Oregon Principal Of The Year To Be Honored In Portland Thursday

From Portland Public Schools: Oregon Principal of the Year Curtis Wilson Jr. of Benson will be honored at a student assembly at the school on April 19.

The assembly will be held in the Benson High School auditorium, 546 NE 12th St., Portland, starting at 11:10 am.

Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero will greet the students and recognize Wilson, who said he was shocked after learning of the award.

“I did not expect that at all,” he said.

The award, administered by the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators and the Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators, makes Wilson eligible for the national Principal of the Year Award. He will be honored at the Annual COSA Conference in June and the OASSA/OESPA Principal’s Conference in October.

“Curtis brings knowledge and expertise to the ranks of high school principals in Portland," said Joe LaFountaine, PPS Director of High Schools. "Very few know the district and community better. Even with his breadth of experience, Mr. Wilson Jr. is always receptive to new ideas and eager to understand new ways of making his school better than it has ever been.”

Under Wilson, Benson’s graduate rate rose to 88.8 percent for 2016-17, well ahead of the Oregon average of 74.8 percent. Benson’s dropout rate for that year was 0.2 percent; the state average was 3.9 percent.

Wilson said he is proudest of being able to build a community with Benson’s diverse student body that is about 70 percent students of color and with about 70 percent who qualify for the free-and-reduced lunch program.

“It’s just being able to work with students, staff and family and help bring them together,” Wilson said.

Wilson manages a campus that shares space with the Dart Program, Alliance at Benson, Benson Evening Scholars, a full slate of Summer School Programming, and several other PPS alternative pathways programs.

"He is a valued peer for the administrators of those programs helping to serve our most vulnerable learners," said Ginger Taylor, former Benson Evening Scholars Principal.

Wilson is in his fifth year as Benson principal after moving from Grant, where he was a vice principal. A graduate of Roosevelt High School and the University of Oregon, Wilson started his education career as a health teacher at Harriet Tubman Middle School in 1997, before moving to Roosevelt to teach in 1997.

He also served as a basketball coach at Harriet Tubman, and track and cross country coach at Roosevelt.

In 2006, he moved into administration, first as dean of students at Roosevelt, then moving to Grant as a vice principal in 2007. In 2013, he took over as principal at Benson, succeeding Carol Campbell, who took the same position at Grant.

Wilson showed just how dedicated he is to Benson when the school’s girls basketball team made the state championship game. He offered to pay the admission of any Benson student who wanted to watch the Techsters play Southridge at the Chiles Center.

All 10 PPS high school principals contributed to the nomination of Wilson, either helping to write it, supplying data analysis or providing quotes. Among the quotes:

From Madison's Petra Callin: “Curtis is an excellent team player who always puts his students first. He is a positive influence on everyone he works with including parents, staff, and his colleagues.”

Grant's Carol Campbell: “He recognizes the importance of getting to know the community and building trusting relationships with various stakeholder groups. Curtis is a dedicated school leader who puts students first. From supervising the gym during lunch to teaching Zumba to helping plan for the remodel of the Benson campus, Curtis always gives 100 percent.”

Wilson's Brian Chatard: “Curtis is fair minded, even tempered and 100% committed to student success. He is a hands-on type of principal and doesn’t shy away from the tough decisions that separate administrators from true leaders.”

Roosevelt's Filip Hrstic: "Curtis has always led and inspired from a place of deep personal integrity and humility. He is the kind of principal that every school and community would be fortunate to have.”

Image via Benson Polytechnic High School