The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The author of the New York Times Bestselling The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot, is an MLC alumna. The high school went to Jefferson HS to hear her speak in 2011.

We asked her, along with questions pertaining to her book, about what MLC had been like when she attended. She told a story about setting up an independent business study, which involved taking a road trip through California and selling handmade beaded jewelry.

She also remembered Lewis, the high school math teacher who has been a part of MLC since 1972 - that's right, that's 40 years of teaching at MLC. That's commitment.

All-School Picnic

The MLC All-School Picnic is a long-standing tradition. At the beginning and the end of every school year, all of MLC's students and staff hike up to Washington Park's Elephant House and field to enjoy a game of soccer, face-painting, swings, other activities, and the much-anticipated popsicles.

The picnic is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and have a good time.

It's also a great time to get to know your teachers, who play right alongside students and have just as much fun doing it.

Mike Barber, Ten Tiny Dances Producer

Mike Barber is MLC's high school Educational Resource Center teacher, and an extraordinary person. He has taught for thirty-three years, has recently completed a graduate degree in counseling psychology, and is a choreographer and dancer. He also produces a performance series called Ten Tiny Dances.

Ten Tiny Dances challenges its artists to be creative by confining them to a four-foot-by-four-foot stage. Each performance is composed of ten dances. TTD has been performed in a variety of venues since 2002, including PICA's TBA Festival (the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's annual Time-Based Art Festival). What began as an experiment has grown to be an extremely popular performance series. OPB's Oregon Art Beat produced an episode in 2011 highlighting the creation of a tiny dance for PICA's TBA Festival (watch below).

As always, MLC's staff are exceptional.

La Fille Mal Gardée

Today, the high school traveled to the Newmark Theater to see one of our seniors, Violet Lane-Ruckman (pictured left), perform the lead role in the ballet La Fille Mal Gardée (The Poorly Guarded Girl). Two other MLC students were also performing. Afterward, our lovely high school teachers Steve and Chris danced around in the street, pretending to be ballerinas. Their impromptu performance drew laughter and applause from watching students (and random passersby).

Steve!

Chris!