Second Graders at Sunnyside Environmental School Sound Off About What They Like and Dislike Most About Portland

The next generation doesn’t mince words when it comes to smoking, pollution and poverty.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Sunnyside Environmental School opened 20 years ago as a focus-option school in Southeast Portland. It’s one of two focus-option schools in Portland Public Schools that guarantees admission to neighborhood students. Today, teachers complain that neighborhood children crowd the school, which is supposed to be available to all. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, Another Believer.
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson

Hazel, age 8:

Likes: Trapeze classes

Dislikes: The patriarchy, racists and “a really high hill at Laurelhurst.”


Asha, age 8:

“My favorite thing about Portland is how it’s in the city and there’s so many amazing food places and you can ride on the MAX and the bus. My least favorite thing about Portland is how there are so many homeless people.”


Isaac, age 8:

“I like making friends. I don’t like smoking.”


Hazel C., age 8:

“One of my favorite things about Portland is that it has big shopping stores where you can get clothes and stuff. I also like how it’s really green. One of the things I don’t like about Portland is that downtown there’s a lot of trash. And I also don’t like that a lot of times it’s really cold and rainy.”


Delia, age 8:

“The thing I like about Portland is that it’s nice and sunny [right now]. The thing I don’t like in Portland is that it’s rainy a lot!”


Marian, age 8:

“My favorite thing about Portland is, No. 1, [my friend] Swan because she’s a really nice friend to me. And No. 2 is the clothes I have. [One of my least favorite things is that] sometimes [Portland’s] not a place you’d choose to go on vacation, because not that much stuff happens here, but also lots of stuff happens here at the same time. It’s like a crazy place.”


Eva, age 8:

“My favorite thing about Portland is that there’s play places and parks. And my least favorite thing is people who smoke.”


Greta, age 8:

“My favorite thing about Portland is how much nature there is. I love the redwoods and woods, how well they thrive in our country. And my least favorite thing is how many cars we use.”


Aiden, age 8:

“What I like about Portland is there’s a lot of good food restaurants [like Burgerville]. And my least favorite thing is that we don’t have an NHL team.”


Swan, age 8:

“My favorite thing about Portland is nothing. And my least favorite thing about Portland is everything.”

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