North Clackamas School Named in Honor of Supreme Court Judge Adrienne Nelson

On May 9, North Clackamas Schools (NCSD) Superintendent Matt Utterback announced the name of the newest NCSD high school. The fourth NCSD high school will be named Adrienne C. Nelson High School in honor of current Oregon Supreme Court Justice, Adrienne C. Nelson.

Justice Nelson was the second African-American female judge in Oregon when she was appointed as a Multnomah County Circuit Court trial judge in 2006. Appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court in 2018, Justice Adrienne Nelson is the first African-American to sit on a state's highest court.

“I’m thrilled the School Board voted to name our new high school after Justice Nelson. Her commitment to uplifting individuals and communities, along with her personal integrity reflect all that we want for our high school students. The process for naming this school was emotional, and prompted difficult, but necessary conversations within our community. In the end, the School Board selected the name of a remarkable person and resident of our district,” said Superintendent Utterback in a release.

The Rock Creek Middle School and campus will be converted into the Adrienne C. Nelson High School beginning in June. The high school is currently scheduled to open in August 2021.

The school board hosted two community forums pertaining to the renaming of the new school on February 21, 2019, and March 18, 2019. More than 70 members of the community participated in these two forums including students, staff, and members of the local community. The school district also utilized an online survey for additional public comment on the renaming receiving more than 240 online submissions in total. After a work session on April 11, 2019, the final school board ballot included eight renaming options: