MEMO BLOG Memo Calendar Memo Pad Business Memos Loaves & Fishes Letters Home
FEATURE ARTICLES
Choirs perform to benefit local families
Dealers, neighbors seek 122nd Avenue regulation changes
Artistic activities director has gallery showing
Russell Rockets stride forward in pride
From Oregon to Texas: ‘Old friends I just met’
Elements at Gateway to include senior housing
A look back at what was happening in July 1988
Memo Web log (or blog) is here for readers to peruse, use
Monthly quote

About the MEMO
MEMO Archives
MEMO Advertising
MEMO Country (Map)
MEMO Web Neighbors
MEMO Staff
MEMO BLOG

© 2006 Mid-county MEMO
Terms & Conditions
Russell Rockets stride forward in pride

LEE PERLMAN
THE MID-COUNTY MEMO

Russell Academy of Academic achievement Principal Jeff Rose, left, accepts his well-earned Educator of the Year award from Oregon State Rep. Jeff Merkley at the 2005 Mid-county Memo Community Awards ceremony held in May.
MEMO PHOTO: TIM CURRAN
It’s easy to spot Russell Academy students. From the waist down, they’re clad in blue, whether the garments are slacks, shorts, skirts, skorts or jumpers (the last three for girls, of course), but no jeans or sweats. Above this they wear white shirts with no logos.

Yep, it’s a uniform, and in other parts of town the opposition to the same was so strong that the Portland School Board backed down on the idea. In Parkrose, the school district and community bought it because it came as part of a bigger transformation.

The inspiration came from Principal Jeff Rose, then in his second year at what was then Russell Elementary School. “We felt we were still a good school, but that that was not good enough for our students,” he told the Memo. “We spent a year in planning, and we did research on how people would react.” When they did move forward, there were “some questions, even some concerns, but in the end they accepted it.”

What they accepted was a broad strategy that has as its base the following belief: “We believe that all students have the ability to succeed regardless of their background. With the right structure and the right support, if we do the right things at school, we can meet high standards.”

Among these “right things” is this: “We cater instruction to the kids,” Rose said. “We have clear standards, but different approaches to different kids. When we teach a particular subject, we know that some second grade students are performing at a fourth-grade level, and some are performing at a kindergarten level.” Therefore, the entire staff is utilized to teach students in small groups, at a level they are best able to absorb. To bring this about, “we do a lot of assessing,” Rose said. There is also a lot of structure: “Everybody at every minute of the day is scheduled to be at a certain place at a certain time.” Their report cards are part of the assessment process, providing more information than the traditional letter grades used to do.

There are also after-school learning programs for students who can benefit from them. Finally, there are psychological tools to instill a positive mind set, of which the uniforms are just a start. Each day all students recite the following pledge:

“I believe I can achieve and succeed. I know that today will influence what I become tomorrow. I will be a good listener. I will respect my classmates. It is my decision. I will be safe. I will be kind. I will be a learner. I am smart. I have potential. I am unique. I am a Russell Rocket.”

One thing the school does not have is the “zero tolerance” for problem behavior embraced by some inner-city principals. “I don’t ascribe to the ‘watchtower’ theory,” Rose said. “Our approach of individualizing applies to discipline as well. We definitely have standards, but you need to look to the circumstances.”

And how has it all gone over? According to Rose, since the academy came into being three years ago, a grand total of two families have left the school. On the other hand, a large number have transferred in, including some home-schooled students whose parents had written off the public school system. There have been so many, in fact, that Russell has had to turn some away for lack of room.

No wonder. Since the Academy came into existence, its state rating has risen from “satisfactory” to “exceptional.” It is, in fact, rated one of the 12 best elementary schools in Oregon. This despite, as Rose pointed out, “We have more English as a Learned Language students, and students from poverty backgrounds, than ever before.” In fact, he said, whites are now the lowest performing ethnic group in the school, which is not a slap at them as much as a tribute to students motivated to overcome barriers.

Rose has won the hearts and minds of school parents as well. The proof, as the Memo reported last month, is a revamped gymnasium courtesy of the PTA. The floors have been refinished, the walls repainted, the basketball hoops repaired, a new drinking fountain donated and then installed by a parent plumber. They sold off pieces of the old theatre curtain and used the proceeds to purchase a new one.

“There’s a tremendous amount of caring about this school,” parent Christy Sepich said. “I was struck by how well they work together, how much time they were willing to contribute.”

Rose is more modest about this aspect of the school. “We wanted them to believe in what we’re doing, and we’ve achieved that,” he said. “In terms of involvement, we’ve made progress, but we’d always love more. We have a ways to go.”

Memo Calendar | Memo Pad | Business Memos | Loaves & Fishes | Letters | About the MEMO
MEMO Advertising | MEMO Archives | MEMO Web Neighbors | MEMO Staff | Home