Category SCHOOLS
Salem-Keizer’s first woman principal remembered at Celebration of Leadership
Erik Jespersen, McNary High School principal, shows the plaque that will honor the late Kathleen Hanneman, the school’s former principal (Mary Louise VanNatta/Special to Salem Reporter) McNary High School Principal Erik Jespersen knew he had “big heels to fill” when taking on the job. He…
Pandemic widens graduation inequities for Salem high schoolers
A student at a North Salem High School graduation ceremony on Thursday, August 6, 2020 (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) More than 1,000 students in Salem who began high school last year aren’t on track to graduate on time, a marked increase from the pace before the…
One month into school, few Covid outbreaks among kids in Salem
A sign in a third grade classroom on the first day of school at Liberty Elementary School on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Salem – and the rest of Oregon – haven’t seen a spike in kids seriously ill with Covid since local…
Salem teacher gets community boost to expand classroom library
Teacher Kalia Flocker holds books she bought for her classroom library at Lamb Elementary on Sept. 28, 2021 after a crowdfunding campaign. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Kalia Flocker has spent years building up her classroom library for students at Lamb Elementary. But when she met her…
An old toy store is now home to Salem’s newest career education program
Cosmetology student Katherine Gonzalez, a senior from Woodburn High School, practices on her mannequin at Willamette Career Academy on Sept. 16, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Mason Cushway hopes to become a neurosurgeon someday. But the junior at Falls City High School said his rural school…
Wing space for distance and individual pencil sets as Salem kinders return to school
Kindergarten students get their wiggles out on the first day of class at Brush College Elementary School on Sept. 15, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) More Salem kindergarteners are heading back into public school classrooms this fall after enrollment fell sharply last year. As of Thursday…
In Salem, students no longer need to be expelled or fail classes to attend alternative school
Beyonce Ramirez wasn’t using drugs when a school counselor asked her if she was high during her freshman year at McNary High School. But Ramirez had been struggling for months, feeling overlooked and overwhelmed in a school with 2,000 students, while being told she couldn’t…
PHOTOS: School is back in Salem
First grade teacher Adelyn Rowland works with Gracie Sligh during the first day back to school at Liberty Elementary School on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Student mentor Yilda Yamilex Molina-Cruz, right, gives directions to senior Atziry Velazquez on the first day of…
“Incredibly exciting”: Salem students back in schools
Senior Saeeda Ibrahim talks to sophomore Victoria Lopez during orchestra class on the first day of school at North Salem High School on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Almost everyone inside North Salem High School looked lost Wednesday morning. That’s typical for high…