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Three students at Portland High School have won a Painting for a Purpose grant of $471 to launch an inclusive dance club at the school. The “I Am The Drama Dance Club” will welcome students from all backgrounds and those eager to learn, according to the founding leaders of the club, juniors Praise Mugisha, Renata Banga-Barroso and Naomie Luzingu. "We are passionate about this project because we love dancing and we grew up loving it,” the students said in their grant application to Painting for a Purpose.

School meals continue to be free of charge but for students that purchase extras such as drinks and chips, families should be aware that the Portland Public Schools Food Service is transitioning to a new payment software in the spring of 2026 — and the current payment software, PayPAMS, will no longer be taking online payments for students’ meal accounts after December 31, 2025. The system will still be available for students to be able to deposit cash or checks at their schools.

Casco Bay High School seniors didn’t let frigid temperatures and a biting wind prevent them from participating in the school’s 13th annual “College March” on the afternoon of Dec. 12. The students paraded briskly down Congress Street to the downtown post office, where they mailed college applications or letters to a significant adult in their life who has supported their educational journey. The CBHS annual "March to the Post Office" celebrates every senior completing at least one college application. 

Portland High School art teacher José Gouveia recently led his students in a unique project that combined creating art with being a connected member of the community — holding an online auction of the students’ artwork to help Maine Needs. That Portland-based nonprofit works in support of asylum seekers, students, the unhoused population, survivors of domestic violence, and those facing financial adversity to make sure that no one goes without the basics.

On Dec. 3, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Scallon sent a letter to the PPS community disagreeing with recent hateful rhetoric regarding immigrants and specifically the Somali community. The superintendent reiterated the district's support for all students, staff and community members. Read the letter:

The work and dedication of Priscila Bitencourt, the McKinney-Vento liaison for the Portland Public Schools, are featured in the Maine Department of Education’s new McKinney-Vento Newsletter. Each month, the newsletter features model McKinney-Vento programs, the liaisons who lead them, and the teams of staff, administrators, and collaborative partners who support McKinney-Vento students and families every day. Bitencourt, who works in the district's Multilingual & Multicultural Center, was selected for the November 2025 McKinney-Vento Spotlight.The article about her focuses on how she and other PPS staff work creatively to support the 500 identified McKinney-Vento students they serve.

This fall, the Board of Public Education held listening sessions with students, staff, and community. At those meetings, the Board heard that many people love the Portland Public Schools and value the care shown to students, the district’s diverse community, and its long-standing commitment to equity. At the same time, others expressed deep concerns that the district is not living up to that commitment. Following those engagement sessions, the Board on Nov. 24 sent a letter to the PPS community pledging that "we are committed to doing better” to realize that equity goal. Read the Board’s letter:
 

A group of Deering High School students joined other Maine students in “running” Maine state government one November weekend, taking control of the State House, debating more than 100 bills and electing a new youth governor. The students were participating in the Maine YMCA Youth and Government program in Augusta Nov. 7, 8 and 9—an opportunity to experience civics lessons firsthand.

Nov. 7 marked the culmination of a four-day STEAM lesson for Rowe Elementary School fifth-graders and they had a big task before them: Make the robot creatures they had created “come to life” with lights, motion and sound. Their “Robot Petting Zoo” lesson was an example of the hands-on opportunities in science, technology, engineering, art, and math that the Portland Public Schools provides for elementary students through its Mobile Makerspace. 

Deering High School seniors Toby Romano and Devashree Thomson are passionate about theater costumes, which are key elements in drawing audiences into a performance. That’s why the two are grateful to receive a $344 Painting for a Purpose service-learning grant to aid in their “Costume Track Restoration” project.

Reiche Elementary School is the latest of three newly renovated Portland Public Schools' elementary schools to attain Silver Certification from LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Presumpscot and Longfellow schools were awarded the certification last year. The certification recognizes the schools’ lower energy costs, improved air quality and healthier learning environments overall.

The Foundation for Portland Public Schools (FPPS) has awarded more grants than ever before in its almost 20-year grant-making history. For the first time, FPPS awarded grants of up to $2,000 via three different grant programs. 135 grants totaling $144,554 will benefit students across 17 schools in the district this school year.

King Middle School science teacher Marina Peñalver shared the following account of an “Engineering Our Energy Future,” expedition that King eighth-graders are engaging in: "In this expedition, Matinicus Eight students become authorities on one of our planet’s major dilemmas, human energy usage and its connection to global climate change. 

The Foundation for Portland Public Schools has raised approximately $43K for food insecure students and families during the government shutdown. FPPS Executive Director Andrea Weisman Summers, says the community’s response is “genuinely heartwarming.” 

Casco Bay and Deering high schools were among 78 schools across Maine participating in the Maine Student Mock Election on Oct. 28. It is the first year that Maine has held a student mock election for a referendum election — and Casco Bay was one of the schools that Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows visited that day to mark the event.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jill Duson, who represents part of Portland, servef lunch to Lyman Moore Middle School students Oct. 20. The senator’s visit was an opportunity for her to see the impact of the universal free school meal program and meet with Superintendent Ryan Scallon, Moore Principal Darralynn Jones and Food Service staff.

Portland High School senior Ramona Rowe will start college next year with a huge life accomplishment already checked off: She’s a published novelist. Ramona recently had her first full-length novel published through The Telling Room. Titled “Factory Town,” it’s a science fiction novel set in Worcester, Mass., where she has family roots