The Guardian Gazette

Please scroll down to find more specific information about each of these events. If there is no information, stay tuned, it's coming soon but mark your calendars!

April 8 - Spring Choir/Orchestra Concert, 7pm
April 10 - FOR SENIORS Deadline to apply for IBWHS Scholarships
April 11 - Student Voices for Climate Justice Summit
April 13 - 17 Multicultural Week
April 15 - Ida B Wells Poetry Slam
April 15 - The HeART of Portland
April 18 - IBW Auction
April 24 - Unified Prom
April 30 - Spring Assembly
May 1 - NO SCHOOL - Staff Furlough Day
May 2 - Prom

See more dates/information on the:

Looking Ahead to the 2026-2027 School Year, the 2026-27 District Calendar has been approved.

Mark these dates on your calendar, Times TBD
Monday, August 17th - First Day of Fall Sports

Friday, August 21st - Back to School Business Days for Juniors and Seniors

Monday, August 24th - Back to School Business Days for Sophomores and Freshman

Tuesday, August 25th - Back to School Business Day - All Grades Make-Up Day

Wednesday, August 26th - Jump Start Day for Freshman and Seniors

Thursday, August 27th - First Day of School for all Grades

Monday, August 31st - Make-Up Photo/ID Day

Please join us on Wednesday, April 8th at 7:00pm in the Auditorium. We will be featuring selections form the state festival repertoire!

Lincoln and Ida B. Wells students are hosting a powerful, student-led Climate Justice Summit at Lincoln High School on Saturday, April 11th (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM).

The day will include a keynote from Vincent Intondi (Executive Director, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility), interactive workshops led by students and community organizations, and a lively lunch hour with music, art vendors, and a gallery walk.

Sessions will explore topics like advocacy, organizing, and art as activism – offering students meaningful ways to engage with climate justice and connect with others doing this work.
Participation in this event counts as a Career Related Learning Experience once student participants complete the CRLE reflection form (for IBW students - tinyurl.com/IBWCRLE)

Lunch and snacks are provided, and the event is open to the broader community. RSVP Here

Congratulations to Adeline Karman, Allura Jones, Breena Mandac and Lola Sundby

who have been selected to represent IBWHS at the 2026 HeART of Portland, a district-wide arts showcase at the Portland Art Museum!

Every PPS visual arts educator nominated one student whose artistic dedication and creativity stood out. Their work will be shown at the museum as part of a prestigious exhibition on display from April 15 to September 20.

The exhibition’s opening reception will take place on Wednesday, April 15th, at 6:30 PM, at which the honorees will be recognized alongside families, educators, and community members.

Juniors, as of 4/2/26 your scores from the March 5th SAT are available!

You can view your scores either on the BigFuture School mobile app or by logging into your College Board account. More detailed information and links are available in the communication we sent you on 4/2 https://app.smore.com/n/9vfd6

24-25 Yearbooks are Still On Sale. If you missed your chance to pick up a copy of last year's yearbook, we have a few copies still available for purchase for $65 from Ana Curtis in the main office.

Also, the only way to ensure you get a copy of the 25-26 yearbook is to preorder one through SchoolPay. Any yearbooks not preordered will be sold on a first come first serve basis while supplies last. We ordered 50 less this year, so we will be selling out.

Did you earn an "F" in a required course 9th, 10th, or 11th grade? If so, PPS Summer Scholars dates and information will be coming out soon. Summer school is the best way to make up failed courses. Students can typically make up two - semester classes (3 weeks/class) and it's free!

We have our dates confirmed for Summer Scholars!

Classes will be 9:00-12:00 Monday through Friday on the following dates:

Session 1: June 22 - July 9 (no class July 3)

Session 2: July 13 - July 29

We will hold classes for both sessions at the same 4 sites that we were at last summer:

Benson HS

Franklin HS

McDaniel HS

Roosevelt HS

Registration is still TBD but it will be mid-May. Once registration opens in May, students will register for classes with their school counselor.

AP exams are coming up starting May 4th! Here are some important reminders:

• Check your MyAP account to make sure the exam information looks accurate
• Exams will be held at the Marshall Campus. The only exception is accommodations exams and you will receive information on accommodation location by note and email this week
• Make sure you are not scheduled for 2 exams on the same day. If you are contact Abby Menashe
• Review the AP Exams 2026: What To Expect. This should answer all questions

If you have questions or concerns see Abby Menashe in 139 or amenashe@pps.net

Hello Everyone on the Smart City Learning Cafe E-mail List:

As you read in the last email, Smart City Learning Cafe is going "Pop Up" for the remainder of the school year. We will be at a different location each week. Next week we are having TWO meetings.

Item #1: Wednesday, April 8, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Multnomah Arts Center

• We will meet in and around the easternmost hallway, near where the Senior Center used to be.
• From Capitol Highway, enter at the main entrance, go left (east) until you find us.
• There is parking in the back, on the south side of the building.
• From this parking area, enter the courtyard and find the door to the right (east).
• If the door is locked, just knock. We will let you in

Item #2: Sunday, April 12, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Lost and Found Coffee

• *This is a special Sunday session. I am eager to see who comes and if you like it!
• Many people requested Sunday afternoon sessions.
• Lost and Found Coffee is in the lobby of Alive Church at 7634 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland, OR 97219.
• That is right in Multnomah Village just a bit east of the Multnomah Art Center.
• There is parking in the back and otherwise wherever you park in Multnomah Village.
• Enter from Capitol Highway.

Item #3: Wednesday, April 15, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, The French Quarter

• We will be in the inside area. But if the weather is fair, we can meet outside too.
• There is no parking for the French Quarter. You will need to find street parking nearby.

Item #4: Communication

I plan to send an email to this list every Friday with the plan for the next week. If you are curious where else we will meet, check my website for the working schedule for the remainder of the school year. There will be regular updates to the website.

I will also send a reminder email and instagram post each Tuesday.

Weekly GNN, Wednesday, April 1st: https://youtu.be/tViOmGHq5tI

Weekly GNN, Tuesday April 6th: https://youtu.be/IqeKMTREvNM
Leadership and voting in student elections: https://youtu.be/QXed2D1U3ZM

Thank you to everyone who has already supported our Band Spring Flower & Plant Fundraiser! Thanks to your generosity, we’ve raised $552 so far.

Great news—the fundraiser has been extended through May 15th, giving you more time to shop for beautiful bulbs, seeds, Mother’s Day gifts, and gardening supplies.

With 50% of every purchase going directly back to the Ida B. Wells High School Band program, your support makes a real difference. Funds raised help provide sheet music, instrument repairs, professional workshops, pre-game meals, transportation to parades, and financial assistance for student band trips.

If you haven’t had a chance to shop yet, or would like to place another order, please visit:
https://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/index.php/marketplace/seller/profile/shop/idabwellshsband

Thank you for supporting our talented musicians!

Seniors, don't miss your opportunity to apply for 6 unique IBW Scholarships.
APPLY HERE Deadline is April 10th!

Check out all the upcoming Career Days, Internship opportunities, and more in the IBWHS Career News! Here’s a calendar of some of the key dates and deadlines highlighted in this month’s issue:

• 4/9 - PPS Architecture Day with Oh Planning & Design - attend for your chance to be considered for a summer internship
• 4/10 - PWA Physical Therapy Career Day
• 4/16 - PWA Oregon Anesthesiology Group at Legacy Emanuel
• 4/17 - PWA Real Estate, Business, Construction & Architecture Career Day with CREW
• 4/22 - Deadline: Roots ‘N Threads Clothing Design Mentoring Program
• 4/24 - Providence Ready Career Exploration - Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
• 4/25 - Bodecker Speak Your Peace Spoken word
• 4/29 - PWA Law Career Day @ Tonkon Torp
• 4/29 - PWA Entrepreneurship Career Day

These opportunities go fast, so please apply or register as soon as possible.

Join us at the Ida B Wells Poetry Slam, Wednesday, April 15, during Flex in our school library. Share your original work or witness the power of spoken word! Judges will score poems for quality and performance. Thank you to our PTA for providing prizes. Plus, the top two poets represent our school at Verslandia at the Schnitz on April 30th. Student volunteers needed to score/time. More info: Lanzas in the Library, informational slide deck, or email clanzas@pps.net.

All teens can attend Verselandia for free. Come cheer on the IBW poets and pick up a ticket voucher in the library today.

Greetings Sports Fans!|

The Spring Season is underway, and it looks like the weather is going to start cooperating with us! Once again, we have over 500 student athletes participating in a Spring Sport. This is a true testament to our community and the courageous spirit our student athletes possess to go out and compete! We have added a new Spring Sport as part of the emerging OSAA Sports, Flag Football. Big thanks to Robby Scharf, Danny Bradach, and Britney Small for spearheading the initiative and our amazing student athletes trying a new sport! Along with Flag Football, we are fielding Lacrosse, Track, Baseball, Softball, Golf, Tennis, and Men’s Volleyball. We are super excited about the season ahead!

This edition of IBW Athletics Weekly is dedicated to our Spring Preview put forth by our coaching staff. https://app.smore.com/n/zd63g

Check out the Weekly Schedule here: https://www.ibwathletics.com/this-week

Get Your IBW Sports Button! Show your school spirit by purchasing a IBW sports button for just $5-- add up the amount of buttons needed and pay that x5 ! Once your button is ready, we’ll deliver it directly to your student to bring home or you can email ecaldwell@pps.net if you prefer to pick it up from our school. Purchase on SchoolPay Today https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/Photo-Buttons-w-IBW-Athlete-Photo/SeywSvE

Join us for an totally tubular evening to support our students!

We hope you will join us at this year's auction to support our student community! The purpose of the Ida B. Wells Booster Club is to help student programs advance, foster community spirit and raise funds to complement the Ida B. Wells High School student body. Our Booster Club supports Athletics Teams, Organizations, Programs, and Student Clubs by providing grant funds for critical needs not covered by the PPS budget. Over the past 3 years, we have provided $160,000 in grants for needs such as camps, conferences, specialized training, equipment, student scholarships, tournaments fees and much more. If you would like to learn more about our mission and what we do, watch this video from last year's auction. If you would like to learn what we have recently funded, view this video. The Ida B Wells Booster Club is a 501(c)(3) and donations are tax deductible. Federal ID: 93-1039512.

See our website to purchase tickets IBW Booster Club Awesome 80s Auction

Thank you to our sponsors!

Sara Gray, Realtor

Sarah Pitzman

City Thai

Garfinkle Orthodontics
Behre For Judge

Senior BBQ Coordinator Needed (NEW)

Each year Wells seniors are celebrated with a fun BBQ and we need a non-senior parent to help coordinate this event for 2026! Is that YOU? All the details from past years are in place, so this is an easy opportunity to jump in and make a big impact with limited time needed. Please email communications@ibwboosterclub.org if you're interested!

Bingo

Don't miss Monday bingo every week at the Old Barn at 6:30 PM! Bring cash to purchase your cards and not only are you supporting the IBW teams and clubs, but you could win big! Follow our Instagram or Facebook for weekly updates.

Booster Membership: http://www.schoolpay.com/link/joinibw

The number of booster members and volunteer hours from a team or group is evaluated in the grant application process, so joining boosters helps your team or club!

IBW Merch

Support Booster Club by shopping online here. Guardians merch is available for sale at ComeUnity PDX. This is an Ida B. Wells family-owned shop located in Multnomah Village at 3536 SW Troy St B, Portland, OR 97219. Get the perfect gift by giving a gift card for IBW Booster Merch!

Stay up to date in real time! Instagram Facebook Favorite Links - Linktree

The PTA is already planning for teacher appreciation week and you can help! Please sign up now to buy fruit and other items in May - it helps us to plan the event early! Reminders will be sent as the event gets closer. All the information you need is in the link header: volunteersignup.org/Y8PK7

FaithBridge Portland invites you to save the date for the 2nd annual Black Girl LIVE! suicide awareness and prevention event for Black and Brown girls ages 12 to 17 and the adults who support them. Last year’s event hosted approximately 100 girls from Portland and beyond for education and celebration in an intentionally created space. The event is supported by OHA and intended to raise awareness, promote healing and offer access to culturally relevant resources and strategies.

Save the date: May 15, 2026

Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: 2800 NE Liberty Street, Portland (University of Oregon Portland campus)