In this week's PPS Pulse: PPS performers, speakers set to appear at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute; first-graders dive into coding

Portland Public Schools will again be a featured part of the city’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. tribute event. The 34th edition will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, at the Highland Christian Center, 7600 NE Glisan St. The event will feature digital, musical and artistic performances, and an array of community speakers.

The PPS Visioning initiative has entered a new phase in January, with a series of community meetings in which  students, families, educators and volunteers will be able to share what they think the future of education in Portland should look like. 

Christy Wheeler of Sellwood Middle School recently won the Oregon Counselor of the Year Award from the Oregon School Counselors Association. We asked her to share her thoughts on the role counselors play in school communities.

As 2019 gets underway, here are a few upcoming events that should have district-wide interest in Portland Public Schools:

Climate Justice Meeting: Members of the community are invited to attend the Teach Climate Justice Social Hour on Thursday, Jan. 17, starting at 4 p.m., at the Oregon Education Association building, 345 NE 8^th Ave., near Benson High School. 

Portland Public Schools leaders emphasized the district’s commitment to financial stewardship, taxpayer accountability and equitable educational outcomes for all student following the Jan. 9 release of a year-long performance audit. The audit of PPS and the Oregon Department of Education was conducted at the request of the Oregon Secretary of State.

In this week's PPS Pulse: Student artwork brightens district office; empowerment and basketball at Winter Classic

The Benson girls and Grant boys won key showdowns Saturday in the headline games of a Portland Interscholastic League showcase event at Marshall High School. The Benson girls dominated Grant in an 87-55 victory, and the Grant boys beat Jefferson 83-82 in the latest version of those teams run of tight games.

Visitors to the Blanchard Education Service Center might be in a hurry to get to a meeting or have some business they want to attend to immediately. But we encourage anyone visiting the Portland Public Schools’ central office to pause and look at the walls.