The afternoon of Tuesday September 16th was a busy one at Roosevelt High School. Roosevelt’s very own head of the theater department, Ms. Jo Lane was recognized as Regional Teacher of the Year. To understand the significance of this award, we need to understand the process with which it’s awarded. Each year students, colleagues, administrators, friends, and family have the opportunity to nominate a teacher they believe is deserving of this recognition. Ms. Lane, along with 15 other teachers in the Multnomah County area were selected after a committee reviewed their testimonials and letters of support; evaluating them based on: leadership, instructional expertise, commitment to equity, community involvement, understanding of educational issues, vision and professional development. Ms. Lane was nominated by a parent who appreciates how, “Ms. Lane engages students from all backgrounds and makes everyone feel welcome in theater classes and extracurricular activities. She gives her own time and resources to provide a school home for students who might otherwise feel alienated and helps them build community.” The assembly was attended by Portland Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong who commented, “I think it’s amazing because it is showing the rest of the area what we already know, which is that there are fantastic teachers in our Portland schools, and we want to celebrate. We want to uplift. Recognizing one teacher in Portland, to me, is like recognizing all of them.” Also in attendance was the Director of the Oregon Department of Education Dr. Charlene Williams, representatives of the Oregon Lottery, and Ms. Lane’s husband. Ms. Lane received a one thousand dollar cash prize. She is now being considered for Oregon’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year.
The assembly then transitioned into a never seen before assembly game…Masked Singer! Four brave souls at Roosevelt took to the gym floor under the spotlight in inflatable yellow and black suits. Under the suits was Zyler Modderman, La’ Neia Franklin, teacher Ms. Smyth, and winner Annalise Reimuller. The contestants sang 30 seconds of a song of their choice and were later judged based on the volume of the cheers from the crowd before finally being revealed.
The assembly ended with Student Body President Jasmin Reyes-Contreras leading the crowd in cheers for the upcoming football game against Ida B. Wells. This was the first assembly of the year and a surprise one! Student leadership only had a few short weeks to pull it off. The next thing on the Rider agenda is homecoming so stay on the lookout for spirit week, class comps, pep rally’s, the tailgate, and the dance!
