About our school

About Our School

Miller Elementary SCHOOLWelcome to Doris Miller Elementary School! We proudly serve students from military housing and other areas in the Tierrasanta/Murphy Canyon community. A few nonresident students attend through our district's School Choice or special education programs. The dedicated staff in the Miller Elementary learning community places great emphasis on ensuring all students will leave Miller with the skills, motivation, and curiosity to succeed in middle and high school, as well as in their college and career choices. The Miller Way (respectful, responsible, and safety) is modeled and practiced by our staff and students. This school wide system of positive behavior interventions and supports fosters character and life skills. Miller has been approved as an AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) school for all grades. All our teachers participate in regular professional development and collaborative planning focused on improving instruction and learning for all students. Highlights of the past years include being recognized as a California Distinguished School, continuation of the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, a comprehensive special education program, the integration of technology into every classroom, literacy and mathematics intervention support, instrumental music, PrimeTime Extended Day Program, Blessings in a Backpack program, FACES Grant (United Way), and the Operation Learn and Thrive grant from the Department of Defense.

As a result of the high success we have achieved in serving our students at all levels, Miller was selected to participate in the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). This program supports teachers so they are able to meet the needs of all students in their classrooms. Inclusion in this program is a direct response to Miller increasing test scores across the board for all students. Miller also broke ground on our whole campus modernization, and we began implementation of a new science/technology program, Project Lead the Way.

Please view our report card here for more information.

 

 

 

Doris MillerDoris Miller

 

(October 12, 1919, Waco, Texas— November 24, 1943, off Butaritari Atoll, Gilbert Islands)

 He was a U.S. naval serviceman noted for his bravery during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (1941). He was the first African American recipient of the Navy Cross for valor.


Miller worked on his family’s farm and played football in high school before he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1939, having both a desire to travel and a need to support his family. He accepted a position as a ship’s mess attendant. He rose steadily in rank to ship’s cook, third class, and was stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.


When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Miller was doing laundry below decks on the USS West Virginia. When the alarm called the ship’s crew to battle stations, Miller headed a gun magazine amidship. A torpedo had damaged the magazine, so the physically strong Miller began carrying the wounded to safety. Among those he attended to was the ship’s commander, Capt. Mervyn Bennion, who was mortally wounded. Miller then manned a .50-calibre antiaircraft gun, for which he had no training, and continued firing on the enemy until he ran out of ammunition and received the order to abandon ship.


Miller’s actions during the attack earned him a commendation from Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and the Navy Cross, which was presented to him personally by Chester Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, on May 27, 1942. Miller died in 1943 when a torpedo sank his ship, the escort carrier Liscome Bay, off Butaritari Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. On June 30, 1973, the navy commissioned a frigate, the USS Miller, in his honor.


Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.