The Guardian Gazette

Good afternoon IBW Families,

Last week, I completed staffing our school for the 26-27 school year and had to do so with several reductions in the number of staff at our school. This is a result of the school district’s $50 million dollar budget shortfall.

There are three conditions shaping the current PPS budget:

1. The first is rising costs. The cost of running schools has increased, everything from services and materials to employee compensation and retirement system obligations. The district has also made intentional investments in staff planning time and compensation. At the same time, the needs of our students remain high.

2. The second is limited revenue. State funding has not increased at the same rate as the cost of operating schools, and temporary federal pandemic funds have ended. That means there are fewer dollars available to support ongoing expenses.

3. And the third is declining enrollment. The district is serving fewer students while continuing to operate the same number of school buildings. Because funding is tied to enrollment, fewer students means less overall funding. Since 2020, enrollment in PPS has declined faster than the state average and is projected to continue.

These conditions frame the constraints and tradeoffs the district, and Ida B. Wells High School, are navigating. This has been a difficult two weeks at our school community for our staff. We will continue to offer robust academic programming and excellent wrap-around support for our students, however, our systems of teaching, learning, and social-emotional support will be more lean.

If you are interested in learning more about state funding of public schools and would like to advocate for increased funding, you can utilize the Statewide Advocacy Toolkit. Tell our Legislators to: “Fully Fund Public Education to Prevent Harmful Cuts. Our Students Deserve Better!” You will find the contact information for our Senator Kate Lieber on p. 7 and Representative Dacia Grayber on p. 4-5.

On a lighter note, on Wednesday, March 11th we are hosting the Ida B. Wellness Fair, which I am really excited about. This is a day devoted to the social-emotional well-being of our students in community together. You will see the program highlighted below with all the amazing sessions your child(ren) can participate in.

Thank you everyone and I’m available via email, phone, or in person if you have any questions or wonderings about IBW.

Principal Coning

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

March 3 - Men's Basketball - 1st Round Playoffs @ Westview HS, 7:00pm

March 4 - FOR JUNIORS - SAT Testing/Early Release Day for all Students
March 4 - Women's Basketball - 1st Round Playoffs @ South Salem HS, 7:00pm
March 6 - Wells Madness (during Lunch) Kicks Off
March 9 - Booster Club Meeting

March 11 - Ida B Wellness Fair
March 11 - CEC Meeting
March 12 - Beyond IBW College Night
March 17 - All Sophomore Field Trip to the NW Youth Careers Expo
March 23-27 Spring Break
April 18 - IBW Auction

See more dates/information on the:

The IBW Wellness Committee is excited to announce the first annual Ida B Wellness Fair, coming March 11th!

If you were an IBW student a few years ago, you might remember when we had a mini Wellness Day with baby goats, pancakes and ice cream! This year we are going all out with a special two hour extended flex that will start with a brief school-wide assembly featuring a keynote speaker, followed by three opportunities to attend over 30+ breakout sessions with speakers promoting and celebrating wellness at Ida B Wells High School! Breakout session offerings include workshops on mindfulness, yoga, art, substance use prevention, mental health and more!

And yes, the baby goats will be back! We will have therapy dogs, too!

Students and families can read more in our Ida B Wellness Fair program below!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE IDA B WELLNESS FAIR PROGRAM!

Please keep in mind that this program can be best viewed on a computer. Room numbers are subject to change. Students will have access to this document through their grade level Canvas course, as well. We will have physical copies posted throughout the school on the day of the event. Students can begin looking through the program and thinking about what sessions interest them!

The Ida B Wellness Fair has been made possible by a mini grant we received from the Youth Line at Lines for Life and because of some AMAZING community members willing to volunteer their time and offer their expertise. Thank you!

If you have questions about the Wellness Fair, you can contact our social worker, Britni Locke, via email at blocke@pps.net !

On March 4, we will have a B day special schedule with early release for all grades due to the SAT for Juniors. The schedule is linked here

All 9th, 10th and 12th grade students will follow their B day schedule. Periods 5, 6 and 7 all math classes will be held, but in the Cafeteria. Some other classes will be relocated and it will be posted.

Testing will be in room 18-34 and 130-133. Only testing students have access to the testing areas.

All juniors take the digital SAT on Wednesday, March 4 during school. We will be on a special schedule with early release. You have already been registered and it is FREE!

See the Special Schedule for March 4

Follow the SAT Orientation for valuable information you must know

-This is an online/digital test and a PPS issued Chromebook MUST be used

-Information about “Student Readiness Check” (i.e. getting the Chromebook ready) will be sent to students by 2/20 and recommend completing before testing day.

- If students have issues with Student Readiness Check see Meredith McCreight in main office (mornings) or 139 (afternoons) before testing day

- Once Student Readiness Check is completed, you have access to practice test in Bluebook

- Testing rooms will be posted in the main hall by Tuesday March 3. If not sooner.
.- Students need to be in their assigned testing classroom by 8:30am

The GNN for this week: https://youtu.be/V0iKZHsUn7Q

A GNN about movies (and art courtesy of Mr. Carlson) https://youtu.be/iQs6meRoAQE

DECA had its most successful state conference in history, with an incredible cumulative 20 finalists and 7 individual entries winning glass (placing top 3 in state), as well as countless other awards listed below. The club is sending more students to ICDC (International Career Development Conference) than ever before, and we look forward to witnessing their successes! Congratulations to each of our competitors!

If you are interested in joining DECA, please email Mr. Muraoka at kmuraoka@pps.net.

Recognition Awards

AAM - Abby Maudlin Role Play 1 2nd

AAM - Hadley Swanson Role Play 2 1st

ACT - Luca Masolo Exam 2nd, Role Play 1 3rd

BSM - Samuel Hartoch Role Play 1 1st

ENT - Isa Llados Role Play 1 1st

FMS - Cassidy Goodwin Role Play 2 3rd

DECA Garage Finalist - Isa, Yael, Abby

FTDM - Luca Masolo Exam 2nd

PFN - Zach Horwitz Role Play 1st

PMK - Nathaniel Wang Role Play 1st

STDM - Goodwin/Goodwin Role Play 1st

Finance Cluster Exam - Luca Masolo 3rd

Chapter Enthusiasm Award

SBE Gold - Recertification

DECA Garage - Llados, Drucker, Horowitz 3rd

Oregon DECA State Pin for ICDC - Amber and June

GRAND AWARDS

ACT - Luca Masolo 1st

AAM - Hadley Swanson Finalist

AAM - Abby Maudlin Finalist

ASM - Sam Osenar Finalist

BSM - Riley Simon Finalist

BSM - Samuel Hartoch Finalist

ENT - Isa Llados 3rd

FMS - Cassidy Goodwin 1st

HLM - Yael Horowitz Finalist

MKT - Nathaniel Wang Finalist

PFL - Dylan Amato Finalist

EIB - Drucker and Llados 2nd

EIP - Goodwin and Hartoch 3rd

IMCE - Hadley Swanson Finalist

PFN - Zach Horwitz 2nd

PMK - Nathaniel Wang 1st

STDM - Goodwin and Goodwin Finalist

FTDM - Masolo and Hartoch Finalist

ETDM - Drucker and Llados Finalist

BLTDM - Osenar and Barsic Finalist

THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

The Ida B Wells Red Cross Club wants to thank everyone who participated and/or helped sponsor our first blood drive on Thursday, 2/26/26. We want to give a special thank you to those of you who were able to donate. Each donation can save up to three lives, so as a result, our school/community was able to give the gift of life to hundreds of people in need.

The Ida B Wells Red Cross Club is entirely student-led. The commitment, compassion, and organization shown by our club's leadership team (Beatrice Sampo, Lucy Carver, Helen Mildenberg, Rian Elkin, and Rachel Delance) was truly inspirational. I cannot thank you enough for your dedication and commitment!

🩸81 Total Presenting Donors

🎉 23 First-Time Donors

🧡 68 Total Life-Saving Units Collected

✅ 110% our goal/target!

The 68 life-saving units collected at this drive could save up to 204 lives.

Thanks to you, we're better prepared to respond to emergencies like house fires, natural disasters, armed conflicts, and urgent medical needs.

Thank you for making a real impact.

Aaron Olsen, Health Sciences CTE Teacher

Please come to Trivia Night at The Record Pub in Sellwood on Wednesday, March 18th. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Ida B Wells Model UN Club. With this fundraiser, we are hoping to raise money to help alleviate some of the costs for our students to go to the Model UN Conference at the University of Oregon in April.

The Record Pub

6034 SE Milwaukie Ave

Portland, OR

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

This annual event offers knowledge and expertise from college admissions professionals

• This event is for IBW students and their guardians
• Choose up to 3 breakout sessions to customize your evening
• Learn everything you need to know about applying to and financing college
• Get your questions answered
• Bring your parents and attend more sessions!

Juniors, be sure to check out this newsletter with all sorts of information about getting started on with your college search. https://app.smore.com/n/thvcn

Watch for our Winter Season Wrap-Up, Coming Soon!

The Ida B Wells Awesome 80s auction will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. We hope you will join us to support our student community!

Here's how you can support now:

• Attend: Get your tickets now here.
• Collect donations: IBW clubs, organizations and athletic teams are collecting donations for items for the auction and they get to keep the money raised. Rally the groups you are affiliated with to start procuring! Want to learn more? Check out this video.
• Sponsorships: Does your business want exposure to our community? Auction sponsorship is a great way to reach our community. More details here or email fundraising@ibwboosterclub.org for more information.

Gym Shack Concessions: https://signup.com/go/ycboLia

• We need help during events tonight, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this week so we can keep the Snack Shack open and raise funds for teams and clubs!
• NOTE: Students need an adult present to work a shift
  
  

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

Come join us March 11th to talk about the future of the Ida B. Wells Community Equity Committee!

Are you familiar with the Ida B. Wells CEC? At the next meeting of this group of IBW family and community members focused on making the school more inclusive, informed, equitable and safe we will be discussing the group's future, reviewing the charter and mission, and potentially expanding it to include supporting middle and elementary schools in the Wells cluster. Now more than ever we need anti-racist spaces focused on growing community and supporting students from historically marginalized backgrounds, and providing a forum to address issues of racism. Come share your perspectives on what the focus of this group should be moving forward, how it fits in with other groups at Wells and PPS, and help shape and expand the future of the CEC!

FRED MEYERS REWARDS PROGRAM
Support our school by making 1% of your grocery dollars go toward the Ida B Wells PTA Follow this link to get signed up… https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards

OREGON PTA STUDENT 1K SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
The Oregon PTA Teacher Education Scholarship is for Oregon residents studying for a degree in education at any Oregon public college or university. The scholarship is a one-time award of $1000 and is not renewable. Scholarship recipients may, however, re-apply in subsequent years. The application window opens on February 1, 2026, and closes on May 1, 2026 Scholarship winners will be carefully selected and notified by June 15, 2026. Oregon PTA will contact recipients via personal phone call, email, or regular mail shortly after the announcement. Additionally, we'll inform the counseling office of high school winners. A check for $1,000 will then be issued to the college or university indicated in the winner’s application before the start of classes in September. If the recipient does not proceed with their classes in September 2026, the awarded funds need to be returned to the Oregon PTA." https://www.oregonpta.org/programs/teacher-education-scholarship

For all the most recent Senior News, please refer to the Winter Edition of the Senior Newsletter https://app.smore.com/n/s32dw

Rieke Elementary has an art fair each spring featuring adult (18 years and older) artisan vendors, apply now to be a vendor! https://www.riekepta.org/art-fair-home

Abby's Closet is having their annual giveaway of free prom dresses. Students seeking to receive a completely FREE prom dress must be registered before they can enter and space is limited, so they need to register as soon as possible. Slots are still available across both days, but they will start filling up in the last week, so act now!

For more information and to register, students can visit https://www.abbyscloset.org/giveaway