Students at Southeast Portland’s awkwardly named Clark K-8 @ Binnsmead have devised an ingenious marketing campaign for their school — and they’re not even charging for their ideas. (Though that would be par for the course in Portland Public Schools.)
Ralph Leftwich, a school volunteer at Clark, reports that the day after the Nov. 4 election students at Clark were chanting “O-ba-ma” in the school cafeteria and filling out forms requesting that their school be renamed for the president-elect. “The buzz was big and high about it,” Leftwich says.
Lucky for the students, they could actually get their wish: The Montavilla school is currently in the process of finding a new moniker. And since César E. Chávez , Beverly Cleary and Rosa Parks are already spoken for, Obama seems like a natural contender.
Added bonus: The huge market for Obama keepsakes and apparel could make bake sales a thing of the past at Clark.
- Hurray for Ramona and Ribsy! Northeast Portland School to be named for Beverly Cleary As a pare
- A Free Ride For Portland High School Students This morn
- Barack To School Fashions What Obama
- OSU Hoops Coach Back in Portland to Stump for Brother-In-Law Barack Obama Oregon St
- Oregon Schools See Spike In Homeless Students We know t
Tags: Children are the Future
This is an excellent idea: timely, unique, and an obvious money-maker. I’d buy ten Obama High sweatshirts on day of issue, and give them to my Iowa relatives who, incredibly, voted Obama but look over their shoulder before they admit it in a whisper on a phone.
Say it loud, he’s Barack and I’m proud. Wear this and rise up, corn people. Oregon: Things are different here, and Rod Serling stands at all the exit signs to Portland.
Yet another ray of hope for schools …
Please do it. Make it happen. In Oregon, cream rises and sparks fly upward.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. The school has formed a naming committee charged with soliciting feedback and providing the superintendent with a list of name recommendations.
The naming committee is currently taking all suggestions and Barack Obama was one of them. Think of it as a community-wide brainstorm session.
The committee will review all suggestions and create a finalist list the school community will use to vote for their favorite. Any name finalist must meet defined criteria: http://www.pps.k12.or.us/directives-c/pol-reg/2/20/2_20_010_P.pdf
The committee will then decide on three to five name choices to send to the superintendent.
Matt’s right. School naming is ultimately determined by the Superintendent and school board.
-Siskiyou Ridge
Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but he hasn’t even taken office yet.
I going to yuke!
Shouldn’t we wait until he’s…umm…done something?
Or would that be racist?
i got to the scool and i voted for Obama
As a former student i would rather leave it as Binnsmead Middle School.
You guys need to get your heads out of the clouds.
Doesnt Obama have to be deceased to use his name?
We had a Ronald Reagan national airport long before Reagan died.
It’s still National to me.