All articles were written by Ava Anderson and published in local papers. Below are snippets, with full articles linked to their respective publications. For any questions feel free to reach out to ava.anderson313@gmail.com or fill out the form found above under contact
Full article published at the fhspost.com
Driving down Division Street, you’ll see Fin Dac’s towering five-story woman with plant-made hair; walking by the northwest side of the store Books with Pictures, there’s a 1980s mural that predates the business; looking up on I-84, you’ll see layered paintings under bridges, and on a distant abandoned building.
Portland, Oregon’s streets, buildings, and walls are not strangers to art. Public art and murals, often considered the sanctioned or commissioned counterparts of street art, are simply approved art in public spaces. Street art shares many qualities with graffiti, but is often more accepted and has more recognizable aspects to the viewer. Though murals are not always street art and street art is not always considered a mural, the line between murals and street art is often blurred. The definitions of such art often depend on the artist or the viewer, and the category a single piece, style, or process falls under can spark dispute.
Regardless, street art and murals give life to many spaces that otherwise go unnoticed, connecting the community in the process. “Murals are important to communicate with the public around them. They activate spaces that are otherwise overlooked [or] forgotten,” expresses Travis Fields, an artist who goes by the moniker Campo Graphic. “They have the ability to share history, show off, cultivate a vibe, [and] energize spaces. In a world of blank gray and beige walls, it is hard to motivate individuals to feel inspired in their outside environments.”
Street art shares this benefit. Zach Mckinley, an artist whose style celebrates imperfection through paintings of childlike flowers, adds “[It brings] new characteristics to a still environment. It lets the [artist] speak to the masses, even if it’s just for 30 seconds while they drive by.”
Fields states that street art “often attempts to form an expressed opinion about the real world … There is a dialogue formed between the artist and the viewer, one where dissent is typically the message, rebellion against the system, or propaganda against the world.”...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
On Jan. 7, 2023, during the PIL showcase basketball game, a vehicle pulled up near the Franklin High School (FHS) campus. Several rounds of bullets were then fired at a group of students. One youth was grazed, but medical attention was not accepted. The game was postponed. Portland police came and secured the area. Working alongside campus security, they were able to get everyone from the gym to a secure location. The culprit was apprehended, but the investigation is still ongoing.
This information was compiled from Principal Chris Frazier, a report sent out to the Franklin community, and what Molly Romay, the Senior Director for Security and Emergency Management for the district, was able to provide. Although little of Franklin’s community was present (the teams playing were Cleveland and Roosevelt), the incident was still a shock, especially as this was not the first shooting or threat at a Portland Public School (PPS) school this year. During the 2022-2023 school year alone, three shootings have taken place at PPS campuses, along with multiple bomb threats. The first shooting was at Jefferson High School. The second was just a seven-minute drive from Franklin, at Cleveland High School. As the year progresses, this national issue has begun to feel closer and closer, causing students and staff alike to rethink their safety at school, and the procedures and precautions surrounding it.
Though neither Franklin’s administration, staff, or students were widely present at the most recent event, the location has forced Franklin further into these conversations and issues. The week following the incident though, there was a small response. School continued as normal, though an announcement was made with brief information and the acknowledgment that there were safe spaces if a student felt the need to talk. “Everyone pretended like it didn’t happen,” Clover McAvoy, a freshman at Franklin, explains in regard to how weird it was. They continued to say, “it was like, someone got shot and no one really cared.”...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
“Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” is a well-known phrase to many people in schools across the United States. It provides easy to remember instructions for what to do in case of an emergency that requires a lockdown. Despite the familiarity for many students, even lockdown drills still can cause significant fear as they remind us of the harsh reality of the United States’ gun violence epidemic, and its effect on schools. With this anxiety, good communication surrounding drills and real emergencies is highly important, but isn’t always achieved. Many students often feel out of the loop, causing confusion, rumors, and heightened stress.
Violence-related emergency events have begun to feel familiar to those at Franklin High School as well. Notably, on March 9, 2023, a scenario occurred during tutorial, when gunshots were fired near campus, resulting in a 40 minute long lockdown. This year, multiple secures (formally known as lockouts, now referred to as Secure the Perimeter) and team responses have been initiated.
According to the Portland Public School (PPS) website, lockdowns are “activated when there is a threat inside the school building.” And a secure is “activated when there is an unsafe situation outside the school building.” At Franklin, along with lockdowns and secures, are procedures in the event of fires, earthquakes, and team responses, which occur “when there is a medical emergency or some non threatening incident that requires staff to control movement inside the school.”...
Full article published at the southeastexaminer.com
Favela Cafe opened in August of 2019 as “a Brazilian experience,” Rodrigo Souza recalls. He is the co-owner of Favela Cafe, with his wife Dunya De Souza. Favela Cafe originally opened on SE Foster Rd., and has since added a newer location in Taborspace, on SE Belmont St. They offer Brazilian coffee, food, imports and a variety of community events, all allowing visitors to experience Brazil. With its electric energy, colors, open space and varied plants, the Foster location models Brazil during a carnival; its Taborspace location, found alongside other businesses in a beautiful old church, combines elements of Brazilian and American culture. Both locations have their own unique features, but share a community-based approach that gives every visitor a community oriented and personal experience of Brazil.
Favela Cafe is “an experiment to prove that it’s possible to have a business with the community in mind,” explains R. Souza. The owners wanted people visiting the cafe to know they are a part of the community. “Anyone can sell coffee,” R. Souza states, “[but] we give a human experience … we notice people’s names, ask [questions]. We know what’s happening and they know us. They are a part of our family in a way.” As D. Souza summarizes, “[we] acknowledge people’s humanity.”
Not only do they pay attention to the people who visit Favela, but they also listen. “We have an attitude of saying “yes” to people,” D. Souza explains. “The community is the most important thing.” If someone proposes an idea, Favela listens, and most often, says “yes.”...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
Founded in 1892, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) is the oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest. It is considered an encyclopedic museum, featuring both rotating exhibitions, permanent galleries, and plentiful other opportunities throughout the museum itself and the outlets it partners with.
PAM currently only offers a limited number of exhibits due to construction for the new Mark Rothko Pavilion, set to open in 2025. Hopefully however, the improvements the pavilion will bring for PAM will greatly be worth the temporary limits on exhibition.
By creating a better connection between the two PAM buildings, the pavilion aims to increase community and accessibility throughout, creating better access, fluidity, and connection across the museum. As Grace Kook-Anderson, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Northwest Artists, explains, “the largest aim for this Rothko Pavilion is to connect [PAM’s] two buildings, which are two very [historic and different] buildings …in an elegant way, all across on each floor.” Doing so will help make some corrections to the old designs and offer universal access. As Kook-Anderson states, in the “older model…the wheelchair access was a little bit hidden” and the approach to the museum entrance consisted of staircases. “That’s not something that everybody can access.” Furthermore, Kook-Anderson expresses that “hopefully, [the pavilion] will also provide a lot more areas of light and fluidity and other opportunities of gathering,” increasing the community for everyone...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
CVS and Walgreens pharmacies announced they will begin filling abortion pill prescriptions of the medication Mifepristone for patients to whom it is prescribed, starting in March, 2024. As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains, “Mifepristone is a drug that blocks a hormone called progesterone that is needed for a pregnancy to continue.” Though this change will not occur in all states, both pharmacies intend to expand this access to their pharmacies in every state in which it is legal to do so.
Currently, this update will only occur in select CVS pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Walgreens pharmacies filling these prescriptions are limited to New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois. In response to public inquiry, Walgreens released a statement: “In the interests of pharmacist and patient safety, we will not disclose the number of sites per state nor identify the pharmacies that are dispensing.” They later added that “for patients with prescriptions, certified medical providers will be able to direct patients to locations.” To achieve this, Walgreens is beginning with a staggered rollout in select locations, in order to “ensure quality, safety, and privacy for our patients, providers, and team members.”
To legally dispense these pills, CVS and Walgreens needed to obtain certification from the FDA. Walgreens explained that they “completed the FDA certification process to dispense Mifepristone and [are] now dispensing, consistent with federal and state laws.”...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
For the 2023-24 college application season, seniors will now navigate new changes within their college admissions process. These changes come as a result of the congressional decision to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as the Supreme Court decision to add additional regulations on the information colleges may directly ask. Limited information is currently available about what will change in the FAFSA process — as the application’s opening has now been delayed — and as a result there is significant uncertainty on what exactly is new. The overall hope appears to be for a smoother, fairer, and more efficient application process.
Nearing November brings another round of seniors scrambling to finalize college applications. From the Common App, to the Coalition Application, to the UC system, individual colleges’ websites and more; college-bound seniors are left to navigate a variety of forms, questions, and essays to receive acceptance to the schools they may attend the following year. This year, the college application season consists of a myriad of changes, making the process increasingly hectic.
One form, essential for many students to afford their educational aspirations, is FAFSA. The FAFSA application has existed under a variety of names since 1965 as a way for the United States government to provide financial aid for students. FAFSA determines how much aid each student should receive and collaborates with colleges to determine a student’s overall owed tuition. For the upcoming application season, FAFSA has taken a new shape. Seniors will now navigate new deadlines and differing required information based on a new measurement— the student aid index (SAI), which replaces the past measurement of the expected family contribution (EFC). Although these changes feel sudden to many students, they have been brewing for years...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
Portland, Oregon is home to many hidden gems. Walking the streets of Hawthorne, Burnside, or Stark, you are sure to find many interesting and intriguing places, new and old. Among these gems are Portland’s historic movie theaters, which date back as early as the 1910s.
Portland’s first theater to exclusively show motion picture screenings was the Majestic Theatre, later known as the United Artists Theatre, which opened in 1911. One theory for why this theater was opened was Portland’s rainy weather; a movie theater was a great place to have an outing while staying away from the rain. Though the Majestic Theater unfortunately closed its doors in 1955, Portland is still home to the same rain, and many old movie theaters...
Full article published at the fhspost.com
The Silent Servant Scholarship Award is a $500 award given to high school students for empathy and community service. It is run by the Peter R. Marsh Foundation and students in all U.S. states are eligible. Marilyn Muñoz, a Franklin High School sophomore, was nominated for this award by her health teacher, Kisa Henrich. Unsurprisingly to many, Muñoz is now a recent recipient, alongside Franklin seniors Avani Stevens Rose and Lucy Eckel. These students will be honored at a future date, but in the meantime, The Franklin Post has chosen to spotlight Muñoz and her dedication to equity and advocacy...
