As Evan Braswell waits his turn to drive golf balls behind Delano Optional School, he clutches an imaginary driver, pretending he's Tiger. Delano, a K-6 elementary school in Frayser, sits just off a somewhat seedy stretch of Watkins, dotted by bars, gas stations and a sex shop. But the school, with 327 kids and 19 teachers, has earned a reputation that's made it a magnet for hard-working families who value education.
Teachers know their kids well, their strengths, their weaknesses.
Parents keep up with their kids' homework and studies through progress reports and daily assignment journals. By Nikki Boertman Darnelle Braswell, a typically involved Delano parent, oversees her son Evan's homework. Braswell and her husband, Fred, are determined that Evan will be the first in the family to finish college. The principal can call the name of each child who passes in the hall. She knows nearly every parent, too.