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 over 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.
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…
At Hoover Elementary, fourth-grade students launch all-digital newspaper
Jared Vergara Santana writes down research questions for his newspaper article in the Hoover Elementary School library on Oct. 29, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) A dozen fourth-grade students at Hoover Elementary School bent over papers, brainstorming questions they wanted to…
AGENDA: Hear the latest on Salem-Keizer school construction
Project coordinator Joe Bonanno shows a new career and technical education addition under construction on the south side of North Salem High School (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Want to learn more about how Salem-Keizer school officials are spending hundreds of millions…
With more state money on the horizon, some push for art in local schools
Third-grade student Levi Black cuts out a shape during an art lesson at Salem Heights Elementary School on Oct. 18, 2019 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Third-grade students in a Salem Heights Elementary classroom listened eagerly as Laura Mack explained their task.…
Superintendent says Salem-Keizer bus driver shortage “catastrophic”
School buses parked in the Salem-Keizer School District lot on Hawthorne Avenue (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Bus driver shortages are a common problem across school districts, but Salem-Keizer’s has gotten bad enough that the district soon may not be able to…
“Choose to Stay” concert Friday pays tribute to Sprague student who died by suicide
Aaron Brown, right, and the bench installed in his memory at Kalapuya Elementary School (Courtesy/DeLee Brown) One year ago, DeLee Brown marched at the Oregon State Capitol to remember her son Aaron, who died by suicide. Now, she’s planning to…
Oregon “falling behind” on college affordability, data shows
Chemeketa Community College graduates wave to audience members as the 2019 ceremony begins (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Funding for Oregon’s colleges and universities has recovered from cuts during the Great Recession, but students are paying far more in tuition than they…