About Cecil Sly Elementary School:

Cecil Sly Elementary School is a public elementary school in Prineville. 446 children attend Cecil Sly Elementary School and identify primarily as White, non-Hispanic; Multiracial; and Native American or Native Alaskan. 65% of the 446 students here have subsidized lunches. The ratio of students to teachers at Cecil Sly Elementary School is 22:1.Crooked River Elementary School is one of the nearest elementary schools.

Our Mission
Our mission is to help students reach their goals in an environment committed to learning, safety, community, and fun.

School Hours
8:00 am - 2:55 pm

Who was Cecil Sly?

Early Life

• Born May 1, 1897 in Michigan
• Family moved to Stevenson, Washington; attended school in Stevenson
• Attended Washington State University, studied Agriculture and played baseball
• Met wife Lula at WSU
• Married 52 years until Lula’s death in 1971
• Daughter, Maxine and son, Robert

Career Before Crook County

• Port Angeles, Washington – Taught Agriculture and coached
• Aberdeen, Washington – High School Principal
• Hailey, Idaho – High School Principal
• Anchorage, Alaska – Superintendent of Schools
• Tualatin and Weston, Oregon – Superintendent of Schools

Superintendent of Crook County School District

• 1945 through 1963 – total of 18 years
• Cecil Sly had a hand in the building or major remodeling of all Crook County schools
• except Powell Butte.
• Ochoco School built 1945-1946
• Crook River Primary Wing – built 1948
• Paulina and Lone Pine Schools – built 1949
• Crook County High School (now Crook County Middle School) – built 1950
• Prineville Jr. High School (now Cecil Sly Elementary) – built 1961-1962
• Crooked River remodeled from Prineville Junior High School – 1962
• First Outdoor school in Oregon – 6th grade Students in 1960

Retirement

Grand Marshall, Crooked River Roundup – 1981
Active in the following groups:

• AARP
• United Way
• Kiwanis Club
• Job’s Daughters
• Masonic Lodge
• American Red Cross
• Retired Teachers’ Association
• American Cancer Society
• Izaac Walton League (Walton Lake)
• Central Oregon Opportunity Center
• City of Prineville Budget Committee
• Prineville – Crook County Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee

Pledged to do 100 hours of volunteer work per month
Asked if ever bored, joked, “No, I haven’t the time.”
Enjoyed hunting and fishing
Baked lemon meringue pies to give to friends and groups
Cecil Sly Award for Community Service
Cecil Sly died October, 1984 at age 87

Cecil Sly Elementary School

Several groups lobby to school board for “Cecil Sly Elementary School” – successful
Construction delay, plus new school board and new superintendent changed name to
Rimrock School.
Mike Mohan and Jerry Pimentel worked with school board to change the name back
to Cecil Sly Elementary School.
Thanks to Steve Lent and the Crook County Historical Society for information about Mr.
Cecil Sly.

Extracurricular activities

Arts

• Chorus
• Computer arts
• Drawing painting

Languages Taught

• Spanish

Sports

• Cheerleading
• Gymnastics
• P.E. classes
• Rock climbing
• Track
• Volleyball

Student Ethnicities

Cecil Sly Elementary School Map: