Wariness of school gives way to approval

Rising enrollment at De La Salle North spurs = private=20 school=92s move to former site of Kenton Elementary

By Jennifer Anderson 3D""=20

The Portland Tribune, May 8, = 2007=20 (11=20 Reader comments)

=20

Jim Clark / Portland Tribune

At De La Salle North Catholic High School, = teacher Joe=20 Halloran makes physics matter. Founded in 2001, the coed school serves = 250=20 students, but plans are under way to add up to 100 more. =

On a recent Tuesday, Julius Jones wore tan = slacks and a=20 dress shirt with a fashionable gold-striped tie. Shiny silver buckles = topped his=20 mahogany loafers, and everything =97 down to his eye contact, firm = handshake and=20 engaging smile =97 was perfectly groomed.

Jones wasn=92t in church or at a job interview =97 = he was among=20 his peers at De La Salle North Catholic High School, a coed school of = 250=20 students that sits midway between the Jefferson and Roosevelt campuses = in North=20 Portland.

The dress code and business etiquette at this = corporate=20 internship-based program are instilled in the students through policy = and a=20 two-week boot camp in the summer on how to be a good employee. It=92s = not as bad=20 as it sounds, Jones says.

=93It teaches people to be prepared for the = business world,=94 he=20 says. =93Nobody wants to hire riffraff. (Nonschool) days have happened = when I=92ve=20 gotten up and put on a tie as habit.=94

Since its startup in fall 2001, De La Salle North, = 7654 N.=20 Delaware Ave., has experienced success and steady growth while the = surrounding=20 public schools have been struggling to keep their neighborhood students = from=20 fleeing.

The parochial school (whose student body is half = Catholic)=20 has grown so popular, it soon will move to a larger building. Last week, = the=20 renovations began at its new location, three blocks east at the former = Kenton=20 Elementary, 7628 N. Fenwick Ave.

At first, the thought of a private school moving = into a=20 beloved public school =97 closed due to low enrollment =97 didn=92t sit = well with the=20 community. Neighbors and school board members questioned the impact the = school=20 might have on enrollment at area public schools.

Kerry Hampton, the Portland school district=92s = facility=20 manager, said the district held three community discussions, two = neighborhood=20 association meetings and an open house for neighbors at Kenton, after = which he=20 and board members concluded there would be =93minimal impact=94 on the = district=92s=20 enrollment.

=93The existing school is a minor expansion, and = they=92re a very=20 special program,=94 he said. =93We looked at it as a win-win.=94

Now, as they prepare to move into the newly = renovated space=20 this fall, administrators at De La Salle North will sort through 160=20 applications to fill 85 incoming ninth-grade slots; some openings also = are=20 available in grades 10 through 12 with the expansion under way.

Ideally, the school hopes to serve between 300 and = 350=20 students, said Tim Hennessy, a spokesman for the school.

=93The goal was to get these kids into college,=94 = he said. =93The=20 (Portland school) board is trying to make changes at Jefferson and = Roosevelt.=20 But how many more generations of kids are going to be impacted by = what=92s going=20 on in the public schools?=94

Sponsors pitch in, as do kids

Once a week, senior Vincent Magee hops on a 7:30 = a.m. bus at=20 De La Salle with the rest of his grade-level classmates and gets dropped = off at=20 Tonkon Torp LLC, a downtown law firm.

He and every other student at the school = participate in a=20 corporate internship program, both to gain exposure to the professional = world=20 and to help pay his tuition.

Two-thirds of the students receive financial aid, = and none=20 are rejected because of an inability to pay. Tuition also is set low, = $2,400 per=20 year, to make the school affordable for the families it wishes to serve, = Hennessy said.

=93Our mission is to provide education only for = families of=20 these neighborhoods,=94 he says. =93If you make too much money, you = can=92t go=20 here.=94

Magee, who wears a permanent grin, is gung-ho about = the work=20 he=92s doing. =93I thought I=92d work for a fast-food company or = something,=94 he said.=20 =93I was scared. But it=92s pretty simple. I archive stuff constantly. = Everything=20 current ends up being old. This year I archived 250 boxes.=94

In all, De La Salle North has about 60 corporate = sponsors,=20 including Columbia Sportswear Co., the Trail Blazers, Xerox, = Freightliner LLC=20 and New Seasons Market. Each company (except the nonprofits) pays the = school=20 $20,000 and receives a team of four student interns who split the = 40-hour=20 workweek.

Magee holds a 3.0 GPA and plans to attend college = in Florida=20 next year to study business. He did a lot of moving around the country = with his=20 family, and when he was a sophomore in high school in Florida, he ended = up=20 dealing drugs.

If he hadn=92t enrolled in De La Salle when he came = to=20 Portland, he said: =93I=92d probably be with my friends getting in a lot = of trouble.=20 I can=92t hang with them because some are involved in stuff I don=92t = want to=20 do.=94

Some go private and public

The school=92s work program also was a major draw = for Kay=20 Castillo, a Northeast Portland mother of five who just received the = acceptance=20 letter for her oldest son, Isauwni, who now attends Tubman Middle = School.

If he hadn=92t been accepted, Castillo said, she = doesn=92t know=20 what she would have done. She had heard so much positive buzz about De = La=20 Salle=92s program =97 particularly its gospel choir and small = student-teacher ratio=20 (17-to-1) =97 that she was counting on it.

=93I just felt he deserves a better education, and = if we were=20 able to provide it for him, that=92s what we wanted to do,=94 she said. = The work=20 program will teach =93how to function in society as young adults, be = accountable,=20 responsible, will teach him basically how it=92s going to be when you = get out in=20 the work force.=94

In the ongoing discussions over school choice, = community=20 members have argued that the public charter schools =93steal=94 students = away from=20 the neighborhood schools, but private schools haven=92t entered into the = equation.

=93My personal thought is private schools are a = different=20 beast=94 because of the money factor, said Julie Poust, a Southeast = Portland=20 parent with one child in private school and one in public school.

As a public school advocate, Poust said she often = struggles=20 with her choice, but she said she simply sought out the smaller class = size she=20 thought was best for her kindergarten daughter.

=93There are reasons usually that people send kids = to private=20 school other than =91I don=92t like my neighborhood school,=92 =94 she = said.

Doretta Schrock, vice president of the Kenton = Neighborhood=20 Association, doesn=92t have children in school but was mired in the = debate last=20 year about De La Salle=92s move into the old public school building. = Neighbors=20 think the school is a good fit for the location, she said; the anger = came from=20 the closure of Kenton school.

=93What it comes down to is there are parts of the = city where=20 if you want the best education for your kid, you have to leave your = neighborhood=20 school,=94 she said. =93The problem is there are schools = underperforming. If we=20 didn=92t have underperforming schools, it wouldn=92t be an issue.=94

jenniferanderson@portlandtribune.com =

Reader comments

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Wow, a school that actually teaches both the = things=20 necessary to succeed in this world (english, math, science, social = studies,=20 etc.) but also insists that the kids learn what the real work world is = all=20 about. Note, this school isn't concerned with the '...ivities' = (creativity,=20 diversity, sensitivity, etc.) and the school is doing well. Anyone care = to pit a=20 "C" student from a public high school in a standardized test (SAT = perhaps)=20 against a "C" student from this school? Students can succeed, any = student can=20 but they need to be made to understand that THEY are responsible for = success or=20 failure. They need to do what is expected of them or they will fail. The = utter=20 nonsense that we waste money and time on in the public schools is a = shame and a=20 sham.

"Native Oregonian"

(Not verified)

Tue, May 08, 2007 at 05:31 PM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

=93The existing school is a minor expansion, and = they=92re a=20 very special program,=94 he said. =93We looked at it as a = win-win.=94

I think the reporter would do well to take this = a little=20 further to the back room meetings and the Broad Foundation participation = of=20 creating opportunities for private schools to take over public school = seats.=20 Don't just look at the surface. Why was Kenton closed, then a new = charter school=20 placed in DeLaSalle's location? BROAD FOUNDATION!!!!!!!!!! Why was = Kenton closed=20 and Cathy Mincberg now wants a bond measure to build new schools for = projected=20 rising enrollmentss? Ask some tougher questions, please, and leave out = the fluff=20 pieces in your paper.

"meagan"

(Not verified)

Wed, May 09, 2007 at 10:56 PM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

There was a great article in the NY times about = the no=20 child left behind act and why our schools are failing. It was called = "What it=20 takes to make a student" They touched on charter and private schools and = the one=20 thing they pointed out is they make both the parents and the child = responsible=20 for their education. If the child dosen't live up to their end of the = bargin=20 they are shown the door. Poverty is a big part of the problem they have = found=20 that children that live in poverty do not get the right support and lack = in=20 education due to the fact that their parents lack in education. At one = time in=20 America it was ok to graduate from high school get a job and stay there = for 20=20 years and retire. Those jobs are gone and a high school diploma is worth = less=20 you need a minimum of a Ass. degree any more and soon that will not be = good=20 enough either. Private schools work because they focus on teaching not=20 socializing. If a child keeps messing up they are given the boot. Our = public=20 schools are failing because their hands are tied and there are to many = laws=20 controlling how to deal with problem children that our schools are full = of. Take=20 for example the kid getting the crap beat out of him and then the six = kids put=20 it on you tube. As a father if I saw my child while he was at school = getting the=20 crap kicked out of him in the bathroom not only would I sue the school = but I=20 would press charges against all of them and I would go as far to say I = might=20 show up at their houses and kick the crap out of them or scare they hell = out of=20 their parents. Public schools for the most part are just daycare = centers. We=20 need to over haul them and start taking care of the children that were = here=20 first and require that children must speak english first. You will find = if you=20 go to other countries they are not going to make special exceptions for = you. We=20 cannot cater to everyone there has to be a line drawn wher the parents = are held=20 responsible for their childs actions.

"TEH"

(Not verified)

Thu, May 10, 2007 at 09:45 AM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Wow Meagan - talk about ignoring the elephant in = the=20 middle of the room AND living a conspiracy theory. You could be right = but from=20 what I've seen, Kenton was closed due to not enough children in the = neighborhood=20 coming to it.

The elephant that you are ignoring is the one = the TEH=20 talked about. The one that NCLB tried to address (with mixed results). = The=20 public schools do a crappy job of teaching the kids. They do it because = the=20 'kids' have been told about all the 'rights' that they have. One of the = 'rights'=20 has translated into "If you want to come that's okay, if you don't = that's okay=20 too. If you want to do the homework, that's okay, if you don't that's = okay too."=20 The public schools get money based on how many kids are sitting in the = seats.=20 They do whatever it takes to keep that number up, who cares if the kids = learn=20 anything, we just need the numbers, we want the money.

Add to that the nonsense with all the = sensitivity nonsense=20 that they waste time trying to 'teach'. Diversity, creativity, = sensitivity -=20 instead of teaching reading, writing and math. Who is going to have an = easier=20 time as an adult, someone who excels in sensitivity or someone who can = write at=20 college level (the sensitivity person can barely write at 3rd grade = level). The=20 PC correct nonsense has just taken more time away from what they kids = should be=20 taught.

Might there have been a conspiracy to 'take = Kenton away'=20 maybe, but I wouldn't place my bets there. Instead of beating a dead = horse (the=20 closing of Kenton) I'd work at trying to get my child into De La Salle = North -=20 it certainly beats the so-called education that they hand out in the = public high=20 schools.

"Concerned Parent"

(Not verified)

Thu, May 10, 2007 at 08:46 PM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

As a former PPS teacher at Kenton I am delighted = to hear=20 it has reopened and how intelligently the programs are being run. I = especially=20 like the internships. Kenton is a special school with a

wonderful feeling and so glad it is = continuing.

"fs"

(Not verified)

Thu, May 10, 2007 at 10:14 PM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Concerned Parent: You are buying into media = hype. Get=20 educated.

"Meagan"

(Not verified)

Sat, May 12, 2007 at 10:39 AM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

The problem with PPS is they over built plain = and simple.=20 And as concerned parent stated they are right they get money when the = kids come=20 through the door not when they are absent. From my experience as a = volunteer=20 behavioral problems are growing leaps and bounds along with children who = cannot=20 read and write. I see it in my daughters school how half the class can = read and=20 write while the other half struggles. Race is not the issue nor is the = not being=20 able to speak english so much it is the home life and the lack of = education they=20 get there. Vicki Phillips did nothing more then come in and take a look = at the=20 over head and say wow we have to many schools and not enough kids to = fill the=20 seats. So she did what any business would do cut over head and shut = doors just=20 like any other American company. Charter schools get private funding so = I think=20 we use the money issue as a scape goat we have plenty of money for our = schools=20 we are just not using it wisely. When you go hire a person based on his = color to=20 run Lincoln at 120k a year and do not do a good back ground check those = are the=20 mistakes that cost us the most. We need to get rid of middle management = and some=20 upper management and quit over paying them and hire more teachers and = pay them=20 more. It is just stupid to pay a person 200k a year to run the PPS = system.=20 Phillips has been divorced twice she cannot even keep her own personal = affairs=20 in order how do you expect her to run a school system. I want more = charter=20 schools they run them like the military and do not put up with children = that act=20 up they make the parent deal with it. So bring them on. Our biggest = problem is=20 we keep doing business the same old way and do not change. We must = embrace=20 change and follow through we it. I do not have respect for Phillips she = came in=20 and pulled all the drawers out of the dresser, and dumped all the = clothes on the=20 floor, and said ok I am leaving now you guys clean it up. We must give = the=20 control back to the schools and take away a majority of he rights away = from the=20 students and parents to a certain extent. Start teaching instead of = being a=20 daycare center. We have a big problem and it is only going to get bigger = unless=20 some one can take control of it we are hurting those children the most = who want=20 to learn because we are spending all of our time teaching those who do = not want=20 to or who cannot speak english. America needs to make English our = primary=20 language and stick with it. I am tired of paying for programs in public = schools=20 that do nothing for my children. I shelled out 3k extra for that Eye Tax = how=20 many others did not. I was punished because I make money same with the = free=20 lunch program that 85% of the children Take atvantage of at Mill Park = Elementary=20 school and my child does not because I make to much money. All I ever do = is pay=20 pay pay I want results and if I do not get them pretty soon I plan to = start a=20 class action law suit against the public school system. So stop = complaining=20 about school closures and start volunteering and helping get involved = our=20 teachers need our help let them know you care if you do not have time = them go=20 buy some school supplies and give them to your childs teacher you would = be=20 suprised how many kids parents do not even have money for pencils.

"TEH"

(Not verified)

Sat, May 12, 2007 at 10:51 AM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Trading public school seats for private seats is = a Broad=20 Foundation goal. You got that right Meagan. And the goal is alive and = well in=20 North Portland, thanks to Vicki Phillips addition of Broad Foundtion = memebers in=20 the PPS hierarchy. There is a very real agenda to dismantle public = schools, and=20 since the public buys into this hook line and sinker, there seems little = hope of=20 saving our schools. Kenton is gone, just as the Kenton neighborhood is = filling=20 up with new young families who want to know where they are going to send = their=20 kids to kindergarten. Chief Joseph...full...Ockley=20 Green...full.....Peninsula...full....hmmm....see a trend here....??? But = hey!=20 There are two new charter schools opening up....just down the = road.....No union=20 problems,,,only half the teachers even have to be certified....but they = have all=20 those things like art, music and pe that our public schools just can't = seem to=20 afford...wonder where those kids will end up.

"doug"

(Not verified)

Sat, May 12, 2007 at 10:54 AM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Dear fs: that would now not be Kenton = School...that would=20 be a private Catholic school...DeLaSalle...Private, not public. Why = wasn't our=20 district focusing on providing those programs at Jefferson or Roosevelt, = instead=20 of giving away our neighborhood school?

"meagan"

(Not verified)

Sat, May 12, 2007 at 11:54 AM

Re: Wariness of school gives way to = approval

Because we are paying people like Vikie Phillips = 200k a=20 year to come in and ruin things and create bigger problems the women has = been=20 divorced twice and cannot even handle her own personal affairs let alone = our=20 public schools. We have to much middle management who is getting paid = way to=20 much and then we hire a principal out of Texas because he is black at a = 120k a=20 year salary the highest paid principal in PPS to run Lincoln, then he = gets into=20 trouble, teachers do not get along with him so now all of a sudden he is = on paid=20 medical leave. Get ready for the biggest law suit it is coming and you = wonder=20 why phillips left hummmm. When you make bad choices you get bad results. = We need=20 to quite hiring people based on their gender and color and start hiring = people=20 who have a proven track record at getting results. Heck I would do Vicki = Phillips job for 75k a year and donate the rest of the salary back to = the=20 schools and do a way better job, but there is one problem I am white and = a male.=20 Megan have you spent any time in various classrooms in public schools? = There are=20 some schools that are doing awsome and it is because the teacher has = control of=20 the classroom and the kids want to learn and most of all the parents = care. I am=20 here to tell you from personal experience it is the same kids that are = causing=20 the problems in the classroom each year. A lot of children in our public = schools=20 just cannot read and write let alone do math due to the fact that there = parents=20 are not very educated.In private schools if you child doesn't speak = english and=20 cannot test in the middle level they are not allowed in. Why? Because = they will=20 only suffer and hold back the rest of the class. How do I know my oldest = child=20 spent three years in private school. Last year Lake Oswego's parents = raised over=20 2 million in fund raising and hired two extra teachers. You want to know = what=20 they all have in common? Degree's they are educated and hold good paying = jobs.=20 That is the key to the future. I talk to so many kids and young adults = who do=20 not have a clue or insight to what the future holds for them nor do they = really=20 give a rip due to money or parents that do not give a rip about them. A=20 highschool diploma use to get you a good job it doesn't anymore. If we = do not=20 start looking at our schools as a business of producing academically = sound and=20 solid young Americans this world is in big trouble. In the future = children of=20 the next generation will be competing with every human being globally = not just=20 locally for a job and the job market is shrinking due to technology = which will=20 eventually put the common person out of work. Again people do not focus = on the=20 real problem they get tunnel vision it is like abortion. We never look = at the=20 real problem which is why are women getting pregnent and not wanting the = child=20 in the first place fix that problem and the abortion issue will go away. = Second=20 why is the death penalty so wrong? If you get rid of crime then the = death=20 penalty would not be an issue focus on the cause of the problem first = which is=20 why are so many kids failing in school? Find the answer to that question = and=20 come up with a solution and people will knock on your door with buckets = of 100=20 dollar bills to give to you.