Education in the First State
November 24, 2021
Lake para named state Educational Support Professional of the Year
Secretary of Education Susan Bunting, 2022 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year David Thomas, Lake Forest East Elementary School Principal Nicole Kurz-McDowell and Lake Forest School District Superintendent Steven Lucas (more pics).

A computer lab/technology paraprofessional from Lake Forest School District’s Lake Forest East Elementary School is the state’s 2022 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year.

Secretary of Education Susan Bunting surprised David Thomas by presenting him with the award at his school this month.

“David is praised by his colleagues for his leadership and collaboration. His support of students, families and educators alike has made him an essential member of his school community, and he well represents the critical roles educational support professionals play in schools across our state,” Bunting said.

Former East Principal Douglas W. Brown said students, families and East staff have relied on Thomas throughout the pandemic.

“Dave fulfilled every request or question every teacher, parent or student had about Zoom, Pear Deck, Clever, camera views, etc., without ever complaining,” he said. “If there were ever a year for someone such as Dave to be recognized for their efforts, it is definitely this year of the pandemic because without Dave, East does not make it through with the successes that they had.”

Thomas, an 11-year paraprofessional, said he wants his students to understand the importance of technology as a tool to advance their learning.

“Technology is more than video games, tablets, and phones. Use of a mouse for precision and the ability to type proficiently are essential,” he said. “My students graduate from East Elementary school with confidence in their typing abilities and use of Microsoft Office applications. My third graders even create PowerPoint presentations before they start fourth grade! Often I hear back from their teachers how advanced the students from East are when they move on to their next school.”
Districts/charters honor educational support professionals of the year
The Delaware Department of Education is honoring 19 educational support professionals for their outstanding work supporting their students and school communities.

"Whether they are providing individual instructional support, preparing nutritious meals, keeping our buildings safe and clean, safely transporting our students to and from school, providing the technical support our educators and students need or supporting our educators and families through their administrative office support, these individuals are vital to the daily operations of our schools and our students’ academic success," Secretary of Education Susan Bunting said. "I laud each of these nominees for his or her outstanding work and thank them and all the colleagues whom they represent.”

Now in its second year, the Delaware State Educational Support Professional of the Year (ESPY) program recognizes outstanding service by school employees who provide direct or indirect services to students and their families. The Delaware Charter School Network also is invited to participate. Employees considered for the award include:

  • Paraprofessionals
  • Custodial staff
  • Secretaries
  • Nutritional staff
  • School- and district-employed bus drivers
  • School- and district-employed bus aides

rom those nominated at a building level, one educational support professional of the year moves forward to represent each district or the charter school community in the state program. Each district/charter network winner receives a $1,000 personal award from the winner’s district or charter school. The state program then chooses one person annually to serve as Delaware's Educational Support Professional of the Year. State winners receive an additional $1,500 personal award from DDOE as well as $2,500 to be used for the educational benefit of his or her students.

The 2022 state winner will take over the title from 2021 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year Alice Williams, senior administrative secretary at Christina School District’s Jennie E. Smith Elementary.

Find information on the 2022 district/charter educational support professionals of the year here.
First-of-its-kind partnership supports STEM, CTE statewide
The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE), DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Discovery Education this week announced a new, first-of-its-kind partnership that will increase student access to high-quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) instructional resources, as well as instructional materials and other supports to enhance career and technical education programs across the state. The three-year partnership program directly supports the Delaware Pathways initiative -- an innovative effort helping students develop the academic, technical, and employability skills needed for successful, in-demand jobs across Delaware.

“Acquiring academic knowledge, technical skills, and meaningful work experience gives students the freedom to choose their life’s path,” said Delaware Secretary of Education Susan Bunting. “This new partnership provides Delaware students an even better opportunity to develop the skills needed for the careers of tomorrow. Thus, I look forward to supporting the progress of this exciting new collaboration.”

“Connecting what is being taught in the classroom to Delaware employers is critical,” said Luke Rhine, Director, Career & Technical Education and STEM Initiatives at the Delaware Department of Education. “The resources provided through this partnership will support middle school and high school teachers as they build bridges between classrooms and careers for all students. We are thankful for partners like DuPont who share our goals related to STEM- and career-focused education.”

DuPont is committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of people everywhere, inspiring and cultivating the next generation of problem solvers, innovative thinkers, and lifelong learners that fuel discovery. Through this partnership, DuPont is taking a leadership role helping to develop a stronger, more diverse, equitable and inclusive talent pipeline to fill critically needed STEM jobs across the U.S. This partnership also builds on the company’s long-standing support of increasing access to STEM education programs that provide hands-on, inquiry-based learning in elementary to post-doctoral classrooms, and the professional learning needed for educators to make these efforts possible.

“DuPont is proud to fully fund this new initiative benefiting the Delaware communities we call home,” said Jon Kemp, President, DuPont Electronics & Industrial. “Together with the Delaware Department of Education and Discovery Education, we are creating not only more equitable learning environments in which all students have access to the resources and experiences they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond, but also a deeper, more diverse pool of talent that will drive economic prosperity across Delaware. We are excited to get started on this important work!”

Supporting this partnership is Discovery Education’s K-12 daily learning platform. Facilitating engaging instruction in the classroom, remote environment, after school programs or wherever learning is taking place, Discovery Education connects students and teachers to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and more. These resources, sourced from trusted partners are made available to Delaware’s educators and students through Schoology, which is the statewide learning management system, and are aligned to state and national standards to help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.
Pinkerton: We must rebuild students' villages following the pandemic
Editor's note: The following guest piece was written by Melissa Pinkerton, a 9th grade English teacher at Seaford School District's Seaford High School and Seaford School District’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

No truer words were spoken than, "It takes a village to raise a child." Many of our students are missing the key pieces of support they need to make their village complete. Many of our students live in very difficult situations and experience immense stress in their villages. Sadly, many of our students have no village at all and they desperately need school to feel like they belong in the world. And even those with the strongest villages have had to face great challenges, grief, and pain because of COVID. Pair that with the isolation of pandemic and you have the perfect storm for a mental health crisis just as students return to school. Imagine how our kids have felt since the pandemic started...
 
Rates of anxiety and depression among students has never been higher. Students have been forced to leave every routine they know that brings them comfort, distanced from friends, in a world full of uncertainty and divisiveness. Since March 2020, life has been turned upside down, and those same students have learned self-reliance, independence, and resourceful skill sets that don’t necessarily work in the classroom environment the same way they work at home. Many of our young people have faced daily disruptions, loss, and life stressors during their time away from the traditional school model. The devastation from this pandemic has caused trauma and insecurity that many of our students will experience for years to come.
 
And even though our students have been through so much emotionally, in almost every educational headline that we read right now, we see two very scary words for educators: Learning loss. This concept is not lost on me, and I know that we have to accelerate learning and provide high-quality instruction for our students. Academic progress will need to be a focal point for the year, no doubt.
 
However, before we can focus on the academic side of re-building, we have to focus on rebuilding a foundation for our students that is rooted in trust, empathy, and grace. Students will look to us to re- establish routines that bring them a sense of safety. They will look to us to restore their academic confidence. And they will look to us to re-discover their self-worth as individuals. Once we meet our student’s emotional needs, we can begin the academic work ahead. But, their mental health and well- being must be the highest priority.
 
As students enter our halls, we need to listen to their stories, we need to step into their shoes, and we need to understand who they are as people. As a respected adults in their village, we need to show them that everything will move forward, that we are here with them, and that they don’t need to be alone in this big, scary, slightly crazy world. We know how they feel because we have felt it ourselves. Being a smaller human doesn’t make the trauma of stress any less real. Anxiety, depression, uncertainty, and isolation are scary, no matter who you are.
 
Mr. Rogers once advised his little neighborhood friends “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Teachers are those helpers right now. We are the people our young ones are looking to help them bring their life back together after all of the scary things of the last 18 months. It is our responsibility to be the village that our kids need. If each of us takes a role in helping, then the work feels empowering rather than daunting, and our village will be stronger moving forward than it has ever been. The same village we have been for one another, we need to become for our students.
 
The COVID 19 pandemic is like most tragedies we have faced, the best of humanity emerges as the rebuilding begins. As difficult as the pandemic itself has been for everyone, the hardest work will be done in its aftermath. For us, that work is to create a sense of normalcy for our young people in the safest space many of them know: our classrooms. Our work is to be the helpers that rebuild their village so they find their peace to move forward knowing that they are never alone.
DDOE helps migrant families as part of yearly Thanksgiving tradition
Volunteers from DDOE's migrant education program participated in delivering Thanksgiving dinner to some of the state's migratory families in need. 

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) partnered with Mountaire Farms this week for the annual Thanksgiving for Thousands charitable food event in Delaware. With the help of 17 grocery stores and the Dagsboro Church of God, more than 30 boxes of frozen chickens and other donated food were delivered to families yesterday.

Migrant students are the school-aged children of seasonal workers traveling to Delaware each year for agricultural work. These children face unique educational barriers as a result of multiple family moves. Many migrant families stay in Delaware through late fall before returning to their home states. During this time their children attend Delaware schools. Migrant families who choose to live in Delaware permanently continue to receive education-related support services.

To all Delawareans, especially our students and school staff, DDOE wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Other Good News to Share
Delaware Department of Education | www.doe.k12.de.us