PORTLAND, Ore. -- A new model for lifelong education and community involvement now exists in an often overlooked Northeast Portland neighborhood.
Thanks to a collaboration between Portland Public Schools, Concordia University, Kaiser Permanente, Trillium Family Services and Pacific Foods, the new Faubion School opened its doors at the beginning of this school year.
The building is located near the Northeast Portland Concordia University campus and is also the new home for the Concordia University School of Education. Students from both schools share the space, allowing the younger students to see the "big kids" going to school and giving the college students direct access to the kids they are learning how to teach.
The project is part of an initiative called 3 to PhD, which is meant to start educating and caring for a child from their first three trimesters until they pursue their highest dreams.
Through the partnerships with Kaiser, Trillium and Pacific Foods, the new Faubion School is home to a full medical and dental clinic, child behavioral specialists, a grocery store and a food pantry. Each is meant to meet a need that may inhibit students in that neighborhood from achieving the success they deserve.
Most of all, the new building has helped create a sense of community in the neighborhood, giving parents peace of mind in knowing that there are other people there to help, and giving students a tangible example of what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.