The Franklin Post

The Student News Site of Franklin High School
A Townsend’s Warbler perched on a branch. The Bird Alliance of Oregon is transforming a former rock quarry site into a new Wildlife Care Center and nature sanctuary, which will expand its capacity to care for local birds. Photo by Jonah Freeman.
Land Restoration Underway for New Portland Bird Alliance Sanctuary and Care Center
Community members and city councilors gathered in Chapman Elementary School’s auditorium for the District Four listening session on May 5, 2026. Amid growing public discussion around its provisions and cuts, the proposed Portland City budget for the upcoming fiscal year is moving into the review stage by the City Council. Photo by Norah Dobrot.
Mayor’s Proposed $8.64 Billion Budget Under Council Review
Passengers wave as they participate in the Portland Rose Festival’s CareOregon Starlight Parade. The Starlight Parade has been expanded to include more entries, just one of the changes to this year's festivities, which will include both new events and old favorites. Photo via Alex Abonce.
Bigger, Brighter, and in Bloom: Portland Rose Festival 2026
The latest design rendering for the Dairy Queen on Southeast Division and 55th Avenue. The owner has approval from the City of Portland to rebuild and is working hard to get construction underway. Photo via Mohan Grewal.
Dairy Queen Rebuild Eagerly Awaits Approval for Construction
Mount Hood on a clear day. The mountain’s snowmelt feeds many surrounding rivers, including the Dog River, which directly supplies The Dalles’ municipal reservoir. Photo by Edie Cowan.
Acres in Mount Hood’s National Forest May Be Transferred to The Dalles for Reservoir Expansion
Anti-war demonstrators outside of the Pentagon. Attitudes towards war have shifted greatly in the United States as new methods of propaganda surface attempting to normalize militarization. Photo via the U.S. National Archives and Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
Understanding the Child Soldier: Violence, the Military-Entertainment Complex, and the Anti-War Genre
2025-26 Teen Council members at their annual retreat. Teen Council, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW)’s “peer-led sex ed” program, was one of many Education and Outreach programs cut by a recent decision made by PPCW. Photo via Ann Krier.
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette Cuts Education Department
A therapist’s office with a child’s form scribbled out on the couch.The recent Supreme Court decision of Chiles v. Salazar makes it easier for licensed therapists to practice unscientific conversion “therapy” on minors within a clinical context. Graphic by Rusty MacKenzie.
Chiles v. Salazar Decision Challenges Conversion Therapy Bans Nationwide
People gathered around the Street Books cart. Local nonprofit Street Books promotes community, centered on books and people’s stories. Photo by Martha Daghlian.
Street Books: Portland’s Library on Wheels
The Future Vision Youth Committee posing with staff from the Next Up Action Fund, the Blueprint Foundation, and Metro. The 50-year regional plan created by Metro gives a voice to youth in the Portland Metro Area through the creation of the youth committee, and hopes to turn their ideas into actions in the near future. Photo via Kelsey Kuhnhausen.
Centering New Perspectives: Metro’s 50 Year Regional Plan
A United States passport resting on a copy of the U.S. Constitution, open to the section containing the 14th Amendment. The amendment’s wording surrounding citizenship is currently under examination in an ongoing Supreme Court case that addresses the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order about birthright citizenship. Photo by Charlotte Hanscom.
The Future of Birthright Citizenship in the United States
Students peer over the covers of books written in multiple languages. Learning languages teaches more than a new vocabulary — it can imbue an understanding of diverse cultural backgrounds that is increasingly necessary today. Photo by Norah Dobrot.
Defending Linguistic Diversity is Increasingly Vital
An American flag superimposed over an image of the Nuremberg Laws, which legalized discrimination of Jews and effectively began the Holocaust. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has demanded that the University of Pennsylvania produce a list of Jewish employees and students with their full names, contact information, and addresses. Directives such as this one, while claiming to protect marginalized groups, are a concerning step towards the systems of legalized discrimination that directly led to the Holocaust. Graphic via Canva and image via the National Archive.
We’re Not a To-Do List, Don’t Put Us On One: Penn, Jews, and the EEOC
A teenager in the wilderness holds up a map and compass. The ability to navigate without digital tools is just one example of a survival skill that benefits many different areas of life. Photo by Emily Dickerson.
Wilderness Survival Skills Prove Essential for Teens
Students at Roseway Heights Middle School look on as protesters in the McDaniel High School march walk by. These students saw their older peers fighting for justice and human rights in their very own community. Photo by Hays Witt.
Breaking the ICE — A Rallying Cry for Our Generation
The Palmer Snowfield on Mount Hood in 2015 with a record-low snowpack. This year, Oregon’s snowpack was close to the record low, leaving many Oregonians with a disappointing ski and snowboard season. Photo via Robin Cressy.
A Disappointing Winter for Oregon Skiers
Portland Cherry Bombs Football Club (FC) players model the inaugural kit with Sara Kennedy, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette. Debuting this May, the Cherry Bombs FC will provide pre-professional play for those seeking a transition from collegiate to national-level soccer. Photo via Sara Tucker Kastens.
Meet Portland’s New Pre-Professional Women’s Soccer Team: The Cherry Bombs Football Club
Portland Bike Polo players try to score a goal in a fenced court at Alberta Park. Portland Bike Polo is a sports club that meets multiple days a week, year-round. Photo via Portland Bike Polo.
Portland Bike Polo Kicks Into Gear
Players on the court at Dodgeball PDX. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Portlanders have enjoyed both recreational and competitive dodgeball leagues. Photo via Kyle Ashby.
A Look Into Portland’s Competitive Dodgeball Scene
Number thirteen Amelia Wilde of Franklin High School soccer plays in the game against Lincoln High School. Amelia is a senior at Franklin who is considering furthering her athletic career in college. Photo by Nuala McNamara.
Franklin Seniors Consider Their Future in College Athletics
Members of the local student band FRENZI pose for a group picture. The group creates pop-punk music in Portland. Photo by Trent Finlay.
People Are in a FRENZI Over Franklin’s Pop-Punk Band
A shot from “Killing Time,” a narrative film by Ines Chen. Chen will be pursuing filmmaking next year at Chapman University. Photo by Ines Chen.
Franklin Seniors Continuing in Arts After Graduation
Franklin junior Emma York holding her fifth place certificate at Verselandia! 2025. Over 20 high schoolers from PPS and beyond compete every year at Verselandia!, Portland’s high school poetry championship. Photo by Shawnte Sims via Literary Arts.
Meet Emma York, Franklin’s Champion Poet
Asian American Association backstage of rehearsal for Franklin’s annual Arts Alive show. The Asian American Association is one of many affinity groups in Portland that can offer a deeper connection to one’s culture. Photo by Isabel La Puente Lafrenz.
Cultural Dance Programs Across Portland
An array of playbills from the 2025-26 season of Broadway in Portland, held up in front of the set of “The Phantom of the Opera.” This latest season featured a wide variety of emotional and entertaining shows, from a centuries-old tale of revolution and love, to a fast-paced comedy about corn, to a soulful retelling of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Photo by Scar Dickerson.
From Corn Ears to Chandeliers: Broadway in Portland 2025-26
A racer at the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby, riding in a car built for speed and aerodynamics. The race takes place at Mount Tabor Park in Portland every August. Photo via Tim Bell.
PDX Adult Derby Cruises into 27th Year
A student working on schoolwork with a laptop open and a phone in hand. As technology becomes an increasingly present part of life, students reflect on how they approach their own screen time. Photo by Hailey Adalean.
Teenagers Reflect On Time On Tech
A text message exchange between two people in which one consistently yields their own needs or desires to the requests of the other. People-pleasing is a common behavior that has a great influence on all types of relationships in our society. Photo by Isis Vortigern.
The Complicated Role of People-Pleasing in Our Society
A collection of past Franklin Post issues. The Franklin Post has evolved over the last 111 years, shaping student journalism at Franklin and in the greater Portland community. Photo by Sofie Salewsky.
Hot Off the Franklin Post Press: A Deep Dive Into Student Journalism
A Certified Backyard Habitat sign displayed on Portlander Debbie Kaufman’s fence. The Backyard Habitat Certification program helps promote hosting native plants and animals, and designing backyards in collaboration with the ecosystem. Photo via Debbie Kaufman.
Patchwork Habitats: How the Backyard Habitat Certification Program Brings Naturescaping to Life
The Post staff for the 2026 school year posing with Issue 7 of the paper. Photo by Easton Atlansky.
The Franklin Post Class of 2026: Portraits and Superlatives!
Charlotte’s Book Corner: The Fierce, Feverish Meditations of Clarice Lispector’s “Água Viva”
Charlotte’s Book Corner: Ling Ling Huang’s “Immaculate Conception”: Creative Envy at its Extreme
Upcoming Franklin Events
Charlotte’s Book Corner: The Recollection of Youth in Lily King’s “Heart the Lover”

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Isabella Smejtek