Fortiani» (Observer
May 2, 2012
Page A5
No Longer Neglected
c o n t i n u e d f r o m fro n t
Patterson has made it a priority to
keep programs she thinks will im­
prove student’s achievement aca­
demically.”
A ccording to Dugas, the only
schools that qualify for the fed­
eral grant were ones considered
to be in the bottom five percent in
the country, but she said King
has made great strides in the past
year, which simply can ’t remain
unnoticed.
As part of the program , T urn­
around and its partners will pro­
vide training and resources to King
school including professional de­
v elo p m en t, p a rtn e rsh ip s w ith
com m unity arts education and
cultural organizatidns, additional
art supplies and m usical instru­
ments and com m unity engage­
ment events.
Although most people d o n ’t
correlate academic improvement
with art, Dugas said it is really
does help a child succeed in
school, whether as an outlet em o­
tionally or because they are using
both sides of their brains to see
things through two perspectives.
In the 1980s, King was re­ King School parents Heather Dugas, Galen Swain, Julie Davis and Trace Salmon have worked hard the past several weeks to prepare
nowned for a choir, which often for the school's first annual “I Have A Dream" auction event, which will be held on Friday, May 4, at the North Star Ballroom.
visual a rtists-in -resid en ce and
choral groups, and to m aintain
K ing’s African Dance program.
O rganized by the King School
PTA, the evening w ill feature a
“ 1963” them e (celeb ratin g the
year o f Dr. K in g ’s landm ark
speech at the Lincoln M em orial)
and atten d ees are encouraged
to com e d ressed in th eir best
period attire.
“I am so proud my daughter
goes there and to be in this neigh­
borhood and see som e o f the
sparks the school used to have,”
Dugas said. “And the auction is
our way to celebrate our success,
but also at the same time to raise
King students Carman Sophia Sparks-Dugas and Atticus Salmon
are excited about the upcoming school auction, which will help
provide money for increased arts programs at the northeast
Portland school.
toured around the nation. “There
was also an intense tumbling pro­
gram ,” she said. “It fed so beau­
tifully directly into Jefferson,
which was at the time a magnet
school.
“As a school that has been
neglected by its district, its neigh­
borhood and by its com m unity for
too long, we are thrilled to be in a
position to show case the incred­
ible school King is becom ing,”
said W erstein.
On May 4, parents, staff, com ­
m unity partners and other friends
of King School will gather at the
North Star Ballroom to help bridge
the current funding gap, which
sep arates K ing stu d en ts from
m uch needed arts program s like
money for some o f the things we
do lack.”
She said King school was origi­
nally named Highland, until stu­
dents rose up and said we want
our school to be M artin Luther
King School.
“This was important, and it is
im portant to us still,” she said,
adding the pride she w ithholds in
the school’s name.
“It is not that it is a gang banger
school, but it is founded on how
peace can resolve things,” she
said. “We want to bring those
strengths back to invigorate the
com m unity again.”
Auction items o f the “I Have a
Dream” event will include dinners,
health and wellness packages, legal
services, vacation opportunities,
symphony tickets, design and ar­
chitectural consultations, and many
other items and services donated
from local Portland businesses.
“My hope for the future is that
people will have the desire and
the want to have their children go
to King and be involved with the
school,” said Dugas. “We want
people from in the com m unity to
come and see what an am azing
thing we can do, and have done.
C elebrate with us.”
Tickets available via King School
PTA website atkingpta.org/tickets.
Every Tuesday
5:30 - 7:15 p m
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