Category Archives: Schools

By Rob Cullivan | CNews Editor

One student called it “the never-ending circus.” Another labeled it “Rona.” Still another called it “Virus 19,” and then added he simplified it sometimes to just “The Virus.” “It’s the only virus I’ve known,” he said.

By now, the readers should have figured out fifth graders at Faubion School, 2930 NE Dekum St., were talking about Covid 19 and how it changed their lives forever over the past two years.

In a group interview, students in Nathaniel Williams’ class spoke with CNews on May 16 about how they dealt with online classes during the lockdowns as well as how they adjusted to full-time in-person learning this year. Here’s what the kids said:

Covid Hits

When Covid 19 triggered government mandated lockdowns in early 2020, the fifth-grade students were all in third grade.

One child noted the lockdowns initially seemed like fun: “I was happy I could spend time with friends and family.”

But most of the students said staying at home quickly turned from a novel situation into one they didn’t like.

“I prefer much more in-person school.”

“It’s hard for me personally because I need one-on-one learning.”

“It was soooo isolating.”

“I feel like I lost my social skills.”

Online Learning

The students had somewhat mixed views regarding online learning – staying at home allowed them more sleep, for example, but a number noted working online didn’t always fully engage them the way being in a classroom does. Some even confessed to misleading their teachers about the level of attention they were paying to a subject.

“I would just pretend my computer was having difficulty.”

“If it got too loud, my mom would tell me to turn down the computer volume.”

“I feel like I didn’t learn anything new, and nothing helped me.”

Socialization

A recurring issue for the children was how the lockdowns affected their ability to socialize when they returned to school. Several said they felt it set back their ability to mature and interact well with others.

“In a classroom you can connect with people … but on a computer you can’t really affect that.”

“It was hard to hang out with my friends because you always had to be (six feet) away from them.”

“We were kind of going insane … we got angrier.”

One student said he did learn how to cook for himself, and others said they did enjoy spending more time with their relatives, including young cousins also unable to attend school in person. One child noted a benefit of learning at home was it made him more of a self-starter, perusing learning sites online without being prompted by a teacher.

When they returned, Williams said the children took a while to adjust to being back at school, and asked far more questions than his fifth graders did in years past.

“What I noticed is they needed a lot of affirmation,” he said. “They were looking around like they’d never been in a classroom.” He and the students chuckled when one child reminded him he had said they “were all acting like a bunch of third graders” at first. “If we had to do online school till college, we’d all still be acting like third graders in college!” one student said.

Final thoughts

No generation of American children until now has ever dealt with an event quite like Covid – even during the influenza that swept the nation from 1918-20. Millions of children like the ones at Faubion lost out on a couple of years of in-person learning, and it’s clear after talking to them that the fifth graders at Williams’ class have been changed forever by the lockdowns.

Kaleb Negash said he most missed seeing his extended family during the lockdowns. “If I have kids, they’re going to see their aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and grandparents five days a week!”

Adelaide Maddox, 11, said they, too, has learned to cherish their family.“I’m going to try to see my family again and again and to never waste any minutes with them because you never know when you will see them again.”

CNews Editor Rob Cullivan is a veteran journalist, publicist and grant writer who has written about everything from rock ‘n’ roll to religion. He possesses a deep affection for writers and photographers who hit deadline.

De La Salle North Catholic High School (DLSNC) opens its new doors next month. The school relocates from its north Fenwick Avenue location – its home since 2006 – to St. Charles Church, located near the intersection of 42nd Avenue and Killingsworth Street.

DLSNC, established in 2001, is a private, four-year, college preparatory school that provides education for under–served students. According to school officials, it is Oregon’s most diverse private school.

Ninety percent of the students receive financial aid, and in 2020, 100% of its graduating seniors were accepted to colleges. All DLSNC students participate in a corporate work-study program, which offsets 75% of their tuition fees.

School officials began searching for a new home in 2016, and 40 different potential locations were evaluated prior to the move. In March 2019, a letter of intent agreement was reached with St. Charles for the school to use the church grounds for the next 50 years, with assurances for two 25-year extensions.

Last summer construction began for the new $20 million facility. A variety of private and public donors funded the school’s development with $25 million.

“We are really excited about the coming together of the De La Salle, St. Charles and Cully communities,” said Oscar Leong, DLSNC president. “It’s a true partnership, in harmony with the community.”

The new campus features state-of-the art science laboratories, a visual arts center and a new gymnasium. DLSNC’s girls and boys volleyball and basketball teams have traveled off campus historically for practices and games. Since 2018, all three teams have been very competitive, and the boys team won the 3A State Championship in 2018 and 2019.

The new facility will also allow for increased enrollment, from 280 to 350 students when autumn term begins Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Applications for the coming school year are still being accepted. For details, call 503.285.9385.

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.

A few months after students left the 61-year-old Madison High School in June 2019, they began commuting to the former Marshall High School four miles south. Then, 6½ months later, the pandemic forced them from brick-and-mortar learning to online studies for the remainder of that school year and much of the next.

But now returning students – and new ones – are back on track. When classes begin later this month, the north–east 82nd Avenue campus re-opens with an all-new look, modernized facilities and a new name: Leodis V. McDaniel.

One incoming freshman said she’s excited about beginning high school, and enthusiastic about the new facilities and new name.

“It’s a little harder to get used to the new name because I’m so used the old one,” reported Concordian Clementine Wykhuis. “I’m glad they changed it to something important. I’m glad they changed it to what they did.”

In February, the Portland Public Schools board dropped the name of former president and documented slave owner James Madison. The school’s name now honors its popular former teacher and principal who was, according to Willamette Week, also a Madison alumnus.

Leodis McDaniel served as vice principal and then principal during the 1970s and 1980s, and he is credited for steering the school through desegregation.

Madison High School’s teams, the Senators, are taking on a new name that’s not as local as Leodis McDaniel, but rooted in the region: Mountain Lions.

This won’t be Clementine’s first move into a modernized school. She was in 5th grade when Faubion re-opened after a major remodel that included state-of-the-art facilities.

“Faubion used to be an old, run down building, and I got to see that trans–form into a very nice new school like McDaniel.”

Like other Concordia students, she had the choice between McDaniel and Jefferson. A video conference introduction to McDaniel clinched the deal. “I was amazed and impressed by all the exciting things McDaniel has to offer.”

The more than 290,000-square-foot school includes 170,000 square feet of new construction to serve a student body of 1,700. It was financed through the 2017 $790 million bond approved by voters planned originally to modernize four schools.

Highlights include a new cafeteria, commons and atrium, along with a science wing, performing arts theater, athletics facilities, and community and career technical education resources.

Nancy Varekamp is semiretired from her career in journalism, public relations and – her favorite work engagement – writing and editing targeted newsletters.

“People may call me strict. But, I always say I am ‘firm but fair,’” said Woodlawn School 1st grade teacher Lionel Clegg.

He was selected by OnPoint Community Credit Union as Educator of the Year for elementary school teachers. Along with bragging rights, the honor pays his mortgage for an entire year. “

In class, I ham around. The kids know when we can joke and have fun, but they also know when I am serious and need them to be more attentive.”

But it goes much deeper than that.

“I believe that we, as adults, often hinder our kids’ potential because we fail to see all that they are capable of doing,” Lionel explained. “As an educator, I take that task to heart and strive to get my kids to recognize their true potential.

“I have always been in the primary grades because I pride myself in starting the kids off with a strong foundation,” Lionel said.

Fiona, now a 5th grader, nominated Lionel with the help of her parents. She was his student four years ago. “I think he was good as my teacher for 1st grade because he really set me up for success,” Fiona said.

Lionel has spent 23 years as a teacher at Woodlawn. He’s actually an alumnus of the school and, while he was an undergrad at Portland State University, he volunteered at Woodlawn in his nephew’s classes.

As soon as Lionel received his masters’ degree, Woodlawn principal at the time, Linda Harris, advised him to apply for a third grade position there.

Mrs. Manyongai-Jones, his fourth grade teacher, is one of the chief reasons he became an educator, according to Lionel. “She was the first teacher of color I had, and she really taught me to have a sense of pride about being an African American.

“My sixth grade teacher at Whitaker Middle School, Mr. Williams, gave me that first conversation about having to go above and beyond since I was a young African American man,” he added.

“One of my favorite books to share with my students is an old classic by Shel Silverstein called ‘The Giving Tree.’”

The story is simple, but drives home the act of giving one’s self to another in a relationship.

“This book is about unconditional love,” Lionel pointed out. “After reading the book, I always have a conversation with my students about who this tree reminds them of in their lives.

“It really is a great talk every time I share this with the kids.”

Tamara Anne Fowler is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a softer, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.comor contact her at Tamara@EditKitten.com

By Sophia Blankenbaker

March 2020
To me online school has been both good and bad when I reflect on this past school year.

The good parts about it is that sometimes it’s easier to do assignments on my own, and I can go at my own pace. I think that online school has been able to teach a lot more things than in person, because there are fewer disruptions.

“Office Hours” has also been a big help because I can ask questions to my teacher and work to understand it more.

The things that I disliked about remote learning was that sometimes, when I am on a video conference, there are technology issues that can take a long time to fix. Another thing is that I cannot see my friends and teacher in person, and I miss them a lot. I miss getting to play with my friends during recess and at lunch too.

I am very excited to be going back to school. Even though not everyone in my class is going back, it will still be good to see my classmates and meet new friends.

I have a few questions about going back to school as well:

• Will the teachers take our temperature before entering the school?
• Will everyone enter the building at the same time through the same entrance?
• Will we go on the play structure at all?
• Will the restrooms be available?
• Will I be able to talk and play with my classmates?
• Will I see other students from other classrooms?

In conclusion, I am very, very, very excited to go back to school.

April 5, 2020
Even though it was just two hours, I had a great day. There were nine kids in my class, and we were all social distancing and wearing masks.

My teacher reviewed all of the new rules that are new because of COVID. For example: One person in the restroom at a time, for a break we can only stay in a certain area, and we stay on one side of the hallway.

I am very excited to go back to school again tomorrow.

Sophia Blankenbaker is a fifth grader at Vernon Elementary School. She likes writing, and the story she submitted needed minimal editing.

By Dan Werle | CNA Media Team

Students in Concordia are facing significant educational challenges and changes due to the pandemic. School buildings continue to be closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, so virtual learning is a must. How’s it going? CNews checked in with a few families.

Noah Marmor, an 11th grader at Metropolitan Learning Center, studies online. He acknowledges the unprecedented challenges.

“I think learning should be a little lax. There is only so much you can learn in a certain amount of time.” Outside of school, he said, “The lack of physical interaction makes learning social skills difficult.”

Lis Charman’s and Brad Trost’s daughter, 13-year-old Meade, attends Metro Montessori School virtually.

“The biggest bummer for Meade is the absence of outdoor school,” Lis reported. It would have provided the girl and her classmates opportunities to cook, camp and learn problem-solving skills in the wilderness.

Lis added that Meade is sad at spending more time away from peers. “Meade and I both get energy from being with people.”

Lora and Matthew Lillard help with distance learning for their three Faubion students, 8th grader Dean, 6th grader Fiona and 4th grader Leo.

They like the slow start of distance learning to work through some of the logistical and technological kinks in the new systems. Both reconfigured their workdays to offer tech support.

They have also learned multiple platforms like Canvas, Remind, Clever, Seesaw, Zoom, Google Classroom and Google Meet.

Anne Koski is the mother of a 7th grade daughter at Faubion School and a 4th grade daughter at ACCESS Academy. “She’s adapting really well and she’s more comfortable speaking over Zoom,”

Anne said of her 7th grader. And Anne appreciates the opportunities the online platforms allow that daughter. “She logs into Canvas, does her work and can be more autonomous.”

Like others, Anne recognizes the pandemic has made social skills development more challenging for her 4th grader.

“The carrot has been removed from school,” Anne acknowledged. “Their favorite parts of school – P.E., recess and lunch – are different or gone. She has a single ‘pod’ friend we’re considering arranging play dates with.”

Anne owns Homegrown Fit and offers suggestions – proven effective in her own home – for parents developing at-home workstations for their children and themselves.

She offers a free, four-minute video at YouTu.be/b6O_UYjxeX4.

“Sitting in a chair at a desk for long periods of time is not healthy,” she said. “Consider making a workstation flexible.” That means working from the floor, a desk and standing. “Mixing it up is the way to go.”

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.

More than 50 Vernon School staff members – in more than 40 vehicles – toured the neighborhood April 17 to raise the spirits of their students – and themselves.

School closed March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school community learned April 9 that schools won’t reopen before the end of the academic year.

Countless students and their families observed social distancing recommendations at their curbs and in Alberta Park. They wore face masks and waved home-made and printed school signs at the passing cars.

The parade was organized by Aimee Havens, 6th grade language arts and literature teacher. The parade was especially bittersweet for 1st grade teacher Kristi Kucera. She retires in June after 21 years teaching at the school.

“I burst into tears midway along the route,” she reported. “I realized the parade was the closest I would get to say good bye and hug the multitude of students.”

Photos by Lloyd Kimmeldorf and Mandy Davis.