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OPB began its “Class of 2025” project 13 years ago with a simple idea: Follow a group of Oregon students from kindergarten to graduation.
This spring, 20 of the 25 students graduated on time. And while they fell a little short of a goal set by state leaders in 2012 to achieve a 100% graduation rate by 2025, these students persevered through the pandemic and so much adversity, offering lessons to us all.
Today, OPB releases its final installment on these now young adults with a documentary, “Class of 2025: Growing Up in Oregon Schools.”
In other news, state officials announced this morning that people who receive SNAP food assistance would receive 100% of their November benefits today.
In Portland, the city recently began enforcing its camping ban, issuing seven citations, but it also gained a new museum. The Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts recently opened its doors, celebrating the power of comic arts and bringing in artists to come in and share their skills.
— John Hill
Seniors in the David Douglas High School Class of 2025 formed "25" on the school's football field May 15, 2025.
Brooke Herbert / OPB
Class of 2025: Growing up in Oregon schools
In 2012, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber said, “2025 is the year we’ve set to have 100% high school graduation in the state of Oregon,” in his State of the State address.
Over the years, OPB followed that goal — and the students at the center — as the support structures meant to help Oregon reach those goals fell apart, and as a global pandemic made things worse.
The Class of 2025 finished 7th grade online, and most of them continued distance learning until the end of middle school.
OPB’s documentary, “Class of 2025: Growing Up In Oregon Schools,” is the final installment in a 13-year project following the path of a group of students from kindergarten to graduation. (Elizabeth Miller)
Admirers enjoy the comics artwork on display at the debut of the Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts on Nov. 3, 2025. The NWMOCA is a new museum that honors the history of Portland's independent comics culture.
Steven Tonthat / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- Travelers at Portland International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are being advised to call airlines before turning up, after the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it would be reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain safety. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
- The new Northwest Museum of Cartoon Arts held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new museum Monday on Northwest 8th Ave., bringing together dozens of the community’s most prominent comics creatives like writers Kelly Sue DeConnick, David F. Walker, Matt Fraction and Brian Michael Bendis. (Steven Tonthat)
- In the first five days of Portland’s camping ban enforcement, police officers issued seven citations to people for violating the policy. While visiting encampments to issue warnings about the new policy, officers also arrested 40 people for other criminal charges and outstanding warrants. (Alex Zielinski)
Chuck Kesey died on Nov. 6, 2025, at the age of 87. Born in La Junta, Colorado, to Fred and Geneva Kesey, Chuck moved to Springfield, Oregon, as a child, where his father managed the Eugene Farmers Creamery. He and his brother, Ken Kesey, grew up amid the scent of fresh milk, learning both the art of hard work and the joy of imagination.
Courtesy of The Kesey family
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Oregon SNAP recipients will receive November benefits today, DHS says (OPB staff)
- So lit, it sold out: All Portland Book Festival tickets bought in advance for first time (Sukhjot Sal)
- Chuck Kesey, co-founder of Springfield Creamery that makes Nancy’s Yogurt, dies at 87 (Tiffany Eckert)
- Eugene’s police auditor plans to investigate immigration enforcement cooperation concerns (Rebecca Hansen-White)
- Trump administration speeds up new rules that would make it easier to charge some protesters (Rebecca Santana)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
Noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- What are the dangers of working for ICE? Report examines the data
This cozy, nostalgic chili dog casserole is both tasty and budget-friendly.
Heather Arndt Anderson / OPB
Superabundant recipe: A cozy chili dog casserole that stretches your dollar while lifting your mood
Invented in the U.S. and made from domesticated crops in North America, chili is arguably America’s national dish. With or without beans, there are limitless ways to eat it.
You can go the Frito pie route (or walking tacos), ladle it onto spaghetti, mix it with macaroni and cheese or put it on a baked potato or french fries. Or, even though it’s messy, you can also pour it over hot dogs. Chili dogs taste great any time, but especially this time of year.
This casserole offers a slight twist on that classic meal with a recipe designed to taste like another nostalgic favorite — Nalley’s chili. (Heather Arndt Anderson)
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