Rachel Alexander
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
Chavez counselor brings deep compassion – and a gecko – to help struggling kids
Chavez Elementary counselor Crystal Armstrong leads a lesson in a first-grade class about the parts of the brain. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Parents, students and colleagues nominated 53 local educators for Crystal Apple Awards this year. The award, given annually by the Salem-Keizer…
Schirle PE teachers use cowbells, ugly sweaters, disco alter-egos to inspire
Christi Kurtz, a Schirle Elementary PE teacher, cheers a student on with cowbells during a jogging lesson on Nov. 7, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Parents, students and colleagues nominated 53 local educators for Crystal Apple Awards this year. The award, given annually…
Oregon now lets you turn empty bottles and cans into college savings
Chuck Zobrist sorts empty bottles and cans dropped off by a neighbor to redeem for charity. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Empty bottles and cans are the latest way for Oregonians to save for college. A new partnership between BottleDrop and the…
Salem teen parents honor bus driver for inspiring them to graduate
Bus driver Terry Woods holds one-year-old Kash Bledsoe, one of his regular bus riders, at Salem-Keizer’s Teen Parent Program (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Parents, students and colleagues nominated 53 local educators for Crystal Apple Awards this year. The award, given annually…
AGENDA: Salem-Keizer board will appoint budget committee members
The 2019-20 Salem-Keizer School Board (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Salem-Keizer school board members will fill two vacancies on the district’s budget committee at their meeting Tuesday night, picking from among 15 people who have applied for the volunteer role. Committee members…
Thousands more Oregon kids can attend free preschool next fall
Preschool students play in a Salem-Keizer classroom at the East Salem Community Center on Oct. 22, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Oregon will spend millions of dollars to allow thousands more kids to attend preschool next fall, including tripling the size…
Young Latino artists highlight school-to-prison pipeline in graffiti exhibition
Tony Villaneda touches up a painting in a graffiti art exhibit about the school-to-prison pipeline in the Bush Barn Annex on Nov. 7, 2019. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) The smell of spray paint hung thick in the air of the Bush…
Unapologetic ska fan anchors 105.5 The Moon’s quirky sound
Darbie Versoza in the studio for her show on 105.5 The Moon (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) On air, Darbie Versoza introduces herself as “Darbie, your one friend who still listens to ska.” Her Tuesday show on The Moon, Salem’s homegrown indie…
Tell Salem-Keizer how you’d spend $35 million on local students
Jared Vergara Santana, left, Evelyn Francis, right, Iris Johnson, right back and Lillyana Green, back left, write during class at Hoover Elementary School. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Want a say in how $35 million is spent in local schools? Salem-Keizer School…
West Salem robotics teacher wins presidential award
West Salem robotics and computer science teacher Greg Smith was honored with a 2019 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) There’s not much lecturing in Greg Smith’s class. Within the first 15 minutes, students…