By Jennifer Robinson

When you walk into Dames Ferry Elementary School, you immediately know that dragons are the school’s theme. As attested by the school’s principal, depictions of the creatures are everywhere, lining the building’s walls, floors, and windows, sending the message that the people of this school know who they are.

The strong sense of identity and vitality created by the dragon theme would be superficial at some schools, but not at Dames Ferry. This Jones County elementary school is not just another mediocre public elementary school; rather, the school has seized its calling to educate children in the best way possible, and it continually reevaluates its own success in order to better serve its students and their families. Furthermore, the school community is unusually lively and motivated, making the school a warm, nurturing place for students, parents, and faculty alike.

Dames Ferry prides itself on several traits, one of which is its heavy emphasis on reading. The school is determined to not let any of its students become like many of today’s high school seniors, who graduate barely knowing how to read. According to Dames Ferry Principal Dianna Blizzard, students at Dames Ferry receive two-and-a-half hours per day of structured reading and language arts instruction - around half an hour longer than most elementary school students.

In all parts of Dames Ferry’s curriculum, the school staff takes a carefully-calculated approach to serving each student, including at-risk and special-needs students. Special-needs students spend most of the day with a regular homeroom class in order to ensure that they are exposed to on-grade-level skills lessons and do not become part of a separate curriculum, and special-needs teachers attend the regular classrooms to provide extra support when necessary.

Dames Ferry's approach to helping at-risk children—which are numerous in the surrounding geographical area—resides in the school's Early Intervention Program (EIP):

"Rather than attempting to ‘catch up’ the slow learner, . . . these [EIP] teachers teach ahead of the homeroom teacher by at least three days, in essence giving the child a head start on the lesson," Blizzard said, explaining that this method, called "acceleration," has proven more effective than other methods, such as "remediation." According to Blizzard, acceleration prevents an already-significant gap between slower and faster learners from widening even more. The strategy also eliminates fear normally felt by slow learners when new lessons are presented and "keeps the kids motivated and much less frustrated."

To help the Dames Ferry administration constantly evaluate their success as educators, Blizzard places a large emphasis on examinations. With several types of exams taken every nine-week period, Blizzard says teachers are better able to "plan instruction around the needs of the students." The principal indicates that her somewhat fanatical approach to test-taking is not simply to fit students into a national mold, but primarily to enable the staff to "provide the services needed to guarantee a level of mastery/success."

One of the most valuable assets of Dames Ferry is its vivacious faculty, not the least of whom is its principal. William Mathews, superintendent for the Jones County school system, is highly complimentary of Blizzard, who is Dames Ferry first and only principal since the school’s August 1998 inception.

"Dianna Blizzard takes very seriously her role as the instructional leader of Dames Ferry," Mathews said. "Every decision is made with the growth of the students in mind. She is well-read within the profession and keeps current with the research. Ms. Blizzard balances data with the needs of the child."

Blizzard was principal at Gray Elementary before coming to Dames Ferry.

Also, Mathews and Blizzard both appreciate the school's young, vibrant faculty.

"[T]his gives us an extremely elevated level of energy and willingness to effect change," Blizzard said, going on to explain that the teachers are flexible and open, "always willing to talk and work with families."

Mathews echoed Blizzard's opinions: "The staff holds on to time-tested values of dignity, respect, and fairness, while offering a progressive curricular program," he said. "The strength of the school comes from an energized and dedicated staff working in concert with a supportive, involved community."

Perhaps of equal value is, as Mathews indicates, the abundant parental support at Dames Ferry. These days, parents willing to consistently commit time and effort toward their children’s schools are a rare find, but Blizzard indicates that Dames Ferry parents are an exception.

"We have an extremely powerful PTA," Blizzard said. She went on to explain that Dames Ferry parents are very active; they run a supply store at the school every morning, assist students in small reading groups, help with basic tasks around the school, and even initiated a new networking group this year called "Parents Sharing Information" (PSI).

Another unique feature of Dames Ferry Elementary is that the school’s grade levels interact vertically, not just horizontally. The halls are organized according to several color-coded teams, made up of classes from each grade level, so teachers are better able to prepare their curriculum with children’s future educational track in mind. Plus, the lines between grade levels are more easily blurred for students who may need higher-level instruction in one subject but not in others, and parents conference with teachers from their child's team to allow them a "better understanding of long-term goals and instructional direction," Blizzard says.

"Due to the close proximity of the . . . grade levels, the teachers are able to effectively plan and communicate with one another to ensure that the child's needs are met," Blizzard continued.

Overall, Dames Ferry is a refreshingly personal and energetic school community whose primary concern is what it should be: its students.

School System: Jones County
Principal: Ms. Dianna Blizzard, since August 1998
Founding Year: August 1998
Student/Teacher Ratio: Approximately 21:1

After-school Programs:
*Tutoring (Oct.-Mar.), 2 afternoons/week, 1 hour each, free
*"Dragon Care," until 6:30 p.m. daily, cost varies