All-Star Awards Ceremony
Recognizing the achievements of PPS’s students of color and students who are new to Portland/United States
Recognizing the achievements of PPS’s students of color and students who are new to Portland/United States
At Portland Public Schools, our priority is to elevate student voice, and to focus our work on creating an inspired, equitable, and rigorous educational experience for every student. It is particularly important that we honor our students who represent racially diverse ethnic and cultural groups across the district and have excelled despite the systemic challenges they face every day.
These students deserve recognition by both Portland Public Schools and those who have been instrumental in their success. Historically, we honored these students in distinct recognition ceremonies including Si Se Puede; Young, Gifted, and Black; and Native American Honor Day. At each event, our diverse communities rallied around our students in acknowledgment of their academic success, resilience, commitment to their culture, and personal development.
We are grateful for the work of our community to create customized recognition experiences for students that affirms their identities. This year we are continuing our new tradition of building on those efforts and celebrating our collective achievements in an inclusive, single recognition ceremony that provides students with a distinguished experience while preserving the cultural elements that made each prior event unique.
2026 All-Star Awards Nominations
2026 All-Star Awards Nominations
The All-Star Awards Ceremony is Portland Public Schools’ premier recognition event for students and communities of color to relish in a night full of excellence, community, and celebration. The event features five group recognitions:
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Asian American Excellence for Asian student honorees
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New Portlanders for students honorees who’ve recently made Portland home
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Sí Se Puede for Latinx student honorees
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Pacific Pride for Pacific Islander student honorees
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Native Pride for American Indian and Alaska Native student honorees
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Young, Gifted, and Black for African, Black, and African American student honorees
These six recognition groups come from previous individual recognition celebrations that once were all separate celebrations put on by the communities for the students and communities of that recognition group. As an effort to support all celebrations as a district, we have brought all celebrations together into one celebration.
We recognize that our students demonstrate excellence in many ways including being critical thinkers, life long learners, transformative leaders, and through their commitment to their culture and communities. If you know a student who deserves to be recognized and celebrated for who they are and what they’ve accomplished, please nominate them to be an All Star!
To nominate a student, please use this form. Nominations are open from Tuesday, January 20, 2026 to Tuesday, February 17. Please submit 1 nomination per student even if the student may qualify for multiple awards. Students will be honored at an awards ceremony at McDaniel High School on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
Nominations can be made by teachers, staff, parents, and community members.
If you are interested in serving on any of the subcommittees to select honorees, contact Siyat Mohamed in the Family and Community Engagement department at smohamed5@pps.net.