Superintendent's Update
April 4, 2025
Deven received substantial support for her nomination, which included peers, partners, students, and families all offering insight as to Deven’s work in support of transition aged students in the Centennial School District.
In addition to winning the Excellent Teacher Award, Deven has also been nominated for PGE Parks Champion Award by the Portland Parks Foundation for her work with the Special Educator Program at CTC. Deven will be recognized as a nominee on May 21, when the award winners will be announced.
Congratulations to Deven Kautza for these recognitions of your dedicated work!
On March 11th, Centennial High School's 11th-12th grade Spanish Language Arts (SLA) class, as well as the SUN SLA class, had the incredible opportunity to attend a live recording of OPB’s "Think Out Loud" at McDaniel High School. The event featured Javier Zamora, author of the memoir Solito that the SLA students were reading in their class. These students also had the chance to meet Zamora, ask questions, and have their books personally signed.
As noted by SLA instructor Jessica Orellana Lima, "This experience is a powerful example of culturally relevant teaching in action. By reading narratives that reflect their communities, engaging in translanguaging as a tool for deeper comprehension, and learning in an environment where their home language is valued and respected, students experience authentic, meaningful, and rigorous literacy development."
Events such as this demonstrate the importance of creating spaces where multilingual students thrive academically and personally. Centennial High School's SLA for Heritage Speakers program supports literacy skills and Language Arts standards by developing critical reading, writing, and analytical skills for students who are native or heritage Spanish-speakers, while also fostering bilingualism and biliteracy. Students in this program encounter learning materials and experiences that validate their lived experiences and empower them through literature, providing relevant and engaging learning opportunities.
This year, our Dining Services team has worked diligently to bring Farm-to-School products into all school cafeterias throughout the District. The Farm-to-School program connects schools with locally or regionally grown, raised, or harvested food products, bringing quality Oregon products into our cafeterias. Farm-to-School products improve student nutrition while also supporting Oregon and Washington’s agricultural vendors, allowing our District to reinvest in our local economy while providing healthy options to our students.
Throughout this year, students have received a variety of farm-to-school products with their school meals. Examples include:
Peppers from Full Cellar Farm in Boring for October’s “Crunch” event
Pasture-raised turkey from Champoeg Farms in St. Paul for November’s Gratitude Meal
BBQ Sauce from Felton & Mary’s, a Portland-based Black-owned food company
Fresh local fruit provided by Willamette Pie, including mixed berry, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches
Today (April 4) CHS served Columbia River steelhead, with a local marionberry-huckleberry glaze made by Oregon Hill Farms. This fish is provided by Pacific Seafood in partnership with the Colville Confederated Tribes and farmed from Nespelem, Washington.
Future events this Spring will include: Local purple broccoli next week from Sun Love Farm, fresh asparagus, beef hot dogs and hamburgers from Zenner's Meats, Dover sole fish tacos on May 5 from Pacific Seafood, and a special cold entree of bay shrimp ceviche with chips at CHS.
Kim Burns, Director of Dining Services shared, “We are so grateful for the Farm-to-School program, which brings Oregon’s incredible bounty to our students. By connecting local farms with our cafeterias, we nourish our children with fresh, nutritious meals while supporting the hardworking farmers who make it all possible. Thank you for helping us grow a healthier future—one meal at a time!”
As part of our ongoing effort to extend preschool services across our District, we are pleased to announce that Centennial will be expanding preschool classrooms to Meadows Elementary and Patrick Lynch Elementary starting in the 2025-26 school year. Both schools will have two preschool classrooms, intended to serve 15 students in each class. These preschool classes are supported through the Multnomah County Preschool for All program.
Additionally, the Little Eagles preschool at Centennial High School will also transition to a Preschool for All location, converting the two current half-day classes into a single full-day classroom.
Preschool registration for 2025-26 is now open through April 30, 2025. To enroll, children must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, 2025, and have a parent or legal guardian living in Multnomah County. For more information on applying, please visit the link below.