Open Meadow poetry students will be reading their poetry on Thursday, May 8.  The event will be held at Anna Bananas, 8617 N. Lombard, 7:00 pm -9:00pm.  Working under the instruction of teacher/advocate Paige Knight, Open Meadow’s students find their voice through poetry.  In addition to the reading, a compilation of the students’ work will be published later in the school year.  The 2007-08 poetry program has been made possible through a generous grant from The Safeway Foundation and individual donations to Open Meadow.

Please join us for a creative and fun evening!

Open Meadow is proud to have provided supporting testimony and evidence to the attached Government Accountability Office report (PDF) commissioned by US Representative George Miller on the role of alternative education as a bridge for disconnected youth to employment and education.  We are, of course, disappointed that the title of the report reads “Federal Action COULD Address Some of the Challenges...” and believe that the COULD should be changed to SHOULD.  Nonetheless, the report provides strong content that highlights KEY ELEMENTS of programs effective at re-connecting disconnected youth, and ultimately recommends increased flexibility and technical assistance at the program level to assure that services are available and accessible to the youth most in need of support.

From its very beginning, Open Meadow has played a critical role in Connected by 25, a city-wide initiative designed to engage disconnected youth in careers, college, and community by age 25.  The article below by the Mayor and a board member from Connected by 25 highlights the importance and stepped-up urgency of the initiative.  Open Meadow continues to expand its STEP UP program that provides essential transition support for public middle school students in need of additional attention as they enter high school.  Get connected to STEP UP and Connected by 25!

Eric Parsons, CEO of The Standard, recently donated studio recording time at Michael Allen Harrison’s studio to Open Meadow.  Our high school choir took advantage of this wonderful opportunity to record an original song ‘We are Open Meadow’.  You can listen to the song by downloading the file and playing it on your computer using Quick Time, iTunes, Windows Media Player or another audio device.  The lyrics to the song are below.  Open Meadow’s mascot is the goat.

OPEN MEADOW SCHOOL SONG
Composition & Lyrics by; Silvia Lopez, Sade Hollis, Peggy Maher,
Samantha Rodriguez, Chareese Ottelle, Michelle Blackshear, & Laura Modena
Musical Score; Newel Briggs; Michael Allen Harrison

CHORUS: 
We are Open Meadow
We give Respect
We are Open Meadow
Nothin’ but the Best!

Verse #1: 
We are Strong
We are Intelligent
We are Goats
We gone Represent

CHORUS: 
We are Open Meadow
We give Respect
We are Open Meadow
Nothin’ but the Best!

Verse#2: 
Goats are Tough
With Integrity
Goats are Strong
Like our Family

CHORUS: 
We are Open Meadow
We give Respect
We are Open Meadow
Nothin’ but the Best!

Verse #3: 
Green and White
Our Colors fresh and sweet
Like our School
You know we can’ be Beat!

CHORUS:  1.5X
We are Open Meadow
We give Respect
We are Open Meadow
Nothin’ but the Best

WE ARE OPEN MEADOW!!

Open Meadow’s STEP UP program was recently featured in a video and in a newspaper article by the Spokane Spokesman Review for its success in preventing dropout with its after-school mentoring program. The video states that STEP UP is mostly funded by Portland’s Children’s Investment Fund (CHIF). While CHIF does fund the eighth grade portion of the program at Clarendon-Portsmouth school, many other funders share the cost of the STEP UP high school program serving ninth graders at the Roosevelt, Madison, and Marshall campuses.

Open Meadow is grateful to the following who have provided funding for the high school STEP UP program: Portland Public Schools, Comcast Foundation, Gear Up, Oregon Department of Education, Portland Schools Foundation, PGE Foundation, The Collins Foundation, Qwest Foundation, Portland Trail Blazers, Piper Jaffray Foundation, NW Natural, and many individuals.

In 2008, Open Meadow will celebrate 37 years of changing young lives in small, relationship-based educational programs. Community support has made it possible for Open Meadow to give struggling students the tools to thrive.

Have you ever considered what your legacy will be? Would you like to make a lasting impact that reflects your values?

By naming Open Meadow Alternative Schools in your estate plan, you can create a lasting legacy. Your bequest or other legacy gift will help us to ensure that Open Meadow is equipped to continue its rich tradition of youth advocacy into the future. For more information call Open Meadow’s Development office at 503.488.5184 or click here.

February 6, 2008 – One is a park located next to a popular shopping mall.  The other is a trail that cuts through the heart of the St. Johns neighborhood.  Both are important public resources that could be made safer with a few changes to their environmental design.

That was the finding of a study conducted by members of Open Meadow’s CRUE (Corps Restoring the Urban Environment) class.  Three members of the crew - Adrian Thompson, Elizabeth Brenneman, and Sherman Taylor – presented their findings to Portland’s City Council on Wednesday as part of the City Corps project.

Working with staff from the Mayor’s Office, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, and Portland Parks and Recreation, the students evaluated the safety and design of NE Portland’s Holladay Park and the Peninsula Crossing Trail in North Portland.  They found that both parks experience criminal activities.

The class then developed recommendations for improving the parks’ safety and appearance such as trimming trees and bushes to allow for better security camera access, adding more garbage cans, and changing the design of benches to prevent sleeping and loitering.

After viewing the crew’s Power Point presentation, Mayor Tom Potter told the students: “You have produced a very professional and valuable product.  This is the kind of thing the city pays professional consultants to put together.  I commend you for your excellent work.”

Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who oversees Portland Parks and Recreation, told the students that the department would work with park security to implement as many of their recommendations as possible.

City Corps is a collaborative project between Open Meadow and the City of Portland that is funded by Worksystems, Inc.

Open Meadow is currently recruiting mentors to participate in our Project ESTEEM (Empowering Students Through Educational Employment Mentorships) program during Spring 2008.  Project ESTEEM is a career based mentorship program where students work with an adult mentor to gain competency in basic business practices.  These include skills such as interviewing, resumes, how to write a thank you note, etc.  Open Meadow supplies materials and guidance as a road map so the mentoring pair knows what they are working toward.  4 hours a month commitment (most mentors end up wanting to do more).  There is structured time offered on every other Monday from 2:15 – 4:00. 

There are also fun events along the way that people can join in on when their schedule allows.  The requirements for being a mentor are an interview, passing a fingerprint background check, and the ability to commit until the beginning June (which is when the program ends).

For more information about becoming a mentor, contact Michele Taylor at (503) 488-5176 or email: michele [at] openmeadow [dot] org

Portland, Oregon — December 18, 2007 — Open Meadow Alternative Schools has received a $5,000 grant from the Safeway Foundation. Grant funds will assist the organization’s Student Voice Project, a visual arts and poetry program for youth in middle and high school.

At a presentation ceremony today at Open Meadow’s campus in North Portland, Dan Floyd, Safeway Foundation Director of Public Affairs was joined by Troy Williams, Store Manager for the NE MLK Blvd. Safeway.  Floyd told the students: “The Safeway Foundation is impressed with Open Meadow’s programs and its students.  On behalf of the employees at Safeway, we are delighted to support the Student Voice Project.  We believe that with quality education and hard work you can achieve anything you want in life.”

Open Meadow’s Student Voice Project provides students in middle and high school with the opportunity to express their voices to the community through art and poetry.  The students work with arts and writing professionals throughout the school year.  The program culminates with a student art show for community members in May, as well as the publication of an anthology of student poetry and a desk-top calendar featuring student art and poetry.

We are thrilled to join in the celebration of Carole Smith being named superintendent of Portland Public Schools, and claim her as one of our own.

Carole is a tremendous leader. Her unwavering commitment to youth is palpable and inspiring. It is from this commitment that she dedicated 23 years of her professional life to the success of Open Meadow youth and programs, building a small grass-roots non-profit serving 36 youth into an award-winning national model, an accredited, multi-dimensional organization serving over 600 youth annually.

We see Carole’s appointment as a ringing endorsement of Carole’s belief in the importance of having strong educational options for youth of all races and economic backgrounds, in the importance of multiple pathways to graduation, the importance of cultivating effective partnerships to achieve success, and the importance of maintaining the highest standards for all youth. We applaud the Portland School Board’s decision and offer our best wishes to Carole as she embarks on her dramatic journey at the helm of Portland Public Schools.

I am pleased and honored to announce that Open Meadow’s STEP UP program has been recognized by the Pew Partnership with its 2007 Civic Change Award.  The annual award goes to individuals and organizations that are changing communities and the people who live in them in profound ways.  It puts us in the company of previous winners like the National League of Women’s Voters and the Governor of the State of Mississippi.  Please see the announcement on the Pew website.

“Because of our emphasis on getting all eighth graders ready for high school in the Pew Partnership’s Learning to Finish campaign, STEP UP is a model for all communities—large and small—on how to get involved and make a difference, “ said, Alma Powell, national board chair of the Pew Partnership.

Open Meadow has received great press about this award this week, including a story on Oregon Public Broadcasting and in The Oregonian.

In the words of Suzanne Morse, President of the Pew Partnership: “It’s replicable. It’s working. There are strong community-school partnerships. It’s an unbeatable combination.”

Congratulations to everyone at STEP UP!

Thanks to the generosity of Open Meadow supporters, Open Meadow High School has a new roof, just in time for our students’ return to school.
The old roof, more than 20 years old, had begun to leak. Now as we move toward another Portland winter, our students will stay dry and warm under the new roof.

Many thanks to the donors who made this project possible: Ann & Bill Swindells Charitable Trust, Metro Central Enhancement Committee, Life Fellowship Church, the North Portland Trust Fund, the Open Meadow High School car wash, T.I. Design Group, Neil Kelly, Inc., and the more than 50 individual donors to this project.

The weather may feel like summer, but this week it seems more like fall at Open Meadow. Our classroom buildings are humming again with activity.

Staff returned from summer break on August 20th and students returned on August 27th. Students have been busy getting acquainted or reacquainted with their classmates and teachers, meeting in their advocate groups, and taking tests to benchmark their academic achievement levels.

You can feel the excitement of staff as Open Meadow launches its 37th year. Everyone is eager to get back to what Open Meadow does best with youth – Engage.  Educate.  Empower.

The Pew Partnership for Civic Change has named Open Meadow one of three finalists for its 2007 Civic Change Award. This year’s Award recognizes groups or individuals implementing community-wide solutions to the dropout crisis. This week the Pew Partnership is featuring STEP UP on its Smart Communities Blog.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending PlayWrite Inc.’s showcase of performances at the Portland Center Stage Gerding Theater. It was two hours of joy to watch professional actors and singer/songwriters perform work written by middle and high school students from the Portland area. PlayWrite is non-profit organization that provides week long intensive writing workshops to students who traditionally have limited access to the arts. Open Meadow Middle School was a lucky host to one of these workshops in the fall of 2006 and our very own Morgan O’s play was one of the six plays highlighted at last night’s performance. What a pleasure to see such professionals working so well with our students.

Posted by Elizabeth Jensen, Open Meadow Middle School Program Director

It just doesn’t get any better than this – neighbors supporting neighbors! Last week Pastor Edgar Rodriguez from Life Fellowship Church called me to say he wanted to bring some church members by on Friday because they had a $1,000 check they wanted to present. Pastor Edgar visited Open Meadow not long ago and said that he wanted to help us with our project to re-roof Open Meadow High School. Never did I think that a small group of people would come up with such a large donation.

Andrew Mason speaks out in a June 4th editorial published in the Oregonian urging the community to take collective responsibility for creating a vision for education in establishing criteria for selecting the next superintendent and for being supportive of who is chosen. Read Andrew’s editorial…

On Thursday, May 24th, Open Meadow staff and students from the 2006-07 Goat basketball team squared off in the annual staff vs. student basketball game. Excitement ran high, and the lead up to the game was full of predictions of victory from both teams.

Staff jumped to an early 12-2 lead, but a couple of key steals by Devaunte and a flurry of three-pointers by Otho, Nihiem, and Devaunte quickly tied the score at 23 points a piece. Staff then went on another small run, but thanks to the rebounding efforts of Dan and Robbie on both sides of the court, the students were well within reach with a halftime score of 38-31 favoring the staff.

Photo by Robert Huff. Used with permission of Connected by 25

Last week, Open Meadow students, staff, and board participated in the launch of an historic citywide effort that builds on Portland’s extraordinary civic energy with a singular commitment: connect every young Portlander to school, work and community by the age of 25.

Connected by 25 brings together more than three dozen leading business and civic partners who are stepping up with time, money and creative vision to change the lives of thousands of young Portlanders and put them on a path to success in adulthood. Open Meadow, along with the Portland Schools Foundation and over thirty others, are founding partners of the coalition.