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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2018)
March 28, 2018 Page 3 INSIDE The Week in Review Arts & ENTERTAINMENT This page Sponsored by: page 2 pages 7-11 photo by d anny p eterson /t he p ortland o bserver Benson High School Principal Curtis Wilson inspires students by teaching a Zumba dance class during a freshmen physical education class as a way of connecting with the over 300 new students that come to Benson each year. Connecting M ETRO O PINION C LASSIFIEDS C ALENDAR page 16 F OOD page 9 pages 12-13 pages 14-15 page 15 Principal lets guard down to dance and inspire by d anny p eterson t he p ortland o bserver It’s not every day that you will find your school principal at the front of the class leading charges in a dance routine. But that’s ex- actly what Benson High School Principal Curtis Wilson did Thurs- day for boys and girls enrolled in a Benson freshmen physical edu- cation class. Wilson started teaching Zum- ba, the fitness craze that uses the beats from hip-hop, samba, salsa, mambo, and other music to pro- vide motivation and drive for aer- obic exercise, when he began as principal of the northeast Portland school five years ago. It’s a tradition he has held one day each year at Benson, in the spring, ever since. The school leader says it’s a great way of connecting with the over 300 new freshman that come to his school each year, “To me, it’s negative energy out of my body. And so I really enjoy it,” Wilson told the Portland Ob- server. “Now do I have enough time to do it on a consistent basis anymore? No. But this one day, I just move all my appointments to the side.” Wilson was introduced to Zum- ba at his gym a few years ago. At first, he was an assistant instructor for the class, which was held reg- ularly at the school before he ar- rived there. But the main instruc- tor wasn’t available the second year, so he memorized the moves and took over. Wilson is pretty sure students appreciate their face to face time with him in class. “I really want to spend [time] with these kids so that we can make life-long memories,” he said. “Because years from now, when they’re off in college or where ever, high school will start to fade. But I’m pretty sure that spending a day with their principal dancing will probably stay with them for a long time.” Teacher Disciplined for Protest A popular middle school teach- er who led students in a school walkout last month to protest a police officer involved shooting death was placed on leave after a school district investigation found he put students at risk. In a letter sent Friday to Ock- ley Green parents, principal Paul McCullough and district senior director Karl Logan say students from the north Portland school were subjected to the risk of harm because of unauthorized actions that were not in keeping with the school’s obligation to ensure stu- dent safety at all times. During the walkout, students were directed to lie down on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Ainsworth Street as part of a die-in protest to support the family of Quanice Haynes, an unarmed black teenager killed by Portland police last year. The disciplinary action against the teacher, identified as Chris Riser, was criticized by his sup- porters who have started a change. org petition to help get him back in the classroom. “He is a strong voice for social justice, diversity and equity,” the petition reads. “At a critical time when gun violence is rampant, Chris Riser is teaching the kids that their greatest weapon is their voice. More than 1,300 people had signed the petition as of Sunday.
