Riverdale High School (Oregon)
Encyclopedia
Riverdale High School is a public high school in Portland, Oregon
, United States
. The high school is unique in that it is a public school, but students from outside the district must go through an admissions process and pay tuition
to attend, unless they get a district transfer from their original district.
, which was historically anchored by Riverdale grade school, faced changes in 1991, when Oregon Senate Bill 917 decreed that all school districts should have both primary and secondary schools, and expected smaller school districts like Riverdale to merge. With only one grade school, Riverdale was expected to merge with the Lake Oswego School District
to the south or the Portland Public Schools to the north. Riverdale chose to keep its independence (and became the only previously K-8 district in Oregon to do so). The community purchased an old grade school, the former Collins View School in southwest Portland, which was built in the mid 1930s and closed in 1976. While it was being renovated, high school students were bussed to a leased location at Marylhurst University
in neighboring West Linn
.
In the fall of 2002, Riverdale received the Columbia Montessori School as its permanent site. The school has since been remodeled.
and takes pride in its college prep education.
Riverdale is a school of approximately 200 students. Rather than offering Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, the school offers one college credit class to seniors, Writing 121. Going above and beyond the Oregon diploma, Riverdale requires 4 years each of math, science, art, social science, and English.
In 2008, 100% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma
. Of 38 students, 38 graduated and 0 dropped out.
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
describes Riverdale as a "public private school", meaning it is a public school that serves "virtually no poor students", with 2.46% of students low income, and 96% of students being white.
, on April 17, 2009.
operating system on over 100 computers powered by K12LTSP
. The school installed new thin-client workstations when it opened in 2002. K12LTSP was developed at Riverdale and was released under the GPL
license in 2001. K12LTSP is based on the Linux Terminal Server Project
(LTSP) and is now used by schools all over the world. Fittingly, the Riverdale school system counts the children of Linus Torvalds
among its students.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The high school is unique in that it is a public school, but students from outside the district must go through an admissions process and pay tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
to attend, unless they get a district transfer from their original district.
History
Founded in 1996, the school was established under challenging circumstances. The community of DunthorpeDunthorpe, Oregon
Dunthorpe is an unincorporated suburb of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is located just south of the Portland city limits and north of the Multnomah County line on the west side of the Willamette River. Lewis & Clark College and Lake Oswego are nearby....
, which was historically anchored by Riverdale grade school, faced changes in 1991, when Oregon Senate Bill 917 decreed that all school districts should have both primary and secondary schools, and expected smaller school districts like Riverdale to merge. With only one grade school, Riverdale was expected to merge with the Lake Oswego School District
Lake Oswego School District
The Lake Oswego School District is a public school district serving Lake Oswego, Oregon, United States, a suburb 10 miles south of Portland. The district comprises 13 primary and secondary schools with a total enrollment of 6,896 as of 2005...
to the south or the Portland Public Schools to the north. Riverdale chose to keep its independence (and became the only previously K-8 district in Oregon to do so). The community purchased an old grade school, the former Collins View School in southwest Portland, which was built in the mid 1930s and closed in 1976. While it was being renovated, high school students were bussed to a leased location at Marylhurst University
Marylhurst University
Marylhurst University is a private Catholic liberal arts university located in Marylhurst, Oregon, United States, nine miles south of Portland on the Willamette River. It is among the oldest collegiate degree-granting institutions in Oregon, awarding its first degree in 1897...
in neighboring West Linn
West Linn, Oregon
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. Now a prosperous southern suburb of Portland, West Linn has a history of early development, prompted by the opportunity to harvest energy from nearby Willamette Falls. It was named after Senator Dr. Lewis Fields Linn of Ste...
.
The search for a permanent site
In 2001, challenge continued as the district asked voters to allow a permanent site be built for the school at a location outside of the district's boundaries. This was at a time when the high school had only 100 students, 30 of whom were actually district residents. The school struggled to find a permanent site. After many failed attempts at establishing a permanent location which included condemning two family occupied homes, the school finally found a site, but it was outside the district boundaries. Agreement was reached with the neighborhood community, Collins View, and the school officially opened in August 2002.In the fall of 2002, Riverdale received the Columbia Montessori School as its permanent site. The school has since been remodeled.
Academics
The school is part of the Coalition of Essential SchoolsCoalition of Essential Schools
The Coalition of Essential Schools is an organization created to further a type of whole-school reform originally envisioned by founder Ted Sizer in his book, Horace's Compromise. CES began in 1984 with twelve schools; it currently has 600 formal members.-Horace's Compromise:Horace's Compromise...
and takes pride in its college prep education.
Riverdale is a school of approximately 200 students. Rather than offering Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, the school offers one college credit class to seniors, Writing 121. Going above and beyond the Oregon diploma, Riverdale requires 4 years each of math, science, art, social science, and English.
In 2008, 100% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma
High school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
. Of 38 students, 38 graduated and 0 dropped out.
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is a based in Washington, D.C. and Dayton, Ohio. Its stated mission is "to close America's vexing achievement gaps by raising standards, strengthening accountability, and expanding education options for parents and families."...
describes Riverdale as a "public private school", meaning it is a public school that serves "virtually no poor students", with 2.46% of students low income, and 96% of students being white.
Clubs and activities
Riverdale Robotics Pandamonium, Riverdale's FIRST Robotics Team, was selected for the Rookie All Star award in March 2009. This award is the most prestigious award that a rookie team can get and entitled them to go to the 2009 World Championship in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, on April 17, 2009.
Riverdale as a Linux pioneer
Riverdale High School uses the LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system on over 100 computers powered by K12LTSP
K12LTSP
K12LTSP is a modification to the Centos operating system with the Linux Terminal Server Project packages integrated into it. It's designed to be easy to install and configure. K12LTSP is an off-shoot of the Linux in School Project ....
. The school installed new thin-client workstations when it opened in 2002. K12LTSP was developed at Riverdale and was released under the GPL
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
license in 2001. K12LTSP is based on the Linux Terminal Server Project
Linux Terminal Server Project
Linux Terminal Server Project is a free and open source terminal server for Linux that allows many people to simultaneously use the same computer. Applications run on the server with a terminal known as a thin client handling input and output...
(LTSP) and is now used by schools all over the world. Fittingly, the Riverdale school system counts the children of Linus Torvalds
Linus Torvalds
Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer and hacker, best known for having initiated the development of the open source Linux kernel. He later became the chief architect of the Linux kernel, and now acts as the project's coordinator...
among its students.