March 6, 2015 
Middle School Service Learning Day
Students created ceramic bowls to donate
to a local food shelter.
On Tuesday, 204 students, 35 employees, and 39 parent volunteers connected with the greater Portland community through service! 

When we share in the daily lives of others - the joys and the struggles - the more we learn about a community, and the more we can give and grow. 

The Middle School service learning program strives to instill an appreciation for this type of meaningful connection through collaboration and service. Students cleaned and painted at The Children's Healing Art Project, cooked and served lunch to over 90 people in transitional shelters, pulled invasive ivy from the beautiful and expansive Forest Park, fed and bathed shelter animals, and created first aid kids for Medical Teams International. These were just some of the ways that our students and employees shared in the daily lives of others - building community through sincerity and service. View more photos on Facebook.

Midwinter Madness Funds Donated

Cara D. '15, Kelly Anderson of Outside In, and Kristin G. '15

The Midwinter Madness committee, led by Cara and Kristin and four other seniors, staged fun events such as, CRUSH soda sales, bubble soccer, BunnyHugs, and a giant four-day bake sale, through the first two weeks of February to raise money for Outside In. Outside In is a Portland nonprofit that provides shelter and other services to homeless youth to help them achieve greater self-sufficiency and better lives. Kelly Anderson said at Gathering on Wednesday that in her 13 years at Outside In, this was the largest gift ever from a school group: $14,026.37.

 

One Dream Can Change The World

Last week the seventh and eighth-graders attended a screening of Selma. The seventh-graders are currently studying To Kill a Mockingbird and the eighth-graders are reading MAUS. Seeing the movie provided a great opportunity for the students to explore the complexities of diversity and race relations both in our country's past and in current events.

 

After viewing the film, here are some of the reactions from students: 

 

"It was kind of unpleasant during the first half. But by the end, my eyes were extremely opened, and now I grasp the magnitude of what was done during the Civil Rights Movement, and how hard it was." Andrew G. '20

 

"I mostly thought that the movie was really eye-opening, and it really went to show how some people just hate good people because they have different color skin." Ian B. '20

 

First-Graders Study Trout
For the past month, first-graders in Ms. Eastman-Brown and Ms. Mulley's class have been observing and studying native trout. 

Mr. Arensberg received the eggs from the Clackamas Fish Hatchery and taught the students about the trout life cycle, set up the eggs in a tank and explained the proper way for the students to care for the trout. Each day the students checked the tank and created reports on their findings. On Monday the trout were finally big enough to release into the OES wetlands! View more photos on Facebook.

Ski Teams Compete at State
The OES ski teams have been competing in the State Championships this week. The awards ceremony is tonight. Good luck Aardvarks!

The boys' placed fifth place in the Metro League and skiing at State are Cullen T.'16, Evan C. '17, Alex F. '17, Will J. '18, Lewis B. '18, and Quattro M. '18. The girls' team placed fourth in the Metro League and skiing at State are Karina H. '15, Lisa L.'15, Emelyn R. '16, Kailin C. '16, Laura B. '17, and Nastassia G. '18.

A Garden of Dreams Mural

Ms. Burton's kindergarten class has been thinking about seeds and the question "what else can grow like a seed?"

 

They read stories about people who had a seed of a dream that grew their whole life, such as Jane Goodall, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jacques Cousteau, and imagined what would it look like to grow a Garden of Dreams.

 

In Studio with Ms. Foster-Flynn, the students then created this mural to inspire others in the larger community and world. 

 

As this work progresses the students will continue to explore how passion in learning can inspire them and also explore the power of children to inspire others in the larger community and world.

 

 


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