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"At McDaniel, all students will access an engaging and inclusive education defined by diversity and respect. All students will graduate from high school empowered with critical skills necessary for success in higher education, career, and community engagement."
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We are excited to announce that the new name for Madison High School will be Leodis V. McDaniel High School. Leodis V. McDaniel was a greatly respected, well-loved, and highly celebrated Portland community leader who gained an impeccable reputation as an administrator at Madison High School in the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to becoming principal at Madison, McDaniel worked as a science teacher at MacLaren School for Boys, a counselor at Adams High School, and then as vice-principal at Madison. McDaniel was one of only a handful of Black High school principals in Oregon in the 1980s and was tasked with leading Madison through desegregating and bussing. McDaniel embraced this challenge as he did all of his administrative duties with the singular purpose of fairness to all. He was well-known for his kind demeanor, contagious laugh, absolute integrity, and his instinctual ability to deeply connect with all people.
McDaniel was wildly popular with students and staff while earning numerous awards and accolades from the many community organizations to which he contributed. A staunch supporter of athletics and the arts, McDaniel believed wholeheartedly in education and the value of the opportunity. His sudden death in 1987 left the Portland community reeling and his school heartbroken. In addition to the many lives he touched, McDaniel's impact lives on. To this day, an annual scholarship is awarded to a Madison senior in his name to students who have struggled. An annual reunion of hundreds called “The Gathering” is still held, where the initial invitation list was created from McDaniel’s funeral guestbook. McDaniel has two adult children who continue to exemplify their parents’ teachings of integrity and respect for others.