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News Releases
Outside the Frame actors and filmmakers on the set of
Outside the Frame actors and filmmakers on the set of "The Spot."
Oregon Historical Society Offers Free Spring Break Film Workshop in Partnership with Outside the Frame (Photo) - 03/19/24

Portland, OR — The Oregon Historical Society is proud to partner with Outside the Frame for a special presentation and workshop during Oregon’s spring break on Tuesday, March 26. Admission to the presentation and workshop registration are free, and admission to the Oregon Historical Society’s museum (1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland) will also be free all day on March 26 (museum hours are 10am to 5pm). 

At 12pm, all are welcome to a 90-minute presentation led by Outside the Frame filmmakers — young people who have experienced homelessness — who will present their recent work and lead a discussion on homelessness, representation, and social change. The presentation will include several films, each about five minutes long and in formats such as documentary, narrative, comedy, and music video. The program is appropriate for all ages, with young adults especially encouraged to attend.

At 2pm, young filmmakers are encouraged to register for one of two free workshops, where participants will use the Oregon Historical Society’s museum as a setting for short films made with Outside the Frame filmmakers. One workshop will focus on narrative structure, and the other will focus on interviewing and documentary (participants can select their preference at registration; register online here). Space is limited to 15 total participants, and snacks will be provided. Participants aged 10–15 are encouraged to register; OHS asks that youths’ adult companions stay on site during the workshop.

Outside the Frame offers a creative outlet, job skills, an audience, and a sense of dignity and possibility through filmmaking — because if youth experiencing homelessness can make films, they can do anything. Outside the Frame believes that to thrive, young people need more than their basic needs met and offers a model educational and vocational program, where young people create films about issues that matter to them and share them with the public. BIPOC, LGBTQ+ youth, and people with disabilities are over-represented in the homeless youth community proportional to their representation in the general population. Outside the Frame’s programs serve 125 individuals, 16–26 years old, each year, and most have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity. In a recent survey, 80% identified as LGBTQ+, 77% as BIPOC, and 54% as having a disability. Many fled abuse, neglect, addiction, and poverty. All are trying to rebuild their lives.

Current Exhibitions

Families are all encouraged to tour OHS’s museum throughout the day, which will be open for all to visit for free from 10am to 5pm on March 26. Current exhibitions include Models in Motion: The Ivan L. Collins Collection of Historic Vehicles in Miniatureon view now through September 1. Ivan L. Collins created historically accurate models of horse-drawn vehicles using painstaking research to ensure that every detail was authentic. Built at one-eighth scale, these models represent transportation technology before the automobile, from wagons used in Euro-American westward migration to those used in industry and for personal use. Collins saw this work as more than a hobby; his models were a way to preserve history for future generations. This exhibition showcases a majority of the wagons that Collins made during his lifetime.

Visitors can also enjoy Birds of the Pacific Coast: The Illustrations of R. Bruce Horsfall, on view through May 19. Combining his love of nature and art, R. Bruce Horsfall created detailed illustrations for Birds of the Pacific Coast written by Willard Ayres Eliot. One hundred years after the original printing, OHS is proud to display all 55 Horsfall illustrations preserved in our museum collection alongside information about the individual birds depicted in each painting. 

OHS’s newest exhibition, Camp Namanu, A 100 Year Journey Toward Inclusion, on view through June 9, invites visitors to reflect and ponder not only the camp’s evolution but also to consider how collective efforts toward inclusivity can shape a brighter, more equitable future. Camp Namanu’s 100-year journey is an inspiration and a reminder that the pursuit of inclusion is a journey worth taking — one that requires reflection, humility, and an ongoing commitment to positive change.

Another popular current exhibition, Portland Past and Present, pairs historical photographs from OHS’s research library paired with contemporary photographs taken by Peter Marbach, to illustrate how major architectural and geographic features in Portland have, or have not, changed over time. Portland Past and Present is on view through July 7.


About the Oregon Historical Society

For nearly 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all. We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and complex as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view. 

John Santella
John Santella
Two Oregon Educators Nominated for National History Day's Teacher of the Year Award (Photo) - 03/15/24

Teachers from Bend and Beaverton nominated for the national award which “recognizes the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students.”

Portland, OR — The Oregon Historical Society is pleased to announce that two Oregon educators, Patrick O’Brien and John Santella, have been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award for their work with students on Oregon History Day (OHD), an affiliate of the National History Day® (NHD) program.

History Day is a student-directed learning program that reaches more than half a million students each year. Creating projects inspired by an annual theme, young historians in grades 6–12 choose topics to explore, conduct historical research, practice critical thinking skills, and analyze primary and secondary sources while considering diverse viewpoints.

Patrick O’Brien, the grades 7/8 Individuals and Societies teacher at Seven Peaks School in Bend, Oregon, was nominated in the Junior (middle school) category for the way he has made History Day a cornerstone of the school’s curriculum. Since relocating to Bend from Switzerland in 2018, O’Brien has supported many students at both the state and national contest levels. His influence at Seven Peaks School stands out due to the opportunities he has cultivated for students to share their work both within their school and throughout their community; back-to-school nights and orientation sessions for prospective families have become spaces where students’ History Day achievements are highlighted and celebrated. Having had such a positive experience participating in the program, many alumni return to guide current students through the process, serving as judges or leading discussions about History Day.

John Santella, a social studies teacher at Westview High School in Beaverton, Oregon, has been nominated for the award in the Senior (high school) division. Having first participated in History Day during the 2019–2020 school year when the contest had to shift to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Santella found the program to be a successful tool to engage students even within a distance-learning setting. During the next two years, Santella and his colleagues promoted the program throughout their school, leading Westview to become one of the largest Oregon History Day participants in the state. When in-person competition returned in 2023, 30 Westview students presented their projects at the Oregon History Day contest at Willamette University; almost half of those students continued on to compete in the National Contest near Washington, D.C.

“The nominees for the Behring Award have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, National History Day Executive Director. “These educators are leading examples for their peers and invaluable resources for their students. I congratulate Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Santella on their well-deserved nominations.”

History Day’s unique approach to learning history carries many benefits for students. Rather than simply reading a textbook or memorizing dates, students can use multiple disciplines to learn about history, further developing strong research skills. With the option to choose their own topic of interest and present their work as either a paper, documentary, exhibit, website, or performance, students use creative expression to interpret primary and secondary sources, implement effective research strategies, and develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.

The national winner, who will receive a $10,000 award, will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians, and announced on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the National History Day® National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Maryland. Nominees’ work must clearly illustrate the development and use of creative teaching methods that engage students in history and help them make exciting discoveries about the past. The award is sponsored by Patricia Behring in recognition of the pivotal role teachers play in the lives of students.


About the Oregon Historical Society

For 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has served as the state’s collective memory, preserving a vast collection of objects, photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, films, and oral histories. Our research library, museum, digital platforms, educational programming, and historical journal make Oregon’s history open and accessible to all.We exist because history is powerful, and because a history as deep and complex as Oregon’s cannot be contained within a single story or point of view.  

Attached Media Files: John Santella , Patrick O'Brien