If you want to set the tone for a school year, this is how you do it. PAA's first chapel of 2026-27 was Ask a Senior, and it was everything. Seniors sat up front and opened themselves up to questions from Pastor Fernando, and what followed was one of those chapel moments you do not forget. The advice and wisdom that poured out of these young people was remarkable. They spoke about academics and how to actually approach them. About connecting with teachers and why it matters.

If you want to know about the intentionality behind PAA's culture and community building, Beach Day pretty much shows it. Student Association officers and sponsors planned an incredible day of community, connection, and fun for the entire student body at Blue Lake, and it delivered on every level. The day kicked off with a handshake line, where every single student met every single other student. It sounds simple, but it is anything but. That moment is a foundation, a deliber

School is back in session, and PAA is alive again. Students filled the hallways this week and the energy has been through the roof from day one. Old friends reuniting, new friendships already forming, and everyone settling back into the rhythm of a school schedule. Classes are underway, content is being covered, and students are already diving in. It has been a wonderful first week. Staff is equally thrilled. There is nothing quite like having students back in the building, a

Sunday, August 23 was a perfect day in every sense of the word. Cougars past and present gathered at Glendoveer Golf Course for a morning of golf and an afternoon celebration that reminded everyone in the gathering exactly what it means to be part of this community. Gorgeous weather, familiar faces, old memories surfacing, and a whole lot of laughter. And yes, a few tears too. The good kind. This year's Cougar Hall of Fame inducted the 1999 and 2000 Golf Teams, Todd Manley, a

Before the first bell rang, before the hallways filled back up, the senior class was already doing the work. The weekend before school began, PAA seniors headed out together for Senior Retreat, an intentional and beloved part of the PAA experience. Not a vacation. Not just a fun trip. A purposeful gathering designed to shape who this class will be and how they will lead. At PAA, each class is anchored to a core value that grows with them. Freshmen explore curiosity. Sophomore

The countdown is on, and we could not be more excited. Teachers returned Monday to an all staff morning worship and meeting, grounding ourselves in the spiritual foundation for the year ahead. Our theme, Made Complete, drawn from Ephesians 3:19, sets the tone for everything we are stepping into together. What a beautiful reminder of who we are and Whose we are as we begin a new year. One of the highlights of the week was our Prayer Walk, where staff, pastors, and board member

There is something different about a PAA student. You might notice it on a mission trip to Mexico or the Dominican Republic, where our students spent time this year serving communities far from home. But you would also notice it in Portland, where other students were stocking shelves, removing blackberry bushes, or clearing trash right here in our own city. At PAA, ministry is not a trip. It is a way of life. Every student completes at least 40 hours of community service each

Just before graduation, every senior takes part in one of PAA's most beloved traditions: Senior Sign Out. In Pastor Stephen's classroom, as a final act of senior Bible class, students sign their names on the wall. It is a simple gesture with a profound meaning. You were here. You belong to this community. You always will. At PAA, we pray deeply that we leave a lasting, positive impact on every student who walks through our doors. We want them to leave knowing there is a commu

The season is still months away, but the PAA Girls Basketball team is already hard at work. That tells you everything you need to know about these young women. The girls have been coming together regularly to raise funds for two goals: covering lodging and food for the Walla Walla University Friendship Tournament, and purchasing new team warm ups. They want it, and they are willing to work for it. Last week the team held a car wash, and nearly the entire team showed up, along

Summer World History class is two weeks in and going strong! Students are earning a full year of World History credit in just six weeks, spending nearly six hours a day diving deep into history, geography, cultures, empires, and so much more. It is fast-paced and rich, and our students are rising to the challenge. But the benefits go well beyond the credit. Completing World History over the summer opens up space in the regular school year for an additional elective, giving st

This week, the PAA gym has been full of the best kind of energy. Cougar Basketball Camp was in full swing, with our very own Cougar basketball athletes, led by Athletic Director Lance Judd, coaching elementary students in the game they love. Every weekday, young athletes have been conditioning, training, learning new skills, running drills, scrimmaging, and soaking up every minute of it. But it has been about so much more than basketball. During rest breaks, campers got to vi

One of the highlights of the school year in Kevin "Skippy" Petersen's Physics class is the annual bridge project, and it never gets old. Each student selects a bridge from anywhere in the world, researches its history, design, and purpose, and then recreates it to scale. The method and materials are entirely up to them, which means every single project is one of a kind. The results are always incredible. Once complete, students present what they learned, walking their classma

Even before the school year officially ended, the next one was already taking shape. Class officers and Student Association officers were elected for 2026-27, and they hit the ground running, meeting and making plans before the last bell even rang. There is something so energizing about watching a new group of student leaders step up, lean in, and start dreaming about what they want the year ahead to look like for the whole school. The year is behind us now. But the future of

Some chapels you plan. And then there are the ones God takes over. Pastor Fernando opened the final chapel of the year by inviting a few students to share what they had learned about God and how they had grown over the past school year. What began as a handful of planned testimonies quickly became something no one could have scripted. One by one, additional students came forward. Then staff members. Then a local pastor. Each one feeling led to share, to be honest, to speak al

What a weekend. What a class. Graduation Weekend 2026 was everything it should be: a beautiful, full celebration of accomplishments, community, and the memories and history made together over four years at PAA. Sabbath evening opened with Consecration, a sacred and meaningful service featuring Pastor Kevin Wilson, who challenged our graduates to lean into character, curiosity, and courage as they journey into their next steps, all with Christ as their foundation. The candleli

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Rock Climbing Club headed out for their annual camping and climbing trip, and it did not disappoint. The group arrived late afternoon on Friday and set up camp, settling in for a weekend away together. On Sabbath, they made their way to the nationally known Smith Rock State Park and took on the famous Misery Ridge Trail, with its breathtaking views overlooking the iconic Monkey Face rock. What a way to spend a Sabbath, surrounded by the beauty o

We are so proud of our Cougars. So incredibly proud. Late on Saturday night, May 30, the PAA Boys Varsity Volleyball team made history, winning the first-ever OSAA-sanctioned Boys Volleyball State Championship. The school's third-ever team state title across all sports, and its first in boys volleyball, in the very first year the sport was sanctioned by OSAA. Portland Adventist Academy did it first. No one can ever take that away. The victory was thrilling. But the moment tha

Check out the OSAAtoday story of our boys volleyball team's championship victory: https://www.osaa.org/today/article/5002/view?title=4A%2F3A%2F2A%2F1A+state+boys+volleyball%3A+PAA+completes+mission

Check out this story from OSAAtoday from a story preview to the State championship: https://www.osaa.org/today/article/4993/view?title=State+boys+volleyball+preview%3A+PAA+keeps+its+focus+internally

Some nights at PAA just stay with you. The spring music program was one of them. The Biggest PAA Show lived up to its name in every way. A full house, an incredible lineup, and a stage full of students who have been working all year to get to this moment. Broadway. Movies. Original compositions. Music that moved people and reminded everyone in that room why the arts matter so much. God has gifted these students, and on nights like this one, those gifts are on full, beautiful