Delhi Middle School to reopen its doors this fall

Delhi Middle School will open its doors once again this fall, giving seventh- and eighth-grade students in the area a learning space of their own for the first time in seven years.

The school, adjacent to Delhi High School on Schendel Avenue, will be ready to serve more than 400 students come August, school officials said.

The middle school will make use of 25 classroom, and 22 teachers will be assigned to the campus – including eight to 10 new single-subject eighth-grade teachers.

School officials are in the process of hiring teachers and hope to fill the positions as soon as possible, said Adolfo Melara, superintendent of Delhi Unified School District.

When the middle school closed in 2008, the district’s three elementary schools – El Capitan, Schendel and Harmony Elementary – became K-8 institutions.

Melara, who is completing his first year as head of the district, said the closing of the middle school was due to the needs and preferences of the school and the community at that time.

“At that point that was the sound decision to make,” Melara said. “And it had its positives, but now the community has been considering to return to the system we had years ago.”

The reopening of the middle school campus, Melara explained, is part of the district’s reconfiguration plan that will transition the elementary schools to serve kindergarten through sixth grade, and the middle school to serve grades seven and eight.

The district trustees approved the reconfiguration plans in the 2013-14 school year and $320,000 was set aside to make it work.

Vincent Gonzalez, principal at Delhi High School, will also serve as the middle school’s leader. He said returning to the old system allows for the implementation of more subject areas, including art, nutrition, music and agriculture.

A physical education program is planned and a science lab will also be added.

“I’m excited to work with all staff and see the transition in instruction and learning,” Gonzalez said.

This week, the last week of school, the district’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students got a taste of their new home. The students were part of a five-day “transition boot camp.”

“We didn’t stop instruction, but we had them finish the school year here in the middle school,” Gonzalez said. He explained the move gave students some time to acclimate to the new environment and rules.

Gonzalez and Melara said parents had a positive and supportive reaction to the reconfiguration plans.

“Of course there was some apprehension at first, but everyone is very excited,” Melara said, noting that during forums to discuss the changes, more than 300 parents showed up.

When the restoration project first got underway, the district and its steering committee estimated the reconfiguration process would take 18 months. Melara said they were able to complete that goal in one-third of the time.

“It took a monumental amount of work,” he said, “but we are very proud of our staff and our community for making this happen.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Delhi Middle School to reopen its doors this fall."