WHAT'S IN A NAME?
Honor for retired longtime Vacaville trustee Shelley Dally
Before Vacaville Unified leaders opened a new school in her honor, Shelley Dally recalled “a wonderful career that I would do again in a heartbeat.”
“It was my calling and I loved going to work every day,” wrote Dally in a brief email just hours before the Wednesday dedication of the Shelley Dally Early Learning Village at 621 S. Orchard, former home of the Bethany Lutheran School, across the street from Alamo Elementary.
Moments before she grasped the obligatory oversized scissors to cut the white ribbon emblazoned with VUSD lettering, Dally, a former district trustee serving for 10 years, reflected on the event's meaning. She said the district's newest campus is a place “where from the very beginning of a student's education, they can come to a place that is based not only on giving them a great start in life but on equity,” a school where special-needs students “are included from Day 1 with general education students.”
“For those who worked with me” during a five-decadelong career in education, the longtime Vacaville resident added at the end of a 20-minute ceremony under a cloudless sky and mild, late-winter temperatures, “they know that my mission was always to create a program for every child, not for children to be in our program, because every child can learn and every child can be successful in school.”
At the same time, Dally — in her remarks to some 150 people, including district officials, teachers, parents and young children — touched on her personal biography.
At the outset of her career, she taught at Elmira Elemen
tary (now closed), where she met her late husband, Rush. Dally's in-laws were a family of educators, she said, adding, “Dally has been the name of a Vacaville Unified teacher for almost 100 years.” She noted that daughter Selinde traveled from New York and grandson Dean traveled from Indiana to attend the ceremony.
Dally, who graduated from the University of California, Davis teacher credentialing program in 1977, credited her successful career to the people she worked with.
“At Elmira, we were pioneers,” recalled Dally, noting it was the site of the district's first computer lab. Some teachers followed her to Markham Elementary (where she was a principal) and to Cooper Elementary (also as principal).
“So this school being named after me is not only a tribute to me as an educator, it is a tribute to all those whose shoulders I stood on, those I was lucky enough to work with, who colored outside the lines with me and worked to create a place where all students could learn,” she said. “And so we have this school that will do that very thing for our earliest learners. To start them on their way to success.”
Before Dally spoke, the principal of the new school, Lauren Hylton, said, “This momentous occasion is a testament to the hard work, dedication and collaboration of so many individuals who believe in the power of education and the potential of our youngest learners.”
District Superintendent Jane Shamieh said Dally dedicated her life to the Vacaville School District, first as a student teacher more than 40 years ago, then became “a wonderful teacher and a beloved school principal who created two very successful programs that still thrive today — the Alternative Cooperative Education Program (ACE), which is at Hemlock (Elementary), and the Spanish dual-immersion (language) program at Markham.”
As a governing board member for nine years, Dally, Shamieh added, “represented the educator's voice and always approached everything with an open mind, an open heart, curiosity and a true sense of purpose … and a great sense of humor.”
Sasha Begell, the district's assistant superintendent of educational options and supports, noted that her own children attended Lutheran preschool.
“While they received a great education surrounded by teachers that cared about them, I am acutely aware that it was a privilege that we had the good fortune to afford,” she said. “Bringing this same opportunity in this same location to the children of Vacaville who may not have been able to access such a program in the past due to the cost of the program or the special instruction their child might have needed makes my heart full.”
She added, “As we cut the ribbon today, let us remember the importance of investing in all of our children's education from the earliest of ages. Let us celebrate the achievements of our community and the remarkable transformation of this preschool into an opportunity and a community where all are welcome.”
Ed Santopadre, associate superintendent of educational services, said the new preschool, which students age 2 to 3 will attend, “is based on play” and will “engage them to love learning.”
Afterward, Dally, for six years a supervisor/lecturer at the UC Davis teacher preparation program, said she felt “totally honored” by the school named after her, saying it embodies “the vision I have for education — cut the barriers down.”