We’ve had a wonderful time here in the Rose City of Portland, where our hosts have made us feel very welcome!

Our first stop last Thursday was at Roosevelt High School on Portland’s north side…

where Mary Beth was warmly introduced by RHS student Shaelynn Benjamin…

…and spoke to an enthusiastic crowd in the school library…

…where we also happened to find this little reminder of the many adventures that await us during our spring Tinker Tour of the West Coast…and beyond! (You have heard that Mary Beth was invited to present a TEDex talk — tucked in between stops in Minnesota and Idaho — in São Paulo, Brazil, right? She is slated to share her message about the power of young voices with a worldwide audience of TEDsters and will actually share the marquee with Brazilian soccer legend PELE!)

(On our way out the door at RHS, we just had to snap a quick photo of this creative locker/art display.)

Our next stop was an intimate — but fun and lively — evening reception put on by the Oregon ACLU and hosted by the law firm Tonkon Torp, high atop the Portland cityscape.

Friday was Northwest Scholastic Press Association Day for the Tinker Tour.

NWSPA hosted student journalists and student media advisers from schools across the region at the Univ. of Oregon’s downtown Portland campus.

With lots of time after to chat and SnapChat selfies!

South Salem (Ore.) High School adviser Brian Ericksen shows Mary Beth and the Tinker Tour some love!

A great ending to a wonderful, packed week!