[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              DELANO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DELANO, MINNESOTA

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I honor Delano Elementary 
School, in Delano, MN, which recently earned an Award for Excellence in 
Education for its exceptional and innovative achievements in educating 
children.
  Delano Elementary School is truly a model of educational success. The 
school takes great pride in involving parents in their children's 
school experiences. Last spring, the rate of parents' participation at 
parent-teacher conferences was an impressive 99 percent. Parents 
contributed over 6,000 hours of volunteer services during the 2005-2006 
school year.
  The Partners in Education organization at Delano Elementary raises 
over $30,000 per year for student activities and supplies for teachers 
and classrooms. Recently, the organization contributed $8,000 toward 
the purchase of SMARTBOARD technology, an interactive, electronic 
blackboard system. The money was also used to install sound-field 
systems in a number of the primary grade classrooms.
  Delano Elementary also offers several programs to challenge children 
of high potential. The school's Tiger's Tale publishing center allows 
children to turn their own creative stories into books that have a 
professionally published look. The math lab extends and enriches skills 
taught through classroom instruction.
  An organized gifted and talented program, with a teacher of gifted 
and talented children, offers several opportunities for pupils beyond 
their classrooms, including Destination Imagination, Continental Math 
League, and other unique units of instruction, designed specifically 
for high-potential pupils.
  Delano Elementary consistently receives five-star ratings from the 
Department of Education in both reading and math. Last year, 87 percent 
of Delano third-graders scored in the top three levels on the Minnesota 
Comprehensive Assessment Reading Test, and 93 percent of the third-
graders scored in the top three levels in math.
  Much of the credit for Delano Elementary School's success belongs to 
its principal, Darren Schuler, and the dedicated teachers. The pupils 
and staff at Delano Elementary School understand that, in order to be 
successful, a school must go beyond achieving academic success; it must 
also provide a nurturing environment where children can develop the 
knowledge, skills, and attitudes for success throughout life. All of 
the faculty, staff, and pupils at Delano Elementary School should be 
very proud of their accomplishments.
  I congratulate Delano Elementary School in Delano for winning the 
Award for Excellence in Education and for its exceptional contributions 
to education in Minnesota.

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