Oregon Public Broadcasting

Amanda Peacher / OPB

More than 800 college students helped with projects across the Roosevelt High campus.

One of Portland’s struggling high schools got a boost on Monday when 800 college students helped with service projects in honor of Martin Luther King Day. Volunteers painted walls, picked up trash, and left notes of encouragement on student lockers. In past years, Roosevelt has struggled with under enrollment, low academic performance and poor graduation rates.  The school is starting to turn around, but principal Charlene Willams still appreciates the help from college volunteers.   

“To have so many college kids flood our campus continues to affirm our vision of creating the college-going culture, given Dr. King’s dream. He provides this beautiful context of why we are doing what we’re doing,” said Williams.

Deondre Rhone is a junior at Portland State University who graduated from Roosevelt in 2009.  He helped by raking leaves. Rhone hopes to be a positive example. 

“In this community, a lot of these kids have dreams have to go to the NBA or NFL and they look past college, they just think, ‘I’m going to graduate and get a job or something.’ To see us college students come in and help them and show them what we can do, I hope that that shows them that it’s possible, especially with the alums coming.”

The volunteer day was organized by Oregon Campus Connect and involved students from nine local college and universities.