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City oj Roses
VolumeXLIN
Number 42
Hall of Fame Honors
Late Portland Observer
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PHOTO BY DONOVAN M. SM ITH/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER
ben son High School s new principal, Curtis Wilson Jr., takes aim at returning ‘vigor and excellence’ to the school’s technical education programs.
New Visionsfor the Techmen
Benson principal moves to
shore up signature programs
by D onovan M. S mith
T he P ortland O bserver
Curtis W ilson Jr., the new principal o f Benson Poly
technic High School, may not need an introduction for
many in the Portland area.
With 23 years under his belt working in the Portland
School District and a Portland native who graduated from
Roosevelt, Wilson has seen many-a-classroom during his
impressive tenure. Now he has his first job as a school
principal at Benson after serving as vice principal at Grant.
Wilson, 43, says he wants to return the 96-year-old tech
centric institution to a place that has historically been asso
ciated with academic rigor and excellence.
“I want to bring back Benson to where people are chal
lenged to come here, where they know if I come to Benson
I m gonna work. Because it’s hands on, the courses are very
intense, and it’s a very rich tradition school,” he says.
And one of the ways he says he’s hoping to accomplish
his goals is by focusing on bolstering the school’s Career
Technical Education (CTE) program. The aim is on the
technical sciences the school was founded on, subjects
today which include engineering, manufacturing, comput
ers, and new technology.
The instruction comes with hands-on situational learn
ing. Currently the technical education students, for example,
are teaming up with geometry learners to build a house. The
structure will serve as a drug and alcohol free safe-haven in
the transitional housing community known as Dignity Vil
lage in northeast Portland.
This year, Benson is also adjusting to a new 850 enroll-
continued
on page 2