The Delphian School
Campus and history
In the fall of 1976, Delphian School opened on the site of a former Jesuit novitiate near Sheridan, Oregon. The main building on campus is a four-story, Art Deco-style building with a brick exterior designed by Poole & McGonigle and built in 1933 for the Jesuit house.
In 1974, the order sold the building and surrounding acreage to Delphian. The former novitiate was then converted to a boarding school, as it already featured dorm rooms, classrooms, and a dining hall with a commercial kitchen.
Opening in 1976, Delphian School created a curriculum for grades K-12. There were about 60 students in the school's first year. Two years later in 1978 the school had 120 students; tuition was $4,500 for boarding students and $2,800 for non-boarders. In the mid-1980s the campus was considered as a possible location for a federal prison. The Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution opened in 1989 in another location in the area.
The headquarters for Delphi Schools, Inc. are located at Delphian School, which is the founding school.
During school closures due to COVID-19, Delphian School offered free online classes.
Academics
Delphian School uses Study Tech—techniques invented by Scientology-founder L. Ron Hubbard and licensed through Applied Scholastics. This includes students progressing based on completion of steps in the curriculum and not of the traditional letter grades, report cards, and grade levels. Students advance through the curriculum at their own pace rather than in a set time with a class.
The school is the location of Heron Books, which published textbooks and materials using Hubbard's educational techniques (the Delphi Curriculum).
Delphian School is a member of the Oregon Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS), an organization that works to limit government influence on school choice. The OFIS's current director, Mark Siegel, also acts as the school's assistant headmaster. The school is an accredited member of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools, and an accredited member school of Cognia, a standards-based accreditation body.
Activities and athletics
Delphian School's sports team is known as the "Dragons". The school participates in the Oregon School Activities Association's (OSAA) Northwest League, 2A classification, for girls and boys sports: basketball, tennis, cross country, track and field, boys soccer, volleyball, and cheerleading; and for such other activities as speech and debate, solo music, and choir.
Delphian School started its cheerleading squad in 2013. In 2016, they won the Class 3A/2A/1A state cheerleading title with an overall judged score of 160.70.
In 2014, the Delphian choir tied for the OSAA Choir State Championship. That year three school soccer players were named to the All-State team.
In 2018, Diego Martinez, a science mastery specialist at the Delphian School in Oregon, was among 11 teachers who participated in Space Center Houston's first-ever Space Center University for Atmospheric Research program.
At the 2022 Mountain Valley Conference district track and field championship the girls team won multiple disciplines including the 100 and 200 meters, 300 hurdles, and 4×400 relay. The boys team placed first overall, winning the 100, 200, 800, 1500 and 3000 meters, 300 hurdles, and the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
Notable alumni
- Sky Dayton – founder of EarthLink
- Philip Gale – software developer
References
- ^ "NWAIS: Delphian School, The". www.nwais.org. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Institution Summary". AdvancED. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Delphian School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Oregon School Directory 2008-09" (PDF). Oregon Department of Education. p. 128. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 26, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
- ^ Insight, Newsweek Educational (January 29, 2020). "What Can A Private Education Do For Your Child?". Newsweek. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2011-04-17 at the Wayback Machine." The Delphian School. Retrieved on 27 December 2010. "Delphian School 20950 SW Rock Creek Road, Sheridan, Oregon 97378"
- ^ Wright, Lawrence (February 14, 2011). "The Apostate". The New Yorker.
- ^ "The Delphi Schools - An Ideal Study Technology School | Applied Scholastics International". www.appliedscholastics.org.
- ^ ""THE DELPHI SCHOOLS"". Applied Scholastics. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "The Delphi Schools - An Ideal Study Technology School | Applied Scholastics International". www.appliedscholastics.org.
- ^ Wright, Lawrence (February 6, 2011). "Paul Haggis vs. the Church of Scientology". The New Yorker – via www.newyorker.com.
- ^ "Cognia". home.cognia.org.
- ^ "Delphian School, The - Northwest Association of Independent Schools". nwais.org.
- ^ Oregonian/OregonLive.com, The (September 22, 2022). "Delphian School offers day, boarding options: Top Workplaces 2022". oregonlive.
- ^ Friedman, Ralph (1990). In Search of Western Oregon. Caxton Press. pp. 175. ISBN 978-0-87004-332-1.
jesuit novitiate sheridan.
- ^ Associated Press (January 3, 1978). "Delphian School sets sights high". Register-Guard. pp. 3B. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ "St Francis Xavier Novitiate". Oregon Historic Sites Database. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
- ^ "The Delphian School Celebrates 30th Anniversary (press release)". iNewswire (Press release). February 8, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ^ "Delphian School inspected". Register-Guard. November 2, 1984. pp. 5A. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
- ^ Mortenson, Eric (May 21, 1989). "Sheridan becomes a prison town". Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ^ "About Delphi Schools, Inc. Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine" The Delphian School. Retrieved on December 27, 2010.
- ^ "Oregon school offers free YouTube classes amidst closure". April 10, 2020.
- ^ "Delphian School offers free online classes for kids". April 13, 2020.
- ^ Siegel, Mark. "A New Paradigm - Putting All Students in the Driver's Seat". AdvancED. The Delphian School. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ "Members (July 2024 to June 2025) – Oregon Federation of Independent Schools". ofisweb.org.
- ^ "Home". Oregon Federation Of Independent Schools. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Delphian School: about Mark Siegel
- ^ "Delphian School". Oregon School Activities Association. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ Husseman, Robert (May 2, 2023). "Delphian, McMinnville cheer teams bring it on". NewsRegister.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Rastrelli, Thomas (May 8, 2014). "Delphian choir nails it, ties for first at state". Statesman Journal. Gannett Satellite Information Network. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ "Area Highlights". Statesman Journal. Gannett Satellite Information Network. December 12, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ^ Stuckey, By Alex (August 26, 2018). "Space Center Houston give teachers a STEM boost via program". Houston Chronicle.
- ^ Martini, Pete. "Cascade's Emma Gates, Regis girls dominate track and field championships". Statesman Journal.