Benson Polytechnic High School Newspaper

The Benson Orbit
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The Benson Orbit
Benson Polytechnic High School Newspaper

The Benson Orbit
Principal Wilson in his office, where it’s a particularly stressful time of the year.

How Principal Wilson Is Navigating PPS’s $50 Million Budget Cut

As Portland Public Schools faces a $50 million budget cut next year, the pressure falls on Principal Wilson to decide what stays, what goes, and how to minimize the impact on Benson Tech.
Nick Oates • Apr 20, 2026

As a $50 million budget cut looms over Portland Public Schools, principals across the district have to make some tough calls about next school year. What programs will be cut? What will the impact on students...

Benson’s Bathrooms Need to Change

Benson’s Bathrooms Need to Change

Gender neutral bathrooms are meant to be inclusive, but when they’re so vandalized that they’re unusable, what can we do?
Zenith Yoshihara • Apr 15, 2026

“Once I was in the stall, and I heard this guy next to me go into the stall, grunt, then [he] pissed all over the wall… After he left, I got curious and I peered into the stall.” Liz Gonzales Burns...

In Construction, Caleb Butler (left) replaces a table saw with a dado stack under Dave Ketah’s supervision.

Beyond Paper, CTE Struggles to Get What It Needs

With a freeze on the budget, and materials starting to dwindle, how is CTE at Benson handling it?
Tobinn Carlson • Apr 14, 2026

At Benson Polytechnic High School, about a third of students go into Health Occupations, one of three Career Technical Education (CTE) academies at the school. Students get to use X-ray machines, a fully...

Marvin Kolbow accepts his Audience Choice Award.

Benson’s Got Talent! Sees Bright Future After Last Year’s Mess

17 different acts performed at this year’s Benson talent show, introducing awards and prizes for the first time.
Vivian Scofield • Apr 9, 2026

Following last year’s backstage mess, Benson’s Got Talent! returned to Benson’s auditorium on March 6th with smashing success, with 17 acts performing to draw in all manner of students and adults...

How to Get Involved When the World Feels Like it's Ending

How to Get Involved When the World Feels Like it’s Ending

Getting involved in your community doesn't have to feel hard! Here are six ways to protest ICE and show up for those affected in your community.
Aspen Trask • Mar 30, 2026

After the nationwide general strike and protest on January 30th, many people, especially youth, have been wondering: “How can I get involved?” The idea of “getting involved” may appear as a time-consuming...

Benson Needs More AP Classes

Benson Needs More AP Classes

Benson barely offers a quarter of the College Board’s AP courses: what about the others?
Zayne Dahlquist • Mar 18, 2026

The College Board officially offers nearly 40 AP courses. Here at Benson, you can take a whopping 11 of them. While it would be totally infeasible for our school to offer all 40 AP classes, there are a...

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