Oregon Episcopal School

Carrying on our Founder’s Day tradition, on Saturday, Head of School The Rev. Michael Spencer honored the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Wistar Morris and Mary Rodney, founders of our school, at their resting places in Lone Fir Cemetery and River View Cemetery in Portland. Spencer placed handmade, biodegradable wreaths made with flowers and greenery from the OES campus as a tribute to the anniversary of Morris’ and Rodney’s arrival in Portland in 1869.

"They were people with purpose, arriving on the edge of the American frontier, ready to build something that had never existed here before," Spencer said. "Each year on Founder's Day, we visit the graves of Bishop Morris, Mary Rodney, and her sisters. We place wreaths made from flowers and greens gathered here on our own grounds. It is a humbling thing to stand at those graves and try to imagine what it cost—and what it took—to do what they did."

On June 2, 1869, the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Wistar Morris, Bishop of Oregon, and Mary Rodney arrived in Portland and swiftly established St. Helens Hall, a day and boarding school for girls. St. Helens Hall merged with Bishop Dagwell Hall, an all-boys school, to become Oregon Episcopal School in 1972.

We are just over a week away from OES Alumni & Reunion Weekend 2026! With events both on and off campus, this weekend will give you time to reconnect with classmates, teachers, and generations of OES alumni. Join us May 29–31!

Friday, May 29: Class of 2026 Alumni Induction and Lunch | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (OES Campus)
Saturday, May 30: Alumni Chapel with Student Performances, followed by Campus Tours | 10 a.m. (OES Chapel)
Saturday, May 30: 65th, 60th, 55th, 50th Reunion Celebrations | 5 p.m. (OES Campus)
Saturday, May 30: 45th through 5th Reunion Celebrations | 6 p.m. Lake Theater, Lake Oswego
Sunday, May 31: OES Alumni Day of Service with Project Lemonade

Register now: www.oes.edu/reunion.