North Clackamas
School District
Teen Parents Are Right on PACE to Earn Their Diploma
When 19-year-old Ellie Ison discovered she was pregnant during her senior year at Milwaukie High School, she was determined to earn her high school diploma, but didn't know how to solve the riddles of balancing her studies with the round-the-clock demands of being a first-time mother. She found her answers in an amazing program that's been a part of the North Clackamas School District for nearly 30 years.
NCSD's Parenting Academics Careers & Employment (PACE) Program offers pregnant or parenting students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma while receiving free, state-certified childcare and bus transportation to and from school at the district's Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technical Center.
Ison says the PACE program helped ease her worries by allowing her to earn her diploma and provide essential resources like clothing and food for her newborn son, now nearly a year old. “They’ve helped me advocate for myself too,” said Ison. “They don’t judge you for anything that’s going on at home. They’re flexible with every situation. Every staff member at PACE connects with you on a personal level, not just school-related.”
The program, first started in 1995, prides itself on developing lasting relationships with students and providing a roadmap toward a bright future as a young parent. “Because of our program’s history, we have a culture of a family atmosphere and we have loads of community partners who help us and support us in the things that we do,” said PACE Coordinator Stephanie Rayburn-Tillson.
That family atmosphere has been key for Milwaukie High School senior Neveah Anderson, who joined the PACE program two years ago and is looking forward to graduating in early 2025. Each morning with her two-year-old son alongside, Anderson attends a morning "advisory" session with her classmates to check in and hear morning announcements. She then drops off her son at the onsite daycare facility and heads off to classes in the building next door. “I’ve loved the communication and how helpful the staff is,” Anderson said. ”They help you figure things out so you can have the best experience here.“
That experience includes typical high school courses in math, science, and language arts, but also includes parenting classes and access to Sabin-Schellenberg's Career Technical Education courses in 18 different career fields, opening the doors to explore career opportunities and feel more prepared for life after high school. “Even though we aren’t a CTE program, the administration is as protective of us as they are any other Sabin-Schellenberg program,” said Rayburn-Tillson.
Anderson is enjoying the courses offered in the Manufacturing & Engineering program, and hopes to pursue a career in welding after graduation. Ison is taking classes in both Health Sciences and Crime Scene Investigation, and is interested in studying nursing or criminology.
And perhaps most importantly, both young mothers are doing it all with their sons right on campus with them.