Entry to Perception: Jefferson High School
Possibly the neatest thing about Leadership Portland is walking through doors to which you otherwise would not have access.
Last week, about six of us sat in the office of Steve Gonzales, artistic director of the iconic Jefferson Dancers, in a dank sub-sub-basement of the enormous and eerily empty Jefferson High School. I’ve heard of the dance troupe since I moved to Oregon in the 1980s, but I’ve never seen them perform.
I predict that will change soon, now that I’ve met Gonzales. We also got to see a short video of his students performing hip-hop, jazz, ballet, modern and classical dance moves. It was stunning.
For a school plagued by administrative turnover, an at-risk neighborhood and a sordid reputation – quite possibly undeserved – Jefferson High has managed to create the most impressive artistic program I’ve ever seen. And as a journalist, I covered schools for 20 years.
One of our team members asked a student: Do you feel safe here? Her reply was: between dance, Mock Trial and student government, she’s at the school from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days. “I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t feel totally safe.”
So much for Jefferson’s undeserved reputation.
Published in Leadership on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
January 14th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Great Article!