Assistant Principal for Denny International Middle School Patricia J Rangel shared this story and photo of Principal Jeff Clark. Clark is often called "the man in blue" for his blue suits and obvious pride and commitment to the school.

At Denny International Middle School, home of the Denny Dolphins, school pride is taken quite seriously, and by none as much as by its principal, Jeff Clark. To encourage stellar attendance during the MSP State exams, Clark challenged students to improve their first period attendance rates.

If done he dared the students, "I would be more than happy to dye my hair 'Dolphin Blue.'" As more and more students rushed through the front doors to make it to class on time, more peroxide and blue Splat Hair dye was acquired to convert the normally gingered hair Clark into a Dolphin from head to toe.

The inspiration came from a student who had experimented with the color herself and recommended the products he used. Thursday, May 9th marks the final official day of MSP testing at Denny. All three-grade levels will be putting their mathematical skills to test. By the end of today all students will have been assessed in Reading and Math, while 7th graders will have been additional tested in Writing and 8th graders in Science.

Over the last several years, Denny's MSP results have proven increased student academic growth. The results of this year’s exams will not be released until August, but similar progress is expected, as is the further schools pride it will fuel.

Patricia J Rangel
Assistant Principal
Denny International Middle School