Pep rallies are supposed to be joyful, loud and unabashed. Having just turned 12 in the fall of 2017, Alan bubbled over with excitement ahead of his first rally at Deming Intermediate School in Deming, New Mexico, a small city near the Mexican border. This story also appeared in USA Today Classrooms aren’t easy for […]
Author Archives: Levi Pulkkinen
Levi Pulkkinen is an independent journalist based in Seattle. His work has appeared in The Guardian, U.S. News & World Report and a host of regional publications, including The San Francisco Chronicle, Crosscut and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where he served as senior editor. His work has received top regional honors in most news reporting categories considered by the Society of Professional Journalists. A product of Washington's public schools and Western Washington University, Pulkkinen grew up surrounded by educators; his mother helped students as a school social worker while his father, a union organizer by training, represented teachers and paraeducators at the bargaining table.