Summer Scholars registration opens May 12th!

If your high school student is behind in credits toward graduation and needs credit recovery, this is an excellent and essential opportunity. 

There will be two sessions: 

• Session 1: June 23 - July 10 (no class July 4th)
• Session 2: July 14 - August 30 
• Classes meet from 9:00 am - 12 pm
• All classes are in-person and attendance is required. 
• Locations: Benson HS, Franklin HS, McDaniel HS, Roosevelt HS 
• Exact class offerings and site assignments have not been finalized yet; however Benner recommends connecting beforehand to discuss class preferences and sites so that when registration opens up on the 12th she can register first preferences ASAP.
• To register, students must meet with their counselor (Benner) to review their transcript, because registration is done through her.
• Please contact Benner if you’d like to register or if you have any questions.  gbenner@pps.net

For families who are reconsidering enrollment for next year 2025-26.

Exploring school options to determine the best fit for a student can be both exciting and anxiety-producing. We believe getting to actually see the surrounding location and having a guided tour of the building can be very helpful in this decision-making process. To accommodate the numerous requests for tours, we offer a monthly tour for up to 10 interested families on the second Thursday of each month at 3:45 pm and will last approximately 45-60 minutes.

April 10

May 8

Please email Benner, our 7-12 counselor, to initiate the sign-up process or if you have any questions. gbenner@pps.net

6 x 12 Lottery Information 2025/26

Two exceptional PPS educators, Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones, were recently named OnPoint Educators of the Year for 2025.

As part of this prestigious honor, both teachers will have their rent or mortgage paid for an entire year, and their schools also receive a $2,500 donation. 

Ricardo Barber teaches third grade at Faubion, and Hang Jones serves as a social worker at Marysville Elementary. 

The OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education celebrates educators who embrace innovative teaching techniques that ignite enthusiasm in their students. 

Congratulations to Ricardo Barber and Hang Jones! And thank you both for everything you do to make a difference in the lives our students.

The assignment their teacher gave them was simple – make a short film that begins with a phone call and ends with someone hanging up. Benson first-year students Dylan Martinez-Torres and Dariel Soriano Zamora ran it all the way to a small city populated by two very big and rather iconic monsters – Godzilla and Hedora.

The result, Sorry, Wrong Number, is one of the more than 90 films entered into the annual Best of PPS Film Festival. The festival is a celebration of exceptional student filmmaking that includes a showcase at the historic Hollywood Theatre. 

The fourth annual installment of the festival took place on May 21 and included a screening of 13 standout films. The films came from all over PPS and ran the gamut from Dylan and Dariel’s monster short to documentaries, film noir, and broadcast journalism. 

If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education.

On the committee you will learn about how PPS is making progress towards our climate justice and sustainability policies, provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals, and connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences.

No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Students can apply via this form. Community members can apply here.

Deadline to apply: June 6. 

Earthstock 2025 was a huge success!

Each year, special education students from across the region gather at Portland's Crystal Ballroom for a truly unique and uniquely joyful high school dance. 

Earthstock began in 1992 at the request of a young student who was confined to a wheelchair and was disappointed he couldn’t attend the high school dances because of transportation issues. There were 60 kids at the first event. Earthstock now entertains more than 700 students, staff and volunteers, and is rapidly becoming one the largest events of its kind in the country.