Small school gets parents involved.

Byline: Faces and places by The Register-Guard

School: Delight Valley Elementary School 

Location: 79980 Delight Valley Road, Cottage Grove 

Grades: Kindergarten through fifth grade

Area served: Sears Road and the area north of the Cottage Grove city limits, beginning at Abbott Lane on Highway 99 North up to, but not including, Tate Road

Principal: Michelle Shinn

How long on the job: This is her second year. For three years before, Shinn was a research associate in the University of Oregon's school psychology department. Previously she worked as a school psychologist with the Massachusetts Urban Project in Worcester.

What's special about the school: Shinn cites three primary characteristics, starting with the small size. "We all know every student, parent, grandparent and extended family members," she says. "Parents are involved in supporting programs and fund-raising." She also points to her dedicated teaching staff, who work together well on curriculum planning and student achievement in order to ensure all students are successful. Lastly, generations of Delight Valley families have stayed in the area and attended the school. "Currently we have students who are grandchildren of former students," she says.

Number of students: 112

Number of teachers: 6

Total number of school employees: 17

Average years of teacher experience: 14

Average class size: 22

Special programs and classes: Outstanding technology curriculum, despite the school's small, rural nature; high standards and a strong program that gives all students a foundation in the basics; a positive, schoolwide behavior program; a partnership with the University of Oregon College of Education to support practicum students; music, art and P.E. courses taught by community members and funded by the Parent Club.

Namesake: The surrounding valley

Mascot: Mustang 

Colors: Black, red and white

Year it opened: The original building opened in 1925, but was destroyed by fire in 1950. A new school was built in 1951.

Condition: Much of the building is old, but several additions have been made since 1951, including a modular building opened in 2000 to house a computer lab and library. Carpet was replaced in several rooms last summer, with more replacements scheduled this summer. The school's water comes from a well, and there's no intercom system that reaches all rooms at the same time. Playground equipment ranges from one to 30 years old.

Capacity: 150

A bit of history: In May 1995, someone stole the original Delight Valley school bell, which was used to signal the start of school and special events. It was big, very heavy and mounted atop a well in the main courtyard. The Oregon State Police investigated, but the bell was never recovered. The district bought another bell, but it was never mounted at Delight Valley. It's now used at Cottage Grove High School to signal touchdowns at football games.

School Report Card rating for 2003 (based on the 2001-2002 school year): Strong, same as last year

How students fared on the 2002 statewide reading and math tests: 89 percent of third-graders and 78 percent of fifth-graders met or exceeded standards on the reading test, compared with a statewide average of 85 percent and 79 percent, respectively. In math, 79 percent of third-graders and 78 percent of fifth-graders passed the test, compared with averages of 77 percent and 75 percent.

Poverty rate, based on the number of students qualifying for free or reduced price meals: 53 percent

Attendance rate: 95.2 percent

Upcoming events: Spring concert, Tuesday

- Anne Williams

CAPTION(S):

Teacher Nancy McKinney helps fifth-grader Mason Fullerton construct a three-dimensional population graph during class.