)’ Summer
‘I Ride’
Splendors
Northwest Dance
Project premiers
four shows
Do You?
Campaign
promotes bicycle­
riding benefits
See page 3
See page 12
Read back issues of the Portland Observer at www.portlandobserver.com
C its
of Roses « ’’«r*
Volume X X X X I.
Number 22
Wednesday • June I. 2011
Character Matters
C ari H achmann
T he P ortland O bserver
Established in 1970
, ■
Com m itted to Cultural D iversity
to new school kids
by
Coach Roy Pittman of the Peninsula Wres­
tling Program is much more than a wrestling
coach. He has been a sculptor of responsible
young adults and for over 40 years, helping
transform rowdy young boys into not only
Olympic competitors, but worldly gentlemen.
“The first year you learn how to lose, the
next year you learn how to win, and the next
year you learn how to be a gentleman,” said
Pittman about his standard coaching phi­
losophies, which have been implanted on
generations of local kids since opening the
Peninsula program in 1970.
Girls are welcome too; however as a re­
sponse to overwhelming statistics showing
that young men today lag behind their female
counterparts in m ost disciplined areas,
Pittman puts a priority on understanding and
ensuring the positive development of boys.
His philosophy is steeped in stats; Boys
earn 70 percent of the D ’s and F’s in school;
make up 80 percent of high school dropouts,
as well as account for over 71 percent of
school suspensions and 77 percent expul­
sions. Boys also read and write on average
between 1.5 years and 3 years behind average
females.
Further, 14 percent of boys nationwide
were diagnosed with ADHD by their 16th
birthday and boys are five times more likely
to commit suicide. Ot people incarcerated in
U.S. prisons, 93 percent are males. It’s esti­
mated that 40 to 50 percent of African-Ameri­
can males will enter the criminal justice sys­
tem sometime in their lives.
Pittman believes boys are often misunder­
stood in today’s society because they are
socialized differently, naturally more aggres­
sive and active, but slower to develop and
less communicative than girls.
Focused more on the process of growth
and risk-taking than on winning, Pittman has
worked with thousands of boys and girls
from all backgrounds, offering them an alter­
native to the streets and the sometimes re­
strictive structure of public classrooms.
Tivon Abel, a former wrestler and Jefferson
High School student, said learning and train­
ing with Pittman transformed him “from being
aRitalin-dependent, unfocused, irresponsible
and undisciplined 7th grader to a respectable,
worldly young man, ready to take on chal­
lenges and responsibilities.”
Having earned two M asters’ degrees,
pursued a career in teaching, and started a
family, Abel lives happily today.
Pittman also is a natural ally of kids, par­
ents and teachers.
photo by C ari H achmann /T he P ortland O bserver
When parents drop their kids off at prac­
A well-respected, community legacy, coach Roy Pittman is known for exposing
tice every day after school, they are not only
character in his young wrestlers at the Peninsula Park wrestling program in north
Portland. His love and mentorship for kids has shaped and affected lives for 4 0 years.
continued
on page 2
Making Kids Healthy and Ready to Learn
School-based
health centers
reduce barriers
by M indy C ooper
T he P ortland O bserver
For over 25-years, School-based Health
Centers have eased access to medical ser­
vices for local youth; reducing barriers, which
have historically prevented adolescents from
attaining the healthcare they need.
“With everything going on with healthcare
reform and scarce resources, sometimes we
are the best kept secret in town,” explained Jill
Daniels, program director for Multnoma
County’s School-based Health Centers. ‘
want all of the families and school-aged yout
to know we are here to support them.”
Currently, there are 55 certified SBHCs an.
7 sites in development in 22 counties through
out the state; and 13 of the health centers exis
in Multnomah County alone.
One defining goal of the centers is that
regardless of race, insurance status, nationa
continued
on page 2
4 student receives needed health
care from a nurse at school because
o f Oregon s School-Based Health
Centers program.