On Assignment - Portland Monthly - What I Learned in School

There is nothing like spending a few days back in high school to make you take a little stock in your life.  As I creep up on my 20 (holy crap) year reunion, I think back to that time, fondly I guess.  But I am also struck by how much cooler kids today seem.  Do I blame the internet?  Cable TV?  Back then couldn't see and didn't know too much past my own town and these kids can access the world in their pocket.  Does that make them happier?  More worldly?  Or more weighted down?  Things definitely seem a lot more complicated now, then they did back in 1993.  If you are feeling the need for a little teenage angst revisited, check out the world of Lincoln, Catlin Gabel and Century High School, which I shot for Portland Monthly Magazine's February issue. (read the story online here)

Asian Students Help U.S. Religious Schools Prosper

Private U.S. high schools, particularly religious schools, are enjoying a tuition windfall from high-paying Asian families eager to give their U.S. college-bound kids a head-start through enrollment on U.S. campuses. A few months ago I photographed students at St. Mary's School in Medford, Oregon for the Wall Street Journal story about U.S. academies luring a growing number of Asian students.  It is such an interesting mix of cultures, religious school with Communist students, and irony that seems to work for everybody though.  I was also struck by the fact that so many Chinese are clearly now wealthy enough to send their children across the globe and pay $49,000 a year for tuition, room and board (it is worth noting that locals only pay $12,000).  All with the hopes of getting them into a US college where the acceptance rates are much higher (even Ivy Leagues like Harvard!) than any college in ultra-competitive China.  Want to  know more about this fascinating two about a clash of cultures and countries?  Read the full story here.