High School commencement ceremonies were held the week of June 1-5 in the Christina School District.  Christiana, Newark, and Glasgow High Schools held their graduation ceremonies at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center.  Brennen School-Delaware Autism Program and Delaware School for the Deaf held ceremonies on June 4 at Christiana High School and Kirk Middle School.  The Groves Adult High School graduation ceremony was held on June 5 at Glasgow High School. 

Diplomas were presented by members of the Christina Board of Education.  Board members are David Resler, Vice President, Gina Backus, George E. Evans, Esq., Beverly A. Howell, John Mackenzie, and Shirley Saffer.  Senior administrators in attendance included Dr. Freeman Williams, Interim Superintendent, Robert Silber, Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Superintendent, and Kelli Racca, Facilities Director and Interim Assistant Superintendent. 

The 46th annual commencement ceremony for Christiana High School was held on Monday, June 1 and featured a welcome by Barien D. White and Kajal Patel, an introduction by Deangie A. Davis, and a student address by Christopher Jennings.  The Valedictorian was Angelica M. Montes.  Other student participants in the ceremony included Alexis M. Mercado, who sang the National Anthem, Brittany M. Andrews, who gave the farewell, Terique A. Boyd, Shontel A. Deflorimonte, Kristina M. Horton, and Melissa Pleasanton, who led the Alma Mater, and Ellen S. Baca, who led the tassel ceremony.  The ceremony was presided over by Christiana High School Principal Noreen Lasorsa.

The 116th annual commencement ceremony for Newark High School on June 2 featured a performance of the National Anthem sung by members of the class of 2009, including Kyle DeMonte, Ricky Shum, Sara Schwartz-Glassner, Joy Lasher, Janae Huff, Samantha Yacabell, Kathryn McDowell, John Skopowski, and Allen Benson. Class President Gregory Benjamin, Jr. gave the student address. Valedictorian for the class of 2009 was Jonathan David Chamberlain. The ceremony was presided over by Newark High School Principal, Curtis Bedford.

The 34th annual commencement ceremony for Glasgow High School on June 3 featured a student reflection by Monica Hackett, Senior Class President, and Co-Valedictorian addresses by Iman Shamloul and Lindsay McHale. The ceremony was highlighted by a performance of an original piece of music, “Good Bye,” written and performed by members of the Senior Choral Ensemble.
The Class of 2009 was presented by class secretary Asema Uppal, and the tassel ceremony was introduced
by class vice-president My Nguyem. The benediction was presented by class parliamentarian Schyler Hamilton.  Glasgow High School Principal Raymond Gravuer presided.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell spent some time with eighth-grade students at Shue-Medill Middle School on May 29, sharing his advice for success and answering student questions about the state economy, his family, and the steps he took to become governor. 

Markell, who grew up in the Windy Hills development in Newark and attended Shue-Medill and Newark High School, offered the students some advice for the future, as the 8th graders prepare to leave middle school and embark on their high school careers.

“You never know when someone is paying attention,”
he said, encouraging students to be aware of the
people around them and to be open to life experiences. He went on to suggest, “Be an interesting person. Most opportunities come about because you connect with someone.”  He also advised students to take chances and be willing to take risks.  He praised the students who had performed before he spoke, complimenting them for having the courage to take a risk and perform in front of such a large audience.  Markell ended his remarks by quoting from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” urging students to resist indifference and apathy, and embrace their future with a positive attitude focused on success. 

Markell’s remarks were followed by a question and answer period by students, who asked the governor thoughtful questions about his work and family life.  In response to the question “Why did you want to become governor?” Markell answered that he thinks Delaware is the best state in the country, and having grown up here, he wants the state to provide the same level of opportunity to young people as he had when he was growing up.  Markell and his wife have a 13 year-old daughter and a 16 year-old son. 

The governor concluded the visit by praising the Shue-Medill students for being “a fantastic audience.”  

Markell was presented with a Shue-Medill Middle School shirt by language arts teacher Joan Gregory, who organized the event. 

“I’m very proud to come back to my alma mater and see such a great group of students,” he said. “Now it’s up to you.”

Nature trip a treat for city kids

Elbert-Palmer Elementary School was the subject of a recent News Journal article highlighting the overnight trip to Ashland Nature Center by 26 third graders from the school in the Southbridge section of Wilmington.

Click here to view the complete article from DelawareOnline.com.

Young readers treated like rock stars

Keene Elementary School was the subject of a recent News Journal article highlighting the rock-star treatment for 130 students from the school located in Glasgow.  The special trip funded by the PTA and local grants rewarded students for every 100 books read. 

Click here to view the complete article from DelawareOnline.com.

The Delaware Higher Education Commission (DHEC) has announced the recipients of its state merit scholarship programs for the 2009-2010 academic year.  Merit scholarships are competitive and awarded based on a student’s academic performance, participation in school activities, and service to the community.  Students can apply for Delaware merit scholarships in their senior year of high school.  Three of the programs are memorial scholarships that honor state legislators and provide full tuition, fees, room, board, and books at the public colleges in Delaware. 

 

The Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded annually to one student at each school who is majoring in the humanities or social sciences. (Preference is given to political science majors.)  Dylan Cole Oakes of Christiana High School is a recipient of the 2009 Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship.

 

The Diamond State Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship assist students attending regionally accredited colleges in any state. Winners of the Diamond State Scholarship receive $1,250 per year while Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship recipients receive $1,500 per year (based upon funding from the U.S. Congress). For the 2009-10 academic year, 50 students were awarded Diamond State Scholarships while 28 students received the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship. The following students from the Christina School District received these awards:
 

Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity at the University of Delaware was awarded Outstanding Greek Community Service honors for its work at Shue-Medill Middle School.  The "YoUDee" award was presented at the 7th annual event on May 14th at the Trabant Center at UD.

The fraternity met weekly with six students selected by the school administration as students who could benefit from interactions with a positive male role model.  Activities alternated between academic tutoring sessions and recreational activities, such as basketball and UD campus tours.  The fraternity's main objective was to offer support and reinforce the importance of higher education for at-risk youth.

One administrator stated, "When the brothers of Lambda Sigma Upsilon Latino Fraternity come into our school the message is clear:  We look like you, we know what you are thinking, we understand and we know you can succeed."

Pictured receiving their award are Michael Torres, Brian Waller Scott and Charles Bermudez with the University's mascot, YoUDee.

In February, the Christina School District Title I Program engaged in training 14 individuals from the District to participate in Confident Parenting Training.  Confident Parenting Training is a survival skills training program based in California that has trained many school districts in the United States.  The program teaches parents how to pay attention to and increase the times when their children are behaving appropriately.  It also teaches effective limit-setting procedures so that parents will not feel victimized by their child’s misbehavior.  The program also provides parents with effective skills to manage such child behaviors as: disruptiveness, tantrums, aggressiveness, disobedience, bedwetting, laziness, restlessness, shyness, and fears.

On June 2, two additional parents successfully completed the program to become facilitators, which required a time commitment of 2 hours a week for 10 weeks.  Title I program administrators hope to expand the program to all schools so they may offer support and training to parents interested in improving their parenting skills.  A small graduation ceremony was held for the new facilitators at Elbert-Palmer Elementary School.

“This program is really helping parents look at how they handle situations and how to give more positive reinforcement,” said Lavina Smith, Homeless Educational Advocate for the District who helped organize the training program.  “The positive choices they make as parents are really benefiting their children.”

For nearly 100 students at Brader Elementary School, the annual Special Olympics Delaware Young Athletes event has become an opportunity for each child to shine in the spotlight.

Whether it was running through the obstacle course, showing off with a hula-hoop or shooting a basketball, the pre-school students at Brader Elementary had the chance to show-off the skills they’ve been practicing all year at the annual event, held on May 28.

“The parents were very impressed,” said Celeste Ryan, a teacher at the school and coordinator of the event.  “It was another successful day for us!”

Due to the size of the school, three separate sessions were held, each including a brief opening ceremony followed by 45 minutes of activities (10 stations) and then a medal ceremony.

Officers Tonya Widows and Chris Popp from State Police Troop 2 attended the event to take part in the torch presentation during the Opening Ceremony, and then stayed around to present medals to each child at the conclusion of the event.

“This is such a neat event for the kids,” said Popp, whose son is a Special Olympics athlete. “It’s neat to see them get so excited to perform for their parents and teachers.”

Tina Price offered her view as a parent.

“Karl [Schanz] was so excited to come to school today,” Price shared.  “He loves sports activities and participating in the Young Athletes program helps him improve his physical skills and gives him the confidence he needs to play with his older brother and other kids his own age.”

Young Athletes is an innovative sports play program for children with intellectual disabilities and their classroom peers, designed to introduce them to sports activities prior to Special Olympics eligibility at age eight.

For more information on Special Olympics visit www.sode.org.

Students at Stubbs Elementary School welcomed special a special guest, U.S. Representative Michael Castle, to help kick off a summer reading initiative coordinated with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).  RIF is working with the Wilmington community to make it possible for every child to have a book this summer.  Announcements about places and times where books will be distributed will be published in the Wilmington News Journal.

Representative Castle read a very fitting book to the students assembled.  The book was entitled, House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Cheryl Shaw Barnes and Peter W. Barnes.  It teaches students about how citizens can learn about and become involved in government, and also follows how a bill becomes law.  After reading, Representative Castle told the students, “The important thing is to read as much as possible.  Most good students read for class and outside of class.”

Representative Castle also donated several copies of House Mouse, Senate Mouse to the Stubbs library at the conclusion of the event.

Soldier Thanks Keene Students Who Sent Him Letters in Iraq

Private First Class Taylor Donohue had a special opportunity to thank the students at Keene Elementary School on June 4.  Throughout the school year, Keene students had sent letters and drawings to Donohue and others stationed with him, and while on leave he took the time to say thank you in person.  Donohue answered questions from students about his service in Iraq, including how long he has been there (6 months, with 7 months remaining), whether he’s seen any explosions (yes, but from a distance), what kind of gun did he have (an M-4) and how hot was it there (135 degrees when he left).  When asked if he had ever been shot at, he answered, “Yes, and it is not an experience that I ever want any of you to go through.”  And when asked how many wars he had fought in, he said,  “This is my first one. It’s all new to me.”  He thanked the students many times for their thoughtful letters, and admitted that he also liked the candy they sent.  Through their letters, he told them, he was able to keep up with how the Phillies were playing.

Taylor is the son of Delaware State Education Association President Diane Donohue, who introduced her son and also thanked the Keene students for their letters.  “As a mom,” she said, “it meant so much to me.”

On June 4th a team from NASA visited Marshall Elementary School to recognize student “astronauts” involved in the Launching a Dream project.  Students entered their Hubble Space Project in a contest and won a national award.  The visit from NASA included an astronomer and a presentation about NASA for the entire 4th and 5th grade.  Launching a Dream is the continuation of an annual, statewide, program in its seventeenth consecutive year.  The purpose of Launching a Dream is to show that Aerospace Education is a highly motivating framework for integrating Science, Math, Technology and Career Choices into the curriculum.

Two student crews simulate pre, post, and in-flight shuttle activities.  The payload includes an exchange of data from long term experiments including plant growth and comparison, animal behavior, water and soil testing, crystal growth, and communication and map reading skills. 

The Marshall Elementary School shuttles embarked on their maiden voyages to the Dover Air Force Base at 10:30 A.M. on May 28, and the crews docked with a DAFB Space Station at
the base.  During the rendezvous, Base representatives and other dignitaries were invited to extend greetings, view the orbiters and experiments, and share in a goodwill space lunch.

The Positive Peacock Steppers, a steppers group made up of students in grades 3-5 at Elbert Palmer Elementary School, gave their final performance on May 27. Students have trained for 55 minutes, two days a week for many months, under the direction of Ms. Barbara Griffin, who has served as advisor to the steppers club for the past three years. The program is funded through a grant from the Wilmington City Council.