Julie Cleave, reading specialist at Hallman Elementary School, helps students learn about length and measurement. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Lauren Korrell, 9, hugs her principal, Jessica Brenden at Hallman Elementary (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Some Hallman Elementary students finish their breakfast during the Morning Meeting at the start of the school day Wednesday March 13, 2019 (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Jessica Brenden, Hallman Elementary principal, leads her students chanting an affirmation during the Morning Meeting Wednesday March 13, 2019. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
A Hallman student sports a school shirt. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Julie Cleave, reading specialist at Hallman Elementary School in Salem, pauses for a moment in the principal’s office amidst the many handwritten planning notes on the walls. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman students gather during the school’s morning assembly. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Many (but not all) students begin their school day at Hallman Elementary School with a healthy breakfast in the cafeteria. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman Elementary teacher Carrie Clancy walks the hall with Bernardo Soto Maldanado (white shirt) and Braiden Rojas (left). (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Jessica Brenden, Hallman Elementary principal, shouts encouragement to some of her students competing in a fun game at the start of the school day (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman Elementary principal, Jessica Brenden photographed in her office Wednesday March 13, 2019. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Allison Silbernagel, school counselor at Hallman Elementary greets a student at the beginning of the school day (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Students and staff at Hallman Elementary recite the Pledge of Allegiance during their Morning Meeting Wednesday March 13, 2019. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman Huskies visitor badges sit in the school office (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman Elementary principal, Jessica Brenden photographed in her office Wednesday March 13, 2019. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Hallman has seen higher rates of staff turnover, a common thread among high-poverty schools, but principal Jessica Brenden said those numbers are starting to stabilize. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
Built in 2001, Hallman sits in a neighborhood of rental houses and apartments just south of where Portland Road meets Interstate 5 and serves a diverse group of about 420 students. (Fred Joe/Special to Salem Reporter)
These photos are part of a five-part series examining the Salem-Keizer School District’s most challenged elementary schools.
Part 1: Salem schools struggle with shifting politics, challenging demographics, lagging students
Part 2: Four Corners educators fight the odds to boost student literacy
Part 3: Hallman Elementary turns federal money into student success
Coming tomorrow: For three years, Highland Elementary School has posted better-than-average results among Salem’s high-poverty schools, with high student growth. The student body has shifted in that time, with fewer Latino and English-learning students enrolling, but stability and a consistent bilingual program have also helped.
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