June 2006
Khino got very good grades in his first two years of public high school, but was still unsatisfied. He felt like his teachers had limited expectations for him and was looking for a more demanding atmosphere, one that would challenge him to reach toward his dreams. One day he was talking to a friend who attends Open Meadow. They were discussing school and Khino was intrigued by what he heard.

She told him that she loved her school, that the staff were easy going, but challenged students to identify their dreams and work hard. Khino remarked, “Usually if you ask a student about their school, you hear a list of things they don’t like. That’s not what I heard from Hallie. She had only good things to say about Open Meadow.”

Khino applied to Open Meadow and was admitted in the fall of 2004. His father was skeptical because he worried about the stereotype that often gets ascribed to alternative schools. It didn’t take his father long to change his mind, as he saw Khino playing on the Open Meadow basketball team and accompanying Open Meadow staff on a trip to Washington, D.C., where he spoke at a conference and met Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith.

Khino flourished at Open Meadow, keeping up good grades while he was challenged to pursue his interest in poetry. Staff encouraged him to write and before long, the Portland Tribune featured a poem of his along with a photo of him with his beloved skateboard. His poetry also was featured on Oregon Public Radio. Khino said, “Open Meadow teachers asked me about my dreams, helped me to break them down step by step, and pushed me to work those steps. They saw something in me and brought it out.”

Khino completed his high school graduation requirements in November of 2005, and took a college class before graduating from Open Meadow in June 2006. He played basketball for the Open Meadow goats who won their first alternative school league championship in 2006. Looking for another physical activity (besides skateboarding), he went out for the Roosevelt track team after the basketball season ended. After disappointing himself in a few events, Khino said, “I noticed that the high jump was just sitting there.”

After only 5 weeks in track, he won the high jump at his debut meet on April 5, 2006. Using a unique style he jumped 5’10”. After working on his style a bit, he increased his best to 6’7”, taking first place in the high jump at the District track competition, and earning the right to compete in the state championship in Eugene, where he finished 8th.

Now attending Portland State, Khino believes that he is well on his way to achieving his dream of becoming a well-known personal fitness trainer. He also has dreams of going to the Olympics and publishing a book of poetry. He plans to continue pursuing extreme sports like cliff diving and bungee jumping for the “sense of overcoming fear.” Skateboarding is still his favorite physical activity.

Khino believes that Open Meadow got him on the path where he can now challenge himself. He said, “The best thing about Open Meadow is the relationships.” He would advise students who are unhappy with their school experience, “Throw that list of all the things you hate about school, and go to Open Meadow.”