Willow Creek

I was absolutely outraged when the district changed our elementary school to Shady Lane. I had heard some pretty unflattering things about the school in the early 2000s when my son was in kindergarten, and I was absolutely relieved when he was assigned to Ben Franklin. Now fast-forward 12 years, and I have my little girl in the same school district - only her school was Shady Lane. Naturally, I started purchasing flashcards and workbooks to make up for what I believed would be a deficit in teaching, and I agonized over 100 different things that could go wrong in a school with such a crummy rep. I also should mention that we are a mixed-race family. We had had a bad experience with an incredibly racist teacher 9 years ago in this same school district (I should mention that she was dealt with harshly and swiftly by the administration). This meant that I had the additional worry about how my child would be treated when no one is looking. Well, I have to tell you it was all for naught. With a new Superintendent and a new Principal, heck, even an update to the actual school building - the experience has been nearly perfect. My daughter is happy and has adjusted well to her first year in kindergarten. And she loves her teacher. My only complaint was the lack of communication (I had called about testing and didn't receive a call back until after the fact) at the beginning of the school year. And since this is the Year of COVID - meh, I think I can overlook that minor slight. If you're at all considering this school, go for it. We are impressed with the changes, the staff's friendliness, the quality of the education, and the overall experience. Goooooooo Shady Lane!