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Committed to Cultural Diversity
Impressive
Doo-Wop Revival
M etro
Yesteryears artists to draw
wider audiences at the Schnitz
a:i'r ^o rttan i» © bserrier
p o m m unity
C a le n d a r
Degree Program Explained
Learn about Oregon State U niversity's
M aster o f Arts program in imm ersion
program in Portland for early childhood
and elem entary education during a m eet­
ing at Reflections Coffee House andTalk-
in g D ru m B o o k s to re , 4 4 6 N .E .
Killingsworth St.,Thursday, Nov. 15 from
3:30 to4:30p.m . The program aims to help
students teach more effectively in our
increasingly diverse world.
Ranger Lantern Tours
Saturday, Nov. 17, from 7 to 9 p.m., with
lantern in hand and a skilled ranger lead­
ing the way, explore the history o f Fort
V a n c o u v e r, 612 E. R e serv e St. in
Vancouver, Wash. Call 3 6 0 -8 16-6243 for
more information.
Daddy and Me
Saturday, Nov. 17, parents and children
ages 5 and under, are invited to enjoy this
free family event filled with sports, games,
food, contests and prizes; the event will
be held at the M cCorm ack-M atthew s
Headstart Center. 6930 N. Kerby St., from
noon to 3 p.m.
4th Annual Turkey Swim
Currently through Sunday, Nov. 18, the
Portland Public Pools will provide an
entry form to all paid adm issions at any of
P ortland's Parks and Recreation sw im ­
ming pools. On Nov. 19, six lucky winners
will receive a free turkey.
We ‘Moon’ Unveiling
T hursday, Nov. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m..
M other Tongue Ink and In O ther W ords,
8 N. K illingsw orth, are proud to present
the unveiling o f the W e ‘M oon 0 8 ’ calen­
dar ‘M ending the W eb’: presented by
G aia Rhythm s for W om yn; discussing
the centuries o f dam age caused by injus­
tice leading to the Earth being in crisis.
Urban Arts
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center,
5340 N. Interstate Ave., aw akens m ulti­
cultural aw areness through the cutting
edge of art forms including hip-hop dance,
spoken word and television. C lasses are
offered throughout the year. Call 503-
823-4322 or info@ ifcc-arts.org for more
information.
Photography Classes
Mt. Hood C om m unity C ollege will be
offering four special photography classes
to the public throughout N ovem ber and
Decem ber: for com plete schedule and
registration information contact 503-491-
7572 or visit m hcc.edu.
Weatherization Workshops
See A&E section
by R aymond R endi . i man
T he P ortland O bserver
Thanks to political coaxing, dem o­
graphic shifts, alumni contributions and
devoted staff, Roosevelt High School has
a theatre program for the first tim e in If)
years through its academ y for A rts, C om ­
m unication and Technology.
Theatre instructor Jo Lane entered the
Portland school system during som e o f its
darkest days for funding support in the
late ’90s, but her dedication to the arts has
produced results even in the m ost difficult
circum stances.
L ane’s com m itm ent to Roosevelt fol­
lows her success at the K-8 W interhaven
School in southeast Portland, where she
used her free tim e outside o f English in­
struction to take a theatre program from its
infancy eight years ago to a point where
the district this year hired a fulltime theater
instructor to replace her.
Willi ng sacrifices for theatre cam e agai n
w hen Lane realized that som ebody had to
pay for the rights to "This Is a T est,” last
m o n th ’s in a u g u ra l p ro d u c tio n at
Roosevelt.
The play ’ s $612 in ticket sales will barely
begin to cover other expenses, let alone
needed money for refurbishing the north
Portland school's aging theater facilities
and m aterials.
Lane said she m oved to Portland from
A rizona with the "sad m isperception" o f
the Pacific Northwest being a m ecca for
supporting the perform ing arts.
But w hile looking over the 1,200 seats
in the school's 1920s-eraauditorium . Lane
pointed out that th ere's a fresh coat o f
paint courtesy o f C om cast that suggests
a veneer o f stability returning to Portland
schools through the patchw ork o f corpo­
rate donations and tem porary, local tax
levies.
"If people d o n ’t believe that tax m ea­
sures can m ake a difference, th ey ’ve got to
look around,” she said.
R oosevelt's theatre program w as one
o f the city ’s many arts casualties follow ­
ing statewide passage o f M easure 5 in
1990. The school board justified closing
art program s before m aking alternative
slash es b ecau se fed eral tests so u g h t
achievem ent in English and m athem atics.
“W hat most people think o f w hen they
hear theatre is doing a bunch o f shows,
but what it really m eans is developing a
Gloria Valdez (left) and Shannon Duncan act out a scene in front o f their Beginning Theatre class at Roosevelt High
School in north Portland. By spring, the classroom will also serve as a "black box " theatre.
pho ros
in R a ì moni ) R endi
em an /T he
P ortland O bserver
Roosevelt theatre instructor Jo Lane goes backstage to show the upgrades
needed for the 1920s-era facilities, including a primitive intercom system.
continued
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on page 116
Diversity group
to celebrate
Seven Principals of Kwanzaa
T hursday, Nov. 29, at the Interstate
Firehouse Cultural Center. 5340 N. Inter­
state. form er senator and PSU Professor
o f Black Studies Program. Avel G ordly,
will share her latest trip to Africa which
inspired seven artists and a poet to create
altars highlighting each o f the Seven
K w anzaa Principals; visit ifcc-arts.org
for more information.
Holiday Ale Festival
tions.
curriculum that supports other areas of
learning," she says.
With a key aspect o f her job to solicit
donations. Lane actively pursues playbill
advertising and people willing just to cut
a check, saying, " If folks want to contrib­
ute very specifically, I can show them a
wish list so that they can say, ‘I bought
that drill, and it’s being used.’”
Above all. Lane tries to bring theater to
theclassroom that will make a connection
with students.
Her choice o f the play "T est" was made
because the play is set in a school and is
conducive to improvisation, promising fun
without requiring hard-to-find set pieces
or finely tuned acting.
Not knowing the extent of Roosevelt-
student talents, she sees the upcoming
"O klahom a!" production in March as "a
huge leap o f faith on my part." The choice
Say Hey
Turns Five
Holiday Craft Bazaar
Santa Paws Comes to Town
ó ’ -/
Ending decade-
long drought
Saturday.N ov. 17 .from 11 a.m .to 3 p .m „
M ilagro’s, 5433 N.E. 30th Ave., will host
a Holiday Bazaar as part o f "Portland
G row s a C ure" supporting a cure for the
rare and deadly disease Langerhans Cell
H istiocitosis. For more inform ation, visit
m ilagrosboutique.com .
The Oregon Human S ociety’s annual
fundraiser event. Santa Paws Pet Portrait,
takes place throughout the holiday sea­
son at eight local Fred M eyer stores. Get
keepsake photos o f your pet with Santa
an d h e lp a n im a ls in n e e d ; v is it
oregonhum ane.org for dates and loca­
V cu/
•'community service
Roosevelt Theatre Comes Alive
Thursday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m., Alice
Ott Sun School, 12 5 0 0 S.E. Ramona, w ill
host the free educational w orkshops to
self-w eatherize your home; qualifying
participants will receive a free w eatheriz­
ing kit. Free w eatherization is available
for seniors. Call 503-284-6827 to register.
Beginning Thursday. Nov. 29 through
Sunday, Dec. 2 ,from 11 a.m .to 10p.m.,the
12th-annual festival at Pioneer C ourt­
house Square, 701 S.W. 6th Ave., pro­
vides beer lovers the opportunity to
sample some or all of the 36 rare beers
featured. V isitholidayale.com orcontact
503-252-9899 for more information.
November 14. 2007
Sasha Jenkins. Zoe O'Toole and Grace Goldrich-Middaugh, all 10. of Sunnyside Environmental School in
southeast Portland, hold up their green-painted hands in a Pledge to the Planet to represent a commitment to
caring for the environment.
Making a Pledge to Planet Earth
More than 30 fourth grade students
at Sunnyside Environm ental School in
southeast Portland sh o w cased th eir
hand-m ade "eco-inventions" Thursday
to dem onstrate their vision for an eco-
friendly future and offer solutions that
wi II help the environm ent or help people
to care for the environm ent more easily.
T h e e v e n t h ad th e s u p p o rt o f
D oubletree H otelsanditsT eaching Kids
to ( ’are program which teaches young
people the im portance of caring for the
environm ent and reinventing "A Belter
W orld."
The program is meant to inspire and
em pow er a generation o f kids to take
simple steps toward conserving and pre­
serving the earth 's natural resources.
Say Hey will be celebrating five years of
quarterly w elcom e parties to greet new
professionals o f color moving to Oregon
and Southw est W ashington w hen the
group gathers Thursday at G erding T he­
ater at the A r­
mory, 128N.W.
11 th Ave.
T he special
event, from 5:30
to 8 p.m., will
w elcom e many
new com ers but
a ls o
s a lu te
m any o f the Say
Hey h o n o rees
the gro u p has
w elcom ed over
the years.
The newly rem odeled G erding Theatre
at the A rm ory will serve as a festive back­
drop for w h at's planned as an elegant
party w ith m usic, new and old friends and
lots great stories to share about what is
like to be in the Northwest.
M ajor local em ployers have joined
forces with Partners in D iversity to sup­
port Say Hey and its program s prom oting
diversity in the w orkplace and co m m u ­
nity.
Say Hey was started to honor profes­
sionals o f color relocating to this area and
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