Oregon Public Broadcasting

A Portland school is being re-named in honor of Beverly Cleary, the city's most famous children's author. April Baer reports the school board will take a final vote Monday on the change.

Hollyrood-Fernwood is a newly forged K-through-eight school. When its two parts came together, the opportunity for a re-naming was too good to pass up.

Superintendent Carole Smith called Cleary, who's 92 and living in California, to make sure it was OK.

Matt Shelby with the school district reports that Cleary said yes.

Matt Shelby: "I think the conversation was fairly short, but she did want to know if the school still smelled like a sawdust floor."

Cleary grew up in the surrounding neighborhood, and attended what was then Fernwood school for a few years.

Readers of Ramona the Brave and Henry Huggins have noticed street names and other details that summon up Portland.