Delano School District
Submitted by Delano Public Schools
Established in Delano, Minnesota in the 1800s, and with a current enrollment of 2,281 students, the district covers a 66-square-mile geographic area that extends to the communities of Corcoran, Independence, Loretto, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetrista, Montrose, Watertown, and parts of Franklin township, Rockford, Woodland townships, and the City of Delano.
All three Delano Public Schools: Delano Elementary School, Delano Middle School, and Delano High School, are located on one campus, with additional property adjacent to the current campus having been purchased for future school development.
The campus also includes a 437-seat auditorium, an indoor swimming pool, a football stadium, five baseball fields, six softball fields, eight tennis courts, an all-weather track, three soccer fields, as well as an indoor and outdoor ice arena.
In addition, the district added the Tiger Activity Center, a 75,000-square-foot center adjacent to the high school. This includes a weight room, circuit training room, six full-length basketball courts, an elevated walking track, volleyball courts, a batting cage, and is open to the public for a small membership fee.
Early Childhood Education is housed in Delano’s Community Education Building and Delano’s Community Education Program provides a wide range of educational opportunities to encourage life-long learning.
Delano Public Schools are recognized for the quality of their academic programs.
The staff has developed a broad-based program that reflects the continuity of traditional standards of achievement and the change representative of the technological age.
The blending of past and present forges a school environment that not only challenges and affirms, but also one that nurtures and motivates. The excitement of learning at Delano Public Schools is delivered by teachers whose personal commitment and professional training provide means for high achievement.
A teacher mentorship program and peer coaching program supports new staff at each school and many of Delano’s teaching staff have completed a master’s degree program.
Early Childhood Education
Beginning with Early Childhood Education (ECFE), the program serves children birth to age five and their parents. Recognizing that the home is the first learning environment, these quality programs teach parents how to educate and interact with their children.
ECFE gives children a head start, identifies current or potential learning problems, and helps build strong families that are vital to children’s learning during their school years.
Delano Elementary School
Delano Elementary School was one of six Minnesota schools that received the Minnesota School of Excellence Award in 2008 from the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association.
Delano Elementary was also ranked a Minnesota Five Star School in 2006. It currently houses 812 students, averaging 21-23 students per classroom.
Its Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment scores consistently rank among the highest in the state. Delano Elementary offers a coordinated curricular program, a gifted and talented program for high potential students, Title I programming, as well as Special Education Programs.
Technology is in the forefront of the school as it has interactive whiteboards and LCD projectors which enhance all of its k-4 classrooms. The two music classrooms, four special education classrooms, and media center are also equipped with this technology.
Delano Elementary has strong parental involvement through its P.I.E. (Partners in Education) group. This is a volunteer organization of parents and staff committed to enhancing students’ education and overall school environment through fund raising efforts that help finance special events throughout the year to benefit students, school, and staff.
These partnerships are essential for learning that results in better attendance, improved behavior, a high quality of education, and a safe learning environment.
Delano Elementary’s mission is to educate individuals to be lifelong learners, possessing the skills, knowledge, creativity, sense of self-worth, and citizenship necessary to function and flourish in a rapidly changing society.
Delano Middle School
Delano Middle School is a nationally-recognized school of excellence. In 2003, the US Department of Education named Delano Middle School a Blue Ribbon School. It was one of 115 schools nationwide to receive this prestigious award and the only middle school in Minnesota to be recognized. It currently houses 696 students.
The middle school years are a time of great physical, intellectual, emotional, and social changes. As a result, Delano Middle School programs are designed to meet these special needs.
The middle school staff is committed to fostering a climate that allows students to develop skills in fact finding, critical thinking, and decision making. These programs include Project Wisdom, DARE, and Project Lead the Way®. Project Lead the Way® offers pre-engineering courses that focus on developing stronger math, science, and technology inquiry skills by showing, not telling students how engineers use technology to solve everyday problems.
DMS also promotes student directed conferencing, interdisciplinary teaching units and teams, and peer tutoring for students experiencing academic difficulties.
In 2009, a new program, Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) was started at Delano Middle School. WEB is a middle school transition program that welcomes fifth graders and makes them feel comfortable throughout the first year of their middle school experience. Eighth graders are trained to be leaders in this program. WEB is built on the belief that students want to and can help other students succeed.
In an effort to enrich our teaching environment, the middle school staff utilizes Tablet PCs to integrate technology into the curriculum and enhance instruction in the classroom.
The ultimate purpose of the middle school is to provide a smooth educational transition for students between elementary and high school while ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed.
Delano High School
In 2007, Delano High School was the first Minnesota High School to be chosen a Model School by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
This recognition was again extended in 2010. In 2009, DHS was awarded the National Blue Ribbon Award from the US Department of Education.
Delano High School was one of six schools in Minnesota and one of 321 in the Nation to receive this prestigious award. Delano High School has also been recognized as one of America’s Best High Schools from US World News and Report Magazine and received a bronze medal for distinction in standardized test performance and proficiency rates of all students in 2009 and 2010.
DHS is a Five Star School in math and reading and has a reputation of producing a high number of National Merit Scholars. It currently houses 773 students.
Delano High School is a caring community committed to achieving academic excellence, responsible leadership, and consistent integrity along with supporting the Delano Way which expects all students to Show Up, Show Up on Time, Work Hard, and Failure is not an Option.
Delano High School test scores consistently rank among the highest in the state, and the average ACT composite score of 24.2 at DHS is among the highest in the state.
Delano High School offers Link Crew, which is an innovative program that utilizes upper-class student leadership to help freshmen make a successful transition to the high school. Part of a student’s academic life at DHS includes an advisory program which assists in planning a student’s high school career as well as transition planning from high school to post secondary education.
Delano High School offers College in the Schools (CIS) and advanced classes, Advanced Placement (AP) Courses for high potential students, post high school credit opportunities for the middle learners through Rasmussen College and a variety of technical schools, as well as a School Within a School (SWAS) program for at-risk students.
DHS is also involved in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science Technology). FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and researchers can be.
This program is supported by Sil-Pro, a local manufacturer of silicone molding products for the medical industry.
Project Lead the Way high school curriculum, beginning in the 2010-11 school year, focuses on developing stronger math, science and technology inquiry skills by showing, not telling students how engineers use technology to solve everyday problems. Project Lead the Way is a not-for-profit organization that partners with public schools, higher education institutions, and community businesses to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from our educational system.
Additionally, in an effort to enrich our teaching environment, the high school staff utilizes Tablet PCs to integrate technology into the curriculum and enhance instruction in the classroom.
At Delano High School, the goal is to establish creative learning environments while bridging the technology gap with our students to foster high achievement and preparation for future endeavors.
Talent Development Program
The talent development program is a district wide program that caters to the talented students whose learning characteristics require differentiated educational experiences.
Students in grades k-3 are provided opportunities for enrichments through pull-out units and school wide enrichments.
Participation at this level is maintained through teacher recommendation and parent referral. Formal identification is completed in fourth grade. Identified students are placed in cluster classrooms for grades five and six.
Advanced math courses are available for students in seventh and eighth grade.
High school gifted and talented students are provided services in the form of advanced and honors classes, AP courses, College in the Schools (CIS) courses and post secondary options.
Community Education
The Community Education program is committed to the spirit of lifelong learning. District 879 offers Adult Basic Education, College and Vocational Classes, Enrichment Classes for All Ages, Year Round Indoor and Outdoor Recreation, Senior Citizen Programs, Youth Development and Service, Open School Facilities for Community Use, Active Advisory Council, Pre-school, and school age child care at Tiger’s Kid Club.
For more information, contact Community Education Director, Diane Johnson, at (763) 972-6210, ext. 6.
Delano Partners in Education
Delano Partners in Education (DPIE) is a non-profit organization. Its mission is to support educational and enrichment programs for students and families of District 879.
The DPIE board would like to extend an open invitation to parents and community members to get involved with the organization.
For more information, contact Dan Stolfa, DPIE president, at (952) 404-5905.
Contact info
Delano Public Schools are located at 700 Elm Avenue East in Delano. The district phone number is (763) 972-3365, the fax number is (763) 972-6706, or visit www.delano.k12.mn.us.
School Administration
School administration can be reached by calling (763) 972-3365 and dialing the following extensions:
• Superintendent, Dr. John Sweet, ext. 2115; e-mail: jsweet@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Superintendent’s Secretary/AP, Mary Foell, ext. 2111, e-mail: mfoell@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Director of Business Affairs, Mary Reeder, ext. 2118, e-mail: mreeder@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Accountant, Brooks Grossinger, ext. 2112, e-mail: bgrossinger@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Human Resources/Payroll, Bonnie Inforzato, ext. 2113, e-mail: binforzato@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Communications Coordinator, Traci Lawman, ext. 5111, e-mail: tlawman@delano.k12.mn.us.
• District Nurse, Jane Larter, ext. 2022, e-mail: jlarter@delano.k12.mn.us.
• High School Principal, Matt Schoen, ext. 2220, e-mail: mschoen@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Middle School Principal, Renee Klinkner, ext. 2330, e-mail: rklinkner@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Elementary School Principal, Darren Schuler, ext. 2122, e-mail: dschuler@delano.k12.mn.us.
• Activities Director, Mike Lindquist, ext. 2003, e-mail: mlindquist@delano.k12.mn.us.
• School Resource Officer, Craig Burton, ext. 2107, e-mail: cburton@delano.k12.mn.us.
School Board Members
Chairman Peter Brasket, 3060 Lake Sarah Road, Independence, MN 55359, phone (763) 479-2725, e-mail: pbrasket@citilink.net. Term: Jan 2009-Dec 2012
Treasurer Timothy Douglas, 6355 Stephanie Way, Maple Plain, MN 55359, phone (763) 479-2367, e-mail: timdouglas@midwestasphalt.net. Term: Jan 2011-Dec. 2014
Clerk Carolyn Milano, 11572 Eckert Avenue SE, Delano, MN 55328, phone (952) 955-3655, e-mail: carolynmilano@frontiernet.net. Term: Jan 2011-Dec 2012
Vice Chair Amy Johnson, 628 Railroad Avenue, Delano, MN 55328, phone (763) 972-1244, e-mail: aaj4406@gmail.com. Term: November 2009-December 2012
Director Lisa Seguin, 5847 SE 96th Street, Delano, MN 55328, phone (763) 972-7252, e-mail: lisabseguin@gmail.com. Term: Jan. 2011-December 2014
Director Erika Kluge Frake, 349 4th St. SW, Delano, MN 55328, phone (763) 923-4733, e-mail: erika.frake@gmail.com. Term: January 2011-December 2012
Director Sarah Baker, 5580 Lake Sarah Heights Drive, Loretto, MN 55357, e-mail: swiftbaker@aol.com. Term: Jan. 2011-Dec. 2012
School Board Meeting Dates for 2010-2011
Meetings begin at 7 p.m. and take place the fourth Monday of the month at the Delano City Hall, located at 234 2nd Street N. in Delano unless otherwise noted. Meetings at Delano City Hall are broadcast live over Delano Cable Channel 12 and re-broadcast at various times. Meetings at other sites may or may not be re-broadcast later.
“Educational Excellence is our Foremost Goal” is the focus statement for the school district. This statement is used to frame decision making in the district.
