The Guardian Gazette

As we wrap up another fantastic school year, we need your help ensuring our library and textbook departments are ready for fall! Overdue notices are sent to emails and students can check their library account at any time in Destiny on my.pps.net. Directions here.

All library books and textbooks are due on Friday, May 22. However, if your student still needs the book to complete school work, they are welcome to keep it until assignments are done. We do not charge overdue fees. We only assess fees if items are never returned.

If your student has outstanding library books or textbooks, please take action by the last day of school:

Option 1: Return the Books
Bring any overdue items to the library before school ends. Remember, we need the exact copy your student checked out (with the original barcode attached). If your student checked out a book for a summer reading assignment, they may keep it over the summer.

Option 2: Pay Replacement Cost
If books are lost, payment can be made on SchoolPay or in person during Back to School Business Days in August.

Think you already returned it? Stop by the library! Sometimes books get mixed up between friends or miscanned, and we're happy to help sort things out.

Why it matters: When books aren't returned by the end of the school year, we end up purchasing unnecessary replacements, which means less money for new materials and programs your students love.

Need help? We understand that circumstances vary. If you need to discuss payment options or other solutions, please have your student visit the library. We're here to work with families!

Questions? Contact Cassie Lanzas at clanzas@pps.net

May 4-8 - AP Exams

May 4 - 8 Staff Appreciation Week
May 7 - Spring Rep Shows Open
May 8 - DEADLINE to vote for Staff Bests for the Year

See more detailed information on The Trivory Calendar

The AP exams are underway!

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 including attendance, what if today you're ill or need to cancel or reschedule and much more
• Make sure to bring your fully charged Chromebook, charger and your ID!
• In addition to bringing their fully charged chromebooks, students need to know how to sign into their accounts without autocomplete (good practice is to sign into Bluebook in the waffle menu on the log in screen and they can preview most exams there).

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

Happy studying and good luck on your exams!

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and we can STILL use some help for the PTA Fruit Stand tomorrow! Check out the sign up to see what items are still needed. All the information you need is in the link header: volunteersignup.org/Y8PK7 DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS 4:30PM TODAY! All other items will have to be purchased tonight using PTA Funds.

Hi there, folks!

It's that time of year again! Join your award-winning SouthWest StageWorks Theatre Company for our final mainstage offerings of the year: Church & State, by Jason Odell Williams; and The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. These two crowd-pleasing, but very different, comedies explore the worlds of politics and wealth...but with laughs and heart!

The shows open with Earnest on May 7th and Church/State on May 8th. Go to southweststageworks.com and click Online Ticket Sales for more information and to purchase tickets.

See you there!

May 14 - Student Art Showcase

May 15 - Girl's Night for 8th and 9th Grade

May 15 - DEADLINE Band Spring Flower and Plant Fundraiser
See more detailed information on The Trivory Calendar

Greetings from the Art Department,

We are so excited to celebrate our art students' work!

Our annual IBW Student Art show is coming up and we want to get it on your calendars ahead of time. Our opening night is on May 14th from 3:30-5:00 in our 1st floor Foyer. Every one of our talented art students will have artwork represented in the show and it is always an impressive event: A HUGE CELEBRATION of TALENT

Put it on your calendars. Please join us in recognizing our students' talent, creativity and hard work!

Sincerely,

Andrew, Katie, Marie, and Matt

On Friday, May 15th, from 6-8 PM, Ida B. Wells Leadership students are hosting a Girls Night for 8th and 9th-grade girls. We will have fun activities such as bedazzling, friendship bracelets, photo booth, henna, cookie decorating, team building, volleyball, and basketball. We will also have a selection of snacks and pizza.

All current 8th-grade female-identifying students at feeder schools for Ida B. Wells are welcome! This is a super fun way to hang out with old friends and make new friends.

Please sign up here if you have not already, and pay the required $10 fee here on Schoolpay.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jeSW_nDhL6OYohf3njDZWCn3hNULlsayZnLKeIXtn_c/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p

Signup forms for girls' night:

8th: https://forms.gle/P3VNhgdNbPVZUTCJA

9th: https://forms.gle/PAy4qVph1BDRZnSH9

May 19/20 - OwlAntics
May 20 - Best of PPS Film Festival
May 21 - Ida B. Chella
May 22 - ADPI Club Fundraiser
May 27 - Spring Band Concert

See more detailed information on The Trivory Calendar

Five IBW Freshmen were selected as winners for the PPS Film Festival in the category of broadcast journalism for their video on free speech suppression in the media! The team includes Alice Adkins, Sumaya Ali, Willa Gross, Sidney McCrae, and June Shanks.

We're very proud of them and look forward to seeing our community show up on May 20 at 6:30 PM at the iconic Hollywood Theatre to support them and the other winners from around PPS. Come enjoy a fun night at the movies: tickets are free! RSVP and claim your FREE tickets HERE!

Ida B Chella is coming up soon. Please sign up below if you would like to be a vendor or a musician.

Vendor signup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdwx356P2S0He_z2FnR5_aGfqOijHeSxAW7yHDotmkrqa2IXg/viewform?usp=header

Artist, band, music and DJ signup:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSef9aLFYLqQrQqqskCKgXTGRcPDxJhAzkGFXXvoSs2ItwDZpQ/viewform?usp=header

Two springs ago, IBW’s student newspaper, The Headlight, held a book fundraiser at the Ida B. Flea. This year, we’re running it back at Ida B. Chella! The fundraiser will help our program raise money for future prints, journalistic materials such as recorders and cameras, and class trips.

We would love to source our books through donations from the IBW community. If you have any books you would like to donate to our program, please drop them off in room 118 by May 20.

Thank you for your contributions and support of our program!

Sincerely,

Lauren Devlin, Editor-in-Chief

Eloise Blaine, Managing Editor

The yearbook has been completed and will be distributed the week of May 25th. We tend to sell out each year, so the only way to guarantee a book is to pre-order one on SchoolPay. We cannot guarantee that books will be available for sale after they arrive.

We hope to have as many students as possible cast their votes for Staff Bests. Students please check your email for the ballot!

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.

The weekly GNN: https://youtu.be/ZysLlsROfrs
GNN about No Kings: https://youtu.be/-WVJP9b6jpw

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!

Happy Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Please join the ADPI student union for some events we have planned for May.

Our Tango Crab fundraiser for AANHPI Heritage Month is open for ordering! We will donate our proceeds to help communities in Hawai'i recover from the flooding.

Students, here is the link to order! Your order and exact change payment is due by end of day on Tuesday, 5/19 to Ms. Suehiro in the LIBRARY. There will be a box at the circulation desk if Ms. Suehiro is not there. To confirm your order, payment must be received.

I feel very fortunate to get to work with such amazing students and equally thankful that the CTE team is always so willing and capable to collaborate on projects like this. Our students shine so bright when so many adults contribute in whatever way they can.

This year Ida B Wells DECA had a tremendous showing at the International Career Development Conference. Last week 15 students from Ida B. Wells joined over 26,000 students from around the world in Atlanta to compete. Students competed in a variety of events from one of five career clusters; business management and administration, entrepreneurship, finance, hospitality and tourism, and marketing. Luca Masolo earned recognition as a top performer on the finance cluster exam, placing in the top ten in his category and Cassidy Goodwin brought home the coveted DECA Glass by placing 3rd overall in Food Marketing Series. Cassidy was the only student from Oregon to win glass this year. Congratulations and way to represent Guardians!

Hello Wells! We are challenging Lincoln High to a Battle of the Birds for collecting period supplies! Help join the challenge!

We're hosting our annual Period Power Project drive to help end period poverty in our community. According to national data, more than 2 in 5 people struggle to afford period products, and federal assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC do not cover these items. A recent study by Period.org found that period stigma and period poverty is especially severe for teens and is growing every year, but the good news is, you can help!

From now until May 15th (extended!), Positive Charge! IBW Club we're collecting donations of unopened boxes of the following:

• Tampons,
• Pads,
• Panty liners,
• Reusable pads & covers,
• Reusable menstrual cups, and
• Travel-size hand sanitizer or individually wrapped sanitizing wipes

Collection bins are located at Ida B Wells HS by the gymnasium and front (Vermont Street) entrance. Keep your eyes peeled for cardmaking sessions and information on our Period Packing Party on Saturday, May 16th, where we will assemble all of your donations and cards into essential care packages that will go out to our nonprofit partners across Portland.

Make a difference in your community today by donating supplies this month and joining us at our weekly Positive Charge! IBW meetings on Thursdays during lunch in room 119! Thanks Guardians!

Help our Ida B. Wells social worker, Britni Locke, support students with snacks to keep them going during the school day! Snacks can be purchased online and delivered to either the office or to our parent volunteer's home OR you we will do the shopping with the donations we receive. Follow the link for details!

https://tinyurl.com/mupnajz3

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

Use this QR code for our 2026 Spring Season Media Guide that includes links to team pages, schedules, team photos and more!

Come hear from Coach Nate about the possibility of Water Polo for IBWHS!! This is for all students, all genders, all grades, no experience necessary and it's a no-cut sport! An informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 12th during lunch in Room 137.

Tryouts for the 2026-27 Cheer Teams are coming up soon!

Tryout Clinics

8th Grade: May 19th and 21st
9-11th Grade: May 18th and 20th

Tryouts

May 26th and 27th

For more information, please complete the 2026-27 IBW Cheer Interest Form or email Coach Lauren with questions at lapeterson@pps.net

IBW Auction

A huge thank you to our community for supporting the Ida B Wells Booster Club Awesome 80s auction! It was a great night to support student programs at IBW. Thank you also to everyone who supported the online auction!

Sign up parties still have spots available!

• May 9: Bourbon 101 to support Men's Volleyball. (only two spots left)
• May 9: Yoga and tea with Principal Coning to support Community Equity Council
• May 20: Personal Self-Defense Class to support the IBW College Center Scholarship fund
• June 13: Cheese and Wine pairing party to support Choir
• September 19: Come as you were party to support the Class of 2027 Grad night

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

Contributions are needed for prizes the graduates can win at the Grad Party. Please join in this tradition by donating gift cards, or items grads may be excited to win. Did you win something at the auction that a grad might want more? Willing to ask a business to donate something? Up for buying some goodies yourself? Or Venmo a donation and we'll do the shopping (@Kristy-Claypoole-1) . Linked sign-up has theme ideas for whole baskets, as well as contact information but all donations are welcome- no matter how small! All items needed by May 21st.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0549ABA822A7FB6-60726640-grad#/

Want to see if someone’s pickleball game is really as good as they say?! Sign up for the PTA’s 2nd Annual Pickleball Tournament. We will have four, two-hour rounds of doubles round robin play, including a special round devoted for IBW Students vs. Staff. Who do you want to see on the courts?

Doubles teams can be mixed student/staff, community supporters, mixed or same gender, and all experience levels.

Registration fees for IBW Students/Staff is $40/team and $80/team for Community Supporters.

Sign up through SchoolPay (IBW Students/Staff or Community Supporters)

For more info, go to www.idabwellspta.org/what-we-do/pickleball

Are you a current high school junior looking for a meaningful, inexpensive summer opportunity? American Legion Girls State and Boys State is a week-long immersive civic leadership program for rising seniors that brings students from across Oregon together to experience government in action. Throughout the week, participants build a mock state from the ground up: running for office, holding elections, drafting legislation, and learning how civic systems function in real time.

Students also hear directly from top Oregon officials, including judges, sheriffs, legislators, and other public leaders, who share insights about public service and real-world decision-making. The program is designed to be hands-on, fast-paced, and highly interactive, giving students a deeper understanding of leadership, democracy, and collaboration.

If you’re interested in government, leadership, law, or simply want to challenge yourself while meeting motivated students from across the state, Girls State and Boys State offers a unique and unforgettable experience that builds skills you’ll use long after the summer ends.

To apply, fill out the application on the website:

Girls State: https://alaoregon.org/girls-state/

Boys State: https://orlegion.org/programs/boys-state/

Have any questions? Reach out to Ainsley Porter, current ASB President, Girls State and Girls Nation Alumni through email: aporter5593@student.pps.net

Here's the link to sign up!
https://signup.com/go/ozeHeRC

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)

The Southwest Portland Community Band (SWPCB) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2026. Clarinetist Kristin Rencher founded the ensemble with the goal of helping people of all ages to discover – or rediscover -- the joy and healing power of music. The non-profit band was also an opportunity for lapsed musicians in the community to come back to instruments they played years ago. Founded in collaboration with current director Nick Caldwell, the band gathered around 20 players in its first year. Their first concert, in spring 2016, featured three works, including a band arrangement of Jean Sibelius’ famous orchestral work Finlandia.

Nick also leads the band program at Ida B. Wells High School. Now boasting more than 50 players, the band uses its two annual concerts, spring and winter, to raise funds for the Wells music program, primarily for the purchase of new instruments. Some of the percussion instruments at Wells are as old as the school itself (68 years) and are in need of replacement. Two years ago, the band purchased a new set of chimes, and last year they replaced the old vibraphone. This year the fundraising goal is instruments (both wind and percussion) as well as funds to cover the cost of professional musicians to help the young players at Wells with technical development and musicianship.

The band’s tenth anniversary spring concert takes place on Sunday, May 31, at 5 pm at the Multnomah Arts Center. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. Pizza, salad and beverages will be available, including microbrews, wine and sparkling water.

For this special anniversary program, the band decided to play favorite works from previous concerts over the past ten years, including Finlandia, from their inaugural concert. Other works include:

· Volver a la Montaña by Shelley Hanson (from spring 2024 concert)

· Moment for Morricone by Ennio Morricone (from spring 2023 concert)

· October by Eric Whitacre (from spring 2017 concert)

· Drums of the Saamis (The Merger of the First Nations and Modern Albertan Cultures) by Samuel
Hazo (from spring 2022 concert)

· The Universal Judgement by Camile de Nardis (from spring 2018 concert)

One of the highlights of the program is Pantomime, a beautiful piece for band and solo euphonium by Philip Sparke. Designed to show off both the lyrical and technical prowess of the instrument, the piece draws on the varied characters of the Italian Commedia dell'Artetradition for its wide emotional range. The soloist is Adam Graves, a member of the band since its founding in 2016. Since he and his family are moving from Portland this summer, this is his last concert. The band added this piece to the program as a tribute, send-off, and a thank you for ten years of music and service.