Busy in Portland on Day One

A rather busy first day of visits in Portland on a day that saw the weather turn absolutely gorgeous... I started off at US Grant High School, a large public school that always promises a number of students and today wouldn't disappoint. It's personally one of my favorite spots to visit because of a number of reasons. The first is the history of the building itself... truly, it's palpable. It's as if the halls themselves are alive. I snapped a quick picture as I headed out just to try and give you a sense of them, but I'm afraid it won't do them justice in the least. They're lined with hundreds of framed photographs dating back decades. The second reason I enjoy my time at Grant is because of the terrific Grant students at Kenyon, many of whom work in the Office of Admissions back in Gambier.
All right, so the picture doesn't really help give you a sense, but imagine tall, long, tiled hallways with these hanging about eight feet up all the way down... pretty impressive and intimidating.

So my second stop of the day was at Northwest Academy, and it's always a pleasure to pay a visit to this relatively new school in the heart of Portland. The urban setting has something of an edge to it, and reminds me of Seattle Academy in many ways. Many of the seniors sat in on my presentation and they brought such a broad range of interests that it was a challenging presentation trying to cover all of them.

I had a few moments to kill in between visits and I discovered Multnomah Village, something of an artsy section of Portland southwest of the city center. I look forward to exploring it further this weekend.

Finally, my final appointment of the day was at Woodrow Wilson High School. I saw four young women there, three of whom I've met in the past, and I was so pleased they decided to take the opportunity to learn more about Kenyon. I hope to see them on campus in the next couple of weeks. Wilson High also holds a special place in my heart as it's the home of one of the admissions fellows (seniors who conduct interviews for us back in the office). I believe we have another student on campus from Wilson, as well, and he's one of the men's lacrosse team captains, if I remember
correctly. I'm also including a second shot of some of their athletic fields so you can get a sense of the setting. The school is set upon the top of a hill and the view is remarkable on clear days such as today. You can't quite make out the mountains off in the distance, but take my word for it!




I then headed to grab a late lunch at my favorite spot in Portland, a favorite of the Grant students I know at Kenyon. Just to make them jealous, I include a picture from the sidewalk seating as I was enjoying the restaurant's incredible afternoon specials.





I had one phone meeting this evening with a student from central Oregon, followed by two interviews. A great day all in!

And finally below you'll find my pictures of the day... that's right, two of them! The first, a natural shot of some local flora in brilliant bloom and Kenyon purple! The second, advertising what proves to be an exciting weekend event... the 4th Annual Portland Pirate Festival!!!




From Portland, all the best.
-Noble