Page 4
July 6, 2016
Spreading Cultural Harmony
among others.
Though Leonard technical-
ly retired in 2012, she hasn’t
stopped her endeavors in spread-
ing her faith and knowledge in
peaceful equality. She still heads
the Multicultural Education of-
fices for PPS’s Allied Services
Team, where the education of
youth in diversity is of high im-
portance.
“I think youth especially in
the United States don’t have the
same prejudices we have because
of technology. The challenge is
not to see ourselves as better than
other people, we are all different
people. The challenge is to make
sure everyone gets an education,”
Leonard says.
“If we want our child to be
free, we have to make sure that
every child has that opportunity.
Every one of us needs to be able
to understand that there are no
throw away children.”
SEI to Close Academy
Tubman Middle School it would
maintain an African American
culturally specific option that our
students can take part in,” Hopson
stated in the letter.
SEI has won praise for work-
ing with students enrolled in lo-
cal schools. At Jefferson High
School, for example, SEI men-
torships have helped the school
drastically improve its graduation
rates. The alliance between the
non-profit and PPS has produced
graduate Sekai Edwards, for ex-
ample, who has been accepted to
Juillard for the upcoming term.
JHS has also been named a Title I
Distinguished School and the Na-
tional Excellence in Urban Educa-
tion Award winner with SEI assis-
tance. Hopson hopes to transition
SEI’s achievements to Tubman
specifically.
“We believe that Tubman ought
to have an African-American fo-
cus in some form. What shape
that takes, I’m not sure,” Hopson
told OPB. “But we expect that if
we’re involved, that we could pro-
vide additional culturally-specific
services to the African-American
students and any other students.”
C ontinued froM f ront
“As a teacher I felt that there
were things I needed to do,”
Leonard says. “We can erase
some of those stereotypes we
have. If we change that paradigm
we’re in a better position to pro-
mote peace around the world.”
Her educational efforts have
taken her to places like Eqypt,
Guyana, the United Arab Emir-
ates, Switzerland and Ghana
C ontinued froM P age 3
The Law Offices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
Portland:
Hillsoboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
(503) 244-2080
(503) 244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
Avenue will likely reopen as a
grade 6-8 middle school by fall of
2017.
The SEI Academy was limit-
ed to about 50 students per year.
Since there will be no incoming
6th graders and the current 8th
graders will be moving on to high
school level education, the 7th
graders going into their next year
will be the most affected, accord-
ing to SEI’s Strategic Partnerships
Manager Lisa Saunders.
Grade 7 students will be moved
into one of the other middle
schools for their 8th grade year.
The fate of the staff that works
with the Academy pupils has not
yet been figured out.
SEI intends to continue their
services through PPS by collabo-
rating with its student within the
new middle schools, particularly
focusing on minority pupils.
“We believe that now is the time
to not only partner with Portland
Public Schools to increase the SEI
services at both Ockley Green and
Tubman to make them the best
schools possible for all students,
but also to increase attention on
our African-American students,”
Hopson wrote in the letter.
Tubman is the highest focus for
Hopson because of its deep ties in
the African American populated
neighborhoods of inner north and
northeast Portland and where PPS
hasn’t operated in its own middle
school grades since the Young
Women’s Leadership Academy
closed there in 2012.
The school currently hosts
K-8 students from the Faubion
School while that building is be-
ing rebuilt, but OPB reports the
blueprint going forward for Tub-
man would involve pulling stu-
dents from Boise-Eliot/Humboldt,
King, Sabin and Irvington schools
as the transition into elementary
structures.
“We hope to fully integrate
our efforts into Tubman Middle
School going forward. It is our
hope that given the past history of
Joining Port of Portland Commission
C ontinued froM P age 3
ship Forum of Oregon, the North-
west Health Foundation, and
Black United Fund.
Alexander is a graduate of
Lewis University and Bryn Mawr
College Graduate School of So-
cial Work and Social Research.
He is a native of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
and relocated to Oregon in 2005.
Alexander lives in Portland’s Sell-
wood neighborhood with his wife,
Nancy, and has three children and
three grandchildren.
Alexander replaces Port of
Portland Commissioner Peter
Bragdon. The nine-member panel
sets Port policy during its monthly
meetings. They are unpaid volun-
teers who serve four-year terms
and can be reappointed for an ad-
ditional term.
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