July 6, 2016
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INSIDE
The
Week in Review
This page
Sponsored by:
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L OCAL N EWS
pages 6-7
O PINION
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Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) helps local youth realize their full potential by working with schools,
families, and partner community organizations to provide support, guidance, and opportunities to
achieve personal and academic success. (Photo from SEI website)
M ETRO
SEI to Close Academy
Student services will transfer to re-opened middle schools
C ervante P oPe
t he P ortland o bserver
Local
nonprofit
Self-En-
hancement, Inc. is shutting down
their famed SEI Academy char-
ter school at the end of the next
school year and won’t be accept-
ing any more sixth graders for its
closing year.
A letter sent to parents earli-
er this month from SEI President
and Chief Executive Officer Tony
by
Hopson provided some detail into
the reasons for the closure, stating
that there is no longer an existent
need for their services now that
Portland Public Schools is going
to offer a standard middle school
structure again in north and north-
east Portland.
SEI’s Academy started 12
years ago due to a lack of middle
school options in the Jefferson
High School area. Shortly after,
as Hopson states in the letter, PPS
switched to a K-8 structure which
fully eliminated the typical middle
school framework.
The district is now planning to
re-open Ockley Green at North
Montana and Ainsworth as a
middle school for grades 6-8 in
the coming year and the Tubman
Campus located on North Flint
C ontinued on P age 4
Joining Port of Portland Commission
Former Urban League official named to policy role
Arts &
pages
8-12
ENTERTAINMENT
O BITUARIES
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
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Retired Urban League of Port-
land president and chief execu-
tive officer, and seasoned health-
care-industry leader, Michael
Alexander, was recently appoint-
ed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to
the Port of Portland Commission.
During Alexander’s leadership
of the Urban League of Portland
from summer 2012 through spring
2015, he made great strides in re-
storing fiscal discipline to the orga-
nization’s operations, reconnecting
with key business and foundation
partners, and re-engaging the orga-
nization’s base of supporters. The Michael Alexander
mission of the non-profit, commu-
nity-based organization is empow-
ering African Americans and other
Oregonians to achieve equality in
education, employment, and eco-
nomic security.
During Alexander’s exten-
sive healthcare-industry career,
he served in executive roles at
Regence BlueCross BlueShield
of Oregon, Magellan Behavioral
Health, and Aetna. He currently
serves on the boards of LifeWorks
Northwest, the American Leader-
C ontinued on P age 4