonderful performances by ALL cast and crew! This “Castle in the Clouds” will warm your heart, mesmerize you with charm, beguiling humor, and sheer fun that is a total 10! 

An absolute MUST SEE, don’t miss da Vinci Arts Middle School’s Once Upon a Mattress!!!

Tomorrow at 2:00 pm

Thursday, 3/15 at 7:00 pm

Friday, 3/16, at 7:00 pm

Saturday, 3/17 at 2:00 pm

Congratulations to Ms. Accuardi, Sara Martins, Chrissie Roccaro, Ted Gold, Allana Hylton, Sara Estrella, Brett Wilson, and Heidi Specher, for a wonderful show!

Fred

Dear da Vinci Family and Friends,

Art excellence surrounds us at da Vinci. Sixth-grader Eben Dreher, last week won our 2018 Scripps Spelling Bee with assured confidence against a very talented field. Congratulations to Eben and ALL spellers, Ms. Young for her organization, and Ms. Wasson, Ms. Lanigan, and Judy Holmes for hosting our Bee.

Last night at Madison High School, a number of our students participated in the PPS Honor Band and Choir. Kudos and Thanks to Mr. Mark Gerolami for his organization. Guest Choir Conductor Jason Sabino led Eva, Gemma, Lauren, Nola, Kiya, Callan, Alayja, Keya, Yukpa, Megan and other members in three beautiful pieces. Guest Band Conductor Mandy Burton, led Autum, Josephine, Silas, Abigail, Lincoln, Ibrahm, Kai, Gus, and Nick with well over 100 other Band members to rousing applause. Congratulations students, parents and Mr. Gerolami! 

This morning, PDX Jazz announced their winners for their “Jazz in the Schools” education outreach program.  150 judges, including our own Liz Robbins, chose the most outstanding art created by 2,000 students in 14 schools and six school districts. Congratulations to Edith Crever of Ockley Green Middle School, whose art was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner!  Her brilliant work is now the commemorative poster of the 2018 Biamp PDX Jazz Festival and is the very first student-inspired PDX Jazz Festival poster. 19 da Vinci students were semi-finalists, and 3 of the 5 Middle School Finalists were da Vinci students. Congratulations to ALL semi-finalist, and Eleanor A, Daniel, and Aoife as finalists for their compelling pieces (please see attached image). 

Tonight, don’t miss the last performance of Master’s Drama The Girl Who was 100 Girls by Finegan Kruckemeyer.  Yesterday’s riveting Teaser offered us a glimpse of the emotions experienced by a teenage girl whose sister is abducted. To close, Drama teacher Nicole Accuardi reminded us of the positive power of art to heal in response to the Florida high school tragedy. She reminded us of the importance of coming together in support of our amazing students and their art. We are all so fortunate to have each other, our community, and art.  

Thank you All for your wonderful children.

Fred 

Dear da Vinci Families,

I hope you are all well. How many middle schools in the Pacific Northwest offer such a robust and compelling program? Coupled with strong academics and our nurturing learning environment, da Vinci continues to be a leader in arts education in the state of Oregon. Our focused and creative students demonstrate the power and importance of learning through art. 

Dance Showcase

If you attended the Dance 3-4 Showcase last night, the level of commitment, passion, and skill was inspiring. Deftly demonstrating three styles, our students shined in ballet, tap, and jazz as their teachers offered the enthusiastic audience a sampling of classwork and two performance pieces. Congratulations Dance 3 and Dance 4 students and Andrea Thompson, Sara Martins, and Claire Olberding—wonderful work!  Special thanks to graduate student Heidi Sprecher and students for their tech support. Parents, thank you for your talented and amazing children! 

Scholastic Writing Awards

As English and Creative Writing Teacher Alison Lanigan shares: “These awards are not JUST state awards, but they represent what Scholastic calls the 'West Region at Large.' The list of award winners includes 7th-12th grade students in Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Montana.  In addition to our three Silver Key winners: Olivia Nally, poetry, "What She Took”; Twylo Landey, essay/memoir, "Love Letter”; Chloe Isaacman, short story, “Louisa”; outstanding da Vinci alumna and current Benson HS ninth grader Mac Bixby, won a GOLD KEY!!! Congratulations Ms. Lanigan and students!

OCT's Young Playwrights for Change Regional Finalists

Six da Vinci students are among eight regional finalists. Laila Vickers, Juni Muellner, Milan Clark, Silas Dermer, Nancy Malone Martin-Ptacin, and Zoe Hertlein have all been selected as finalists in Oregon Children Theatre’s (OCT) 10-minute playwriting competition! Congratulations ALL—GREAT WORK!

As we continue to prepare for the da Vinci Auction, PLEASE consider becoming a Monthly Recurring donor. It is simple. Make a monthly donation of your choice, and it is automatically deducted from your checking account. For example: 

• $5 monthly results in a $60 annual da Vinci Foundation tax-deductible contribution.
• $10 monthly results in a $120 annual contribution.
• $20 monthly results in a $240 annual contribution.

da Vinci takes a village. Visit the All Hands Raised website and click on the red DONATE button. Make sure you select "da Vinci Arts Middle School.” 

THANK YOU in advance. 

Dear da Vinci Families and Friends, 

Last week our visual arts teachers Kelda Van Patten and Jessica Hickey learned that their students won a total of 152 Metro Scholastic Art Awards including one American Vision Award. Our students won: 32 Gold Key Awards, 62 Silver Key Awards, and 58 Honorable Mentions in the following categories: Ceramics & Glass, Digital Art, Drawing & Illustration, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, and Sculpture. Congratulations ALL! 

In conjunction with the Oregon Art Education Association, the non-profit Little Bird Arts organizes the annual Scholastic Art Awards to showcase outstanding K-12 visual art. As their website shares, “We believe in every student artist. We believe in the power of the arts to change lives. We believe in providing opportunities for student artists in our region to celebrate their creative talents.” 

Now in her fourth year at da Vinci, please join me in also congratulating Ms. Kelda Van Patten, who was honored on Saturday, October 14, as the 2017 Oregon Art Education Association Middle School Teacher of the Year!  Kelda, who collaborated with X.K. Austin and the late Jasmine Spiegel for three years, and now Jessica Hickey, has ensured that visual arts instruction at da Vinci remains creative and inspiring.  

Ms. Lanigan is also very pleased to announce that the following Creative Writing students all won Silver Key Scholastic Writing Awards: Olivia Nally, for her poem, "What She Took”; Twylo Landey, for his essay/memoir, "Love Letter”; and Chloe Isaacman, for her short story, “Louisa.” Congratulations!

With equal excitement, special Kudos to eighth-grader Zoe Wright, who won an American Vision Award.  American Vision awards are considered to be the Best of Show.  Each of the category judges nominates 5 - 10 of what they consider to be the 'best' works in their category. The American Vision works are selected from those nominated Gold Key works. The American Vision works are selected by a separate jury of three. There are only a total of 5 American Vision awardees for the state, so this award is a tremendous honor! Congratulations to Zoe!!! You can view photos of the American Vision awardees and view all Scholastic Art Awards. 

For further information on the different events honoring all Scholastic winners, including the Gold Key Award exhibit and reception at PNCA, and the Award Ceremony for all Scholastic winners (which is in Tualatin this year), please see the Little Bird Arts website. 

Congratulations Kelda, Alison, Jessica, Zoe, and ALL! 

Fred 

Dear da Vinci Families,

I hope this finds you all well and that you are thoroughly enjoying your holiday. I was fortunate to visit my mother and sisters family in Philadelphia, and connecting with loved ones here has been equally special. On Christmas Eve, I attended Oregon Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker, and want to give a shout out to our student performers for a wonderful production.  Congratulations to all students who participated in holiday performance.

Foundation update

To all our 2017 donors, your generosity has been outstanding—THANK YOU! 

As we look towards the New Year, if you have not already done so, PLEASE become a da Vinci Foundation donor, it feels great! Help us reach our 2017-18 goal of raising $85,000 to maintain our current program—one donation at a time. ALL donations made by December 31, 2017 are tax deductible. 

Incentives: A year long recurring monthly donation of $10 and above or one-timeme donation of $50 and above will qualify for one of the Whitebird pair of tickets to either Jessica Lang Dance or Compañia Jesús Carmona

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year! 

The da Vinci Foundation

Good morning da Vinci Families,

Last night, Mark Gerolami, Sara Daley, Hakim Muhammad and da Vinci music students treated a full house to an outstanding evening of music! Beginning Band, Jazz Band, Trogdor, African Drumming, Choir, and Advanced Band shared their considerable talents and love of music in a wonderful mix of traditional, classic, fun and holiday tunes. In four years, Mr. Gerolami has challenged and supported students to create and enjoy being part of these special ensembles! Congratulations to ALL, and THANK YOU for sharing your musical gifts!

Foundation update

An enormous THANK YOU to ALL who have contributed to our FALL Ask campaign thus far.  

To reach our da Vinci Foundation FALL Ask goal of raising $20,000 we are close but still need $2,800 by December 31st. As today is the last day you can drop off checks made out to the da Vinci Foundation, please join us…”it feels so good to give and support our amazing students and community!”  —Claire Olberding

By donating at the levels described below by December 31, 2018, you have a chance to win a pair of Whitebird tickets to see JESSICA LANG or COMPAÑIA JESÚS CARMONA in March, 2018.

1) A year-long recurring Monthly donation of $10 and above OR 

2) A One Time donation of $50 and above will qualify for one of the Whitebird pairs of tickets to either JESSICA LANG or COMPAÑIA JESÚS CARMONA.

We are a creative and impressive village. It is only with your support that da Vinci remains an exceptional arts focus middle school. Please join us at a level that works for you:

1.    Donate directly through All Hands Raised.  Click on the red DONATE button and make sure you “Select” "da Vinci Arts Middle School” OR

2.    Write a check made out to the “da Vinci Foundation” and send or deliver to the da Vinci office (by December 31, 2017).

Happy Holidays & Thank you!

The da Vinci Foundation

Dear da Vinci Families and Friends,

On Friday, the two Dance 1-2 Showcases were fabulous! Congratulations to Claire, Sara, Andrea and participating students. The demonstrated skill and shared enthusiasm were priceless. It was another typically proud da Vinci evening. 

On Saturday, December 2, our annual da Vinci Arts Fair was equally brilliant! Student and professional artists wowed and enticed shoppers to benefit our PTSA. As I shared at the Showcase, a hard working and talented group of parent volunteers made this happen. Please join me in giving a huge thank you to our Arts Fair Committee…you’re amazing! 

Arts Fair Committee

Chair/Communications - Shannon Rhoads

Co-chair/Finance and Food - Vicky Medley

Artist Liaison - Alison Schneiger & Diane Zipper

Student Artist Liaison - Anne Taylor

Volunteer Coordinator - Sabrina Henley

Signage, Decorations, Music - Sierra Nash Bird

Donations - Jennifer Heilbronner

Thank you Gifts - Noemi Hicks

Miscellaneous Support - Pam Grahn

da Vinci Foundation FALL ASK NEWS FLASH!!! 

On Friday, we secured a dollar for dollar match for up to $3,000. As Dance Department Claire Olberding shared at the Showcase, “it is not great that we have to ask, but it is our reality and it feels sooooooo good to give.”   

Please join us, double your gift, and help us reach our Fall ASK campaign goal of $20,000 by Friday, December 15. 

Added Incentives: 

By donating at the levels described below by December 31, 2018, you have a chance to win a pair of Whitebird tickets to see JESSICA LANG or COMPAÑIA JESÚS CARMONA in March, 2018.

1) A year-long recurring Monthly donation of $10 and above OR 

2) A One Time donation of $50 and above will qualify for one of the Whitebird pair of tickets to either JESSICA LANG or COMPAÑIA JESÚS CARMONA.

We are a creative and impressive village. It is only with your support that da Vinci remains an exceptional arts focus middle school. Please join us at a level that works for you:

1.    Donate directly through All Hands Raised.  Click on the red DONATE button and make sure you “Select” "da Vinci Arts Middle School” OR

2.    Write a check made out to the “da Vinci Foundation” and send or deliver to the da Vinci office (by December 31, 2017).

Prior to the Showcase, the da Vinci Foundation has raised: $10,788.  Double your contribution and help us reach $20,000 by Friday!  To maintain current levels of staffing, our 2017-18 goal is $85,000. 

A HUGE THANK YOU to ALL our donors, you’re AWESOME! 

The da Vinci Foundation 

Dear da Vinci Families and Friends,

It is “Giving Tuesday” and as part of our dV Foundation FALL ASK campaign, we are asking for your support. In return, here two wonderful incentives. 

By donating at the levels described below by December 31, 2018, you have a chance to win a pair of Whitebird tickets to see Jessica Lang or Compañia Jesús Carmona in March 2018.

• A year-long recurring monthly donation of $10 and above OR 
• A one-time donation of $50 and above will qualify for one of the Whitebird pairs of tickets to either Jessica Lang or Compañia Jesús Carmona.

To maintain our current program, each year our goal is that 100% of our families donate at a level that works for them. Here are two options:

• Donate directly through All Hands Raised. Click on the red DONATE button and make sure you select "da Vinci Arts Middle School” or
• Write a check made out to the “da Vinci Foundation” and send or deliver to the da Vinci office (before December 15).

Thank you, Walter Jaffe and Paul King of Whitebird Dance!

Thank you, da Vinci Families for supporting our wonderful community and enabling us to maintain current levels of staffing.

Yours sincerely,

Beth Woods with Melissa Gaddis, Brian Schaeperkotter, Lara Raban, and Fred Locke

Dear da Vinci Families:

Greetings! The da Vinci Foundation is excited to kick off their Fall ASK Campaign. With amazingly generous support from all grade levels, last year, the da Vinci Foundation raised $84,655.  Our short term goal is to raise over $20,000 by Friday, December 16th.  This year, Foundation dollars are supporting the following critical positions: 

• Dance position
• One section of English Language Arts
• African Drumming
• Maintaining our Tech Support position 

Since July 1, through recurring monthly donations, Challenge Pot Sponsors (donations from $200-2,000), and one time donations, our current 2017-18 Foundation total is $8,255.38. 

On behalf of all da Vinci students and staff, please join current donors and make a donation today! For the Challenge Pot Sponsor funds to be matched, we need 50 families to join us.  

Here are viable options:

Donate directly to All Hands Raised or write a check made out to the “da Vinci Foundation” and give it to Liz or Sheli in the Main Office.

To use the All Hands Raised website, click on the red DONATE button and make sure you  select "da Vinci Arts Middle School;” You may then chose to either give a:

• Recurring Monthly Donations: deduct the amount you chose to give ($10, $20, $50 etc.); 
• One Time Donation: You give an amount that fits your budget 

Why give to support all da Vinci students? 

Only with your support are we able to maintain our incredible program beyond PPS staffing allocations. Beth Woods, our da Vinci Spring Auction, and 2017-18 Foundation Chair describes it this way:  

"This is our family’s sixth and last year at da Vinci. For us, this community is very special and unique. Students are respected and safe, learning is challenging and adaptive, and students experience art as a means to thrive, grow, find their own voices and experience empowerment. Over the years, I have heard countless stories about kids who have come to da Vinci and experienced school differently for the first time in their lives: some find success for the first time; some are seen for the first time; others have their  passion for learning ignited and still others develop deep and lasting friendships for the first time in their lives through shared experiences. At da Vinci, school is more than a learning institution; it is a community where the whole child is recognized. I hope you will join me in helping to continue this for our students today and help build its legacy for future students."

On behalf of the da Vinci Foundation and all our very deserving students, thank you. It takes a village, and as Nicole Accuardi shared last night at Romeo & Juliet, we are all so fortunate to be part of our amazing community. Join us, as a proud contributor to the da Vinci Foundation 2017-18 Fall ASK Campaign. 

Yours Sincerely,

Beth Woods, Melissa Gaddis, Brian Schaeperkotter, Lara Raban and Fred Locke

Dear PPS Community,

It is with a sense of optimism and encouragement that I am sharing with you news about something I believe will have a lasting impact on the future of our school system and our ability to better serve our students. The Oregon Legislature has approved, and Gov. Kate Brown has signed, the Student Success Act, an investment package projected to provide public schools throughout the state with approximately $1 billion a year in additional funding. This is a huge and historic win for public education in general and for Portland Public Schools in particular. Our work begins now to lay out a plan for how we will use our share of the additional funds, starting in the 2020-21 school year, in ways that will improve the educational experience for all of our diverse learners.

Two teachers at Franklin High School have won significant awards for their service to students. Mercedes Munoz won an Oregon Regional Teacher of the Year Award, and Anne McHugh won a Presidential Innovation Award for the Pacific Northwest from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Over the last year there has been a groundswell of activity around improving student health and wellness in Portland Public Schools. Aided by partnerships that have resulted in PPS receiving three grants totaling about $3 million, the district’s Health Education and Student Support Services teams have been able to bring innovative programming and new staff to PPS’s health education efforts.

Roosevelt High School has one of the most diverse student bodies in Oregon, and the school celebrated Friday with its second annual Unity Fest. The event, which was designed and organized by students from the school’s seven Ethnic Studies classes, drew hundreds of students and community members to the North Portland campus.