Rieke Parking Lot Construction Nearing Completion

After more than a year of construction, most of the work on the Rieke parking lot has been completed. Work remains to be done on the storm water planter at the south end of the campus, and the northern portions of the lot will undergo improvements later this year. Rieke principal Jon Jeans notes that he has shared community concerns over the height of the speed bumps, which conform to the specifications required by the City and Fire Bureau but have been a source of complaints from drivers.

Free Meal Distribution

Portland Public Schools, in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture, provides free grab-and-go meals  to children ages 1-18 regardless of school enrollment. Seven days worth of meals are provided Monday-Friday from 3:30-4:30.  Ida B. Wells High School and Robert Gray Middle School are pick-up points for free meals. No ID or registration is required.

New Mascot Selection for Ida B. Wells Put on Hold

Following an earlier announcement that the school would be known as the Evergreens, replacing the Trojan, the school and the district have now gone back to the drawing board in their search for a new mascot.

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In a message on the school website Principal Filip Hristić said: "After further discussion, reflection, and consideration, the renaming committee and I determined that Evergreens is not an appropriate mascot for our school.  While the Evergreens certainly do symbolize strength and vitality for many cultural, regional, and racial groups, Evergreens can also evoke painful memories of brutal lynchings that Ida B. Wells reported on."

The mascot selection committee hopes to make a new nomination to the school board on April 13.