The gym and track at the downtown Salem YMCA. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem’s YMCA is scaling back plans for a new building and turning to borrowed money to begin construction this year after early fundraising efforts came up short. Leaders say they’ll begin demolition in early fall for a new[Read More…]
Rachel Alexander
Student leaders take pride in graduation improvements at North
David New, a 2018 graduate from North Salem High School, speaks about how he earned a diploma. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) David New wasn’t sure how far behind he was in school. At the start of his senior year at North Salem High School in 2017, he assumed he was so[Read More…]
Graduation rates up at every Salem-Keizer high school, mirroring state gains
North Salem High School saw significant gains in 2018 graduation rates. (Salem Reporter files) Graduation rates are up at every high school in Salem-Keizer, according to state data released Thursday. Those gains mirror increases across Oregon, where the percentage of students completing high school in four years grew to 78.7[Read More…]
North, McKay see gains in graduation rates by targeting struggling seniors
Rosa Rivera, counselor at North Salem High School, talks to a student during an advisory period. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) North Salem High School counselor Rosa Rivera was all business as she addressed the seniors trickling in to the school’s upstairs auditorium. “Do you have your schedule?” she asked, checking each[Read More…]
St. Edward asks court to dismiss school district’s eminent domain case, citing religious freedom
The vacant field owned by St. Edward Catholic Church. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The Keizer church facing a forced land sale to accommodate a growing McNary High School contends that school officials are violating the parish’s religious freedom. In a Jan. 18 court filing, St. Edward Catholic Church asked the court[Read More…]
UPDATED: Police remove burglar from Summer Street home after six-hour standoff
(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) After a six-hour standoff, Salem police Tuesday removed a burglar who holed up inside a stranger’s home on Northeast Summer Street earlier in the morning. The man is being treated for injuries, police said. No one else was hurt. The man broke into several homes[Read More…]
School board wants to hear from you about proposed Salem-Keizer boundary changes
The Salem-Keizer School Board is seeking comments about a plan to change school boundaries that would affect thousands of students and families. The new boundaries, together with ongoing school construction, are designed to address overcrowding based on population projections and would take effect next school year. Families can seek an[Read More…]
PHOTOS: Hundreds march to Capitol to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Cynthia Richardson, the Salem-Keizer school district’s director of equity, sings “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” at Salem’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Jan. 21, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Several hundred people marched from North Salem High School to the Oregon Capitol to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in[Read More…]
High school students lead Salem reflection on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
High school students march to the Oregon Capitol to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) With Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s face projected on a screen behind her, Leanette Mabinton whipped her braids across her face and raised her arms in dancing praise. The McKay High School[Read More…]
Taylor’s House offers a home for young people with nowhere else to go
Tricia Ratliff, who runs youth services for the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, explains how the house chore board works. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Most of the young people living at Taylor’s House are reluctant to talk about their lives with strangers. But a row of cubbies along the living room[Read More…]