Nadia Martinez, a senior at Marshall High School pictured here with my son Luke who teaches and tutors with Open Meadow's Step Up program there, was named this week as Marshall High School's last ever Portland Rose Festival Princess.  Read Matt Buxton's article in the Oregonian here.

Luke calls Nadia "one of my wonderful seniors" at the Renaissance Arts Academy small school at Marshall.  In addition to being a great student academically, Nadia is captain of the varsity soccer that went to the state playoffs.  She is also on the cheer team -- as is our office summer intern in 2010, Serena Montehermoso.   Competitive cheer routines require intensive discipine and amazing athleticism.  When Luke played football and my younger son Maxwell played basketball at Wilson, I enjoyed watching the cheer squad as much as the games on the field/court. 

Nadia volunteers at Marshall Campus SUN Center activities and at Red Cross blood drives, and helps students at Lent K-8 School learn to read. I wish her all the best as she represents Marshall proudly on the Rose Festival Court at all Portland Rose Festival activities.