Middletown Life Spring/Summer 2018 Edition

Spring/Summer 2018

Middletown Life

Magazine

Augustine Beach and Wildlife Area The quiet beauty of the marshlands - Page 74

Inside • Turning pizza into art • A new educational vision for Odessa • Brynn Close, Miss Delaware Teen USA

Complimentary Copy

July 20–28, 2018

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Spring/Summer 2018

Table of Contents 10

Brynn Close, Miss Delaware Teen USA

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Speaking up for poetry

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The art of the pizza

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Q & A with Rep. S. Quinton “Quinn� Johnson

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New artists in historic Odessa

54

Find your next craving with Chef Willie Enchill

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Finding your way through history

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Photo essay: The quiet beauty of the Augustine Wildlife Area

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Fairview Campus breaks ground in Odessa

44 64

22 Cover design by Tricia Hoadley Cover photograph by Jie Deng

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The beauty of the Augustine Wildlife Area, a 21st Century educational campus, pizza portraits, and more

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Letter from the Editor: Welcome to the spring 2018 issue of Middletown Life.

In this issue, we have stories about everything from a Middletown teen who was selected as Miss Delaware Teen USA to pizza portraits being created in a restaurant in Townsend to a look at the 21st Century educational campus that is being planned in Odessa.

Last December, the community approved a $268 million referendum that will create the first and only comprehensive K-12 public school campus in the nation, and promises to serve as a model of 21st-Century education. In addition to common spaces that encourage learning between schools, the Fairview Campus will include a performing arts center, a media center and kitchen – which will all be used as learning centers.

We also feature a story about students in an Advanced Placement Studio Art course at Middletown High School who will be showcasing the best of their portfolios at the Historic Odessa Foundation from April 13-29.

We profile Brynn Close, the current Miss Delaware Teen USA who lives in Middletown. She has been participating in a variety of activities and events throughout the state, promoting her platform that focuses on the importance of volunteering in the community.

Everyone loves food, and in this issue, we talk to chef Willie Enchill about his extraordinary offerings in the Delicious Craving food truck. We also talk to Brian Clossen, who really has a flair with sauce, cheese and dough. He is making a name for himself by creating pizza portraits at Little Italy Pizzeria in Townsend.

The subject of the Q & A is Rep. S. Quinton “Quinn” Johnson, who serves as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives for the 8th District, which includes the greater Middletown area. Johnson was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in November 2008, starting his first term in January of 2009. Middletown Life caught up with Johnson recently to talk about about a variety of issues impacting Delaware residents, including the state’s ongoing efforts to boost revenues without raising taxes, and the importance of providing quality education to all students, including those with special needs.

We also look at the Middletown Historical Society’s popular escape room, which allows groups to test their minds and mettle to solve puzzles related to history.

The 3,100 acres that make up the Augustine Wildlife Area are featured in this issue’s photo essay.

As always, we hope you enjoy the stories in this issue of Middletown Life. We’re already planning the next issue, which will arrive in the fall of 2018.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13 Cover design by: Tricia Hoadley Cover photo: Jim Coarse www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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—————|Middletown People|—————

A passion for volunteering As Miss Delaware Teen USA, Brynn Close has a platform to encourage helping others 10

Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

By John Chambless Staff Writer

H

elping others has been a guiding principle for Brynn Close since she was a child. Now, as Miss Delaware Teen USA, she is working to spread the message of volunteerism as far as she can.

Close, 18, won the title last November on her third attempt. The Middletown teen is a senior at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, and she spoke recently after school about her path to the title, her background, and her plan to share the spirit of giving.

When she was born three months premature, Close spent critical weeks at Christiana Hospital NICU. She has no lasting health effects, and would like to work with the March of Dimes during her reign as Miss Delaware Teen USA. “I’d like to promote awareness of premature births and birth defects,” she said. “March of Dimes is working to improve the health of mothers and babies through research, education and community programs. It hits close to home for my family. We recently found out there is an annual reunion to celebrate the health of babies who relied on the NICU after birth. It’s an opportunity to go back and reconnect with the doctors and nurses who cared for you during the early weeks or months of your life. We didn’t hear about it until this year, so it’s been 18 years overdue. We’re going this year.”

Continued on page 12

Photo by Jessielynn Palumbo

Brynn Close with some young students at her former elementary school. www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Miss Delaware Teen USA Continued from Page 11

As a child, Close and her family volunteered with Meals on Wheels for the holidays, and “it was always super special for us,” she said. “Seeing a smile on people’s faces, just having a warm meal, and having somebody be with them on the holiday.”

Close’s older sister and her cousin were regular competitors in pageants, so Brynn saw plenty of competitions beginning when she was about 10 years old. She was fascinated by the glamor of the events, and set her sights on competing herself.

“My cousin was actually Miss Delaware Teen USA 2009, and then Miss Delaware USA 2014. It kind of runs in the family,” Close said. “My cousin, particularly, gave me lots of tips about what to expect and how to carry myself. I started watching pageants when I was about 10, and I couldn’t wait to step on stage myself,” she added, laughing. “I’ve been to lots of pageants.”

Close’s parents have both supported her goals, and her mother has become “My momager,” Close said, laughing. “She’s been by my side for the last three years, learning along with me.”

Returning to the MOT Charter School in Middletown, Close got to talk about what pageant life is like, and everyone wanted to wear her crown.

Photo by Jessielynn Palumbo 12

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Close began competing at 16 in the Miss Delaware Teen USA pageant.

“It was so intimidating and I didn’t know what to expect the first year,” she said. “I went into it with an open mind and just hoped to make friends, which I did. My second year, I finished as first runner-up. That was a huge accomplishment, being so close, but it was also kind of devastating. So close, yet so far. And yes, there were tears,” she admitted, laughing. “I was so proud for getting so close, but still upset. I knew immediately that I wanted to compete again.”

The third time was a charm, and Close walked away with the crown.

She doesn’t know exactly what it was that put her over the top. “I think I just stayed true to myself,” she said of her win. “I didn’t let anybody’s opinions affect me.”

In the competition, she said, “there’s a three-minute interview, and you get asked questions about your personal life. Then you compete on stage in a gown and active wear. Then, if you make the top five, they will ask you two questions. They ask a current event question and another personal question.”

The night she won, Close said, “I kept thinking I was in a dream. I Continued on page 14

Close is crowned at the Miss Delaware Teen USA pageant.

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Miss Delaware Teen USA Continued from Page 13

would wake up in bed, and my crown and sash were next to me. I was thinking, ‘This can’t be real.’ I didn’t come to school the next day, but when I did come back, all of my friends went crazy with balloons and hugs. Everybody in the hallway – the new freshmen that I didn’t even know were saying congratulations. I’m so thankful for people who are supporting me. The school even hung a banner out front with my name on it.”

This year has already been busy for Close, who said she has appearances almost every weekend. “I go to different schools, churches, other organizations. I was at the Girl Scouts World Thinking Day,” she said. “Each girl learned about a different country and visitors would walk around and learn about each one. I was just there to learn and interact with the girls. Both Girl Scouts and title holders have a responsibility to serve their communities, so it was great to be there and hear what they do. It’s nice to see kids at their young age, out in their community and making a difference.

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Close got to spend the Tim Tebow ‘Night to Shine Prom’ with Kristen, who has become a big fan.

“My platform is volunteering. It’s always been something that touched my heart,” Close said. “After you volunteer, you realize that simple tasks can go such a long way. I volunteer every Tuesday at the Sunday Breakfast Mission in Wilmington, just simply serving dinner to women and

their children. That’s been very inspiring. The women and children are so thankful to have you there, serving them.

When I volunteer, they are able to sit down and have dinner with their children, instead of serving the dinner themselves. They tell me their stories sometimes, and it makes me so happy that I’ve affected their life in a small way.”

Close works at Nutrition House in Middletown, making protein shakes and regularly meeting area residents. “I love working there. My two bosses came to my pageant and cheered me on,” she said. “Middletown is so small that I see lots of familiar faces – my friends, my parents’ friends, my grandparents. It’s a lot of fun working there.”

Close realizes that competing in pageants is not for everyone, and said there’s a stereotype about the purpose of the events.

“When you tell people you’re competing in a pageant, people think it’s just a beauty contest,” she said. “There’s so much more to it than beauty. What matters is who you

A photo op at the ‘Night to Shine Prom.’

are on the inside. And it’s about what you do. As a title holder, you’re out in your community constantly, making a difference and volunteering and giving back to others.

“The best volunteer experience was at the Tim Tebow ‘Night to Shine Prom’ at Reach Church in Bear,” she said.

“That was such an amazing experience. I got paired up Continued on page 16

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Miss Delaware Teen USA Continued from Page 15

with a buddy, Kristen, who was about 25. There was a makeup station for the girls, a shoe-shining station for the men, there’s lots of games. I was there with Kristen, dancing with her throughout the night, laughing and making memories, even though she had just met me an hour before. It was amazing. She still texts me all the time and sends me pictures, and I always comment on her pictures. It’s truly a night when people who have never been to a prom before get to feel special.”

At Ursuline, Close said 80 hours of volunteering is required before a student’s sophomore year, but that she and many of her classmates go well beyond that.

“We still volunteer, and it becomes like a lifestyle,” she said. “Once we gain those 80 hours, we get a sense of the benefits of volunteering. It becomes part of us. It’s a purpose in our lives.”

As one of her appearances, Close went back to her school, MOT Charter in Middletown, to talk about her pageant victory and the importance of volunteering, and all the students wanted to wear her crown, she said, laughing. “They were just staring at my crown, and one little girl said, ‘Can I be the first one to put that on?’ Even the boys wanted to put it on. It was sweet.”

Close is sharing her duties with Sierra Wright,

Shortly after being crowned, Close couldn’t hold back her emotions.

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Miss Delaware USA 2018, and the two share a schedule of appearances. “She was the 2016 Miss Delaware Teen USA, and we’re like sisters. We get along so well,” Close said. “We’ll show up to appearances in the same outfit without planning it. She is basically the 20-year-old version of me.”

Close will attend the University of Tennessee in the fall to study broadcast journalism. “I’ve always enjoyed writing, and there’s so much behind broadcast journalism because someone has to write the stories. It’s not just the person on camera,” she said. “I visited Jim Donovan at CBS in Philadelphia, and he showed me around the studio. It was so eye-opening. There are lots of people behind the scenes. So, after shadowing him, I knew I wanted to be a news anchor.”

With school taking precedence in her schedule, Close will scale back her appearances, but hopes to make a big impact until college takes over. She will be competing at the Miss Teen USA pageant this summer as the Delaware representative, but “I’ll go to college in August, and then give up my title in November. I’ll only have a few months at college with the title. I think it will slow down at that point,” she said. The next step up the pageant Continued on page 18

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Miss Delaware Teen USA Continued from Page 17

ladder would be the Miss USA pageant, whose contestants range from 19 to 26. She hasn’t decided whether to continue to that point.

Being a contestant has given Close a professional poise that’s well beyond her years, and her message of empowerment is something she hopes to share as much as possible.

“One of the greatest pieces of advice I can give is that no one is you, and that is your power,” she said. “That’s what I keep in my head. You are uniquely you. Don’t try to be anybody else. The best version of you, is you.”

-Follow Brynn Close’s year on Instagram at missteenusa, and on Facebook at Miss Delaware Teen USA. To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

Among her regular volunteer opportunities is serving food at a shelter for women and children in Wilmington.

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——————|Middletown Arts|——————

Speaking up for poetry at a statewide competition

Photo by Joe del Tufo

Back row: Andrew Dingwall, Melina Hudson, Dounya Ramadan, Avery Chambers, Matthew Byer, Tyler Keeler. Front row: Chelsea Anokye-Agyei, Julian Clark, Giovani Malcolm, First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, Richard Matthews, Whitney Grinnage-Cassidy, Samuel McGarvey.

By John Chambless Staff Writer

I

n late February, 12 finalists from across Delaware took part in the Poetry Out Loud State Competition in Dover. Julian Clark, a freshman at Middletown High School, was one of the 2018 finalists, and while he didn’t go on to the National Finals to be held April 24 and 25 in Washington, Clark said he has learned a lot about the art of poetry from taking part in the competition, which is sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts. Other sponsors are the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

The competition encourages high-school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. Competition begins in classrooms each fall, and culminates with the state finals each spring. More than 20 schools and 2,000 Delaware students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program this year.

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In many ways, Poetry Out Loud grows out of a long tradition of memorization and recitation of poetry that was part of classroom learning beginning in the earliest days of America.

For Clark, the experience of being on stage is nothing new, and he’s naturally drawn to performing. While this year’s Delaware winner is Samuel McGarvey from Tall Oaks Classical School, Clark plans to be back next year for the 2019 Poetry Out Loud competition.

In a recent interview, Clark looked back at the experience.

Q.: Do you have prior stage or acting experience to prepare you for this kind of public recitation?

A.: I have been acting for about eight years, and have been a part of 40-plus productions in various musicals and plays.

Poetry recitation is a very old educational tool. It’s interesting that it’s come back in this way. How did you find out about Poetry Out Loud?

Our school has a thespian society, which is where I heard about it. I found it intriguing and thought I should audition.

What’s involved in being part of the program?

I had to pick three poems from their website, which contained thousands of poems. There were many categories, and I had to have three. I ended up picking a pre-20th century poem, a free choice, and a 25 lines or fewer poem. I worked every day at lunch with my teacher, Ms. Chas, and worked with my English teacher, Mrs. Myers.

Did it start out as a branch of your English classes? Who got you signed up to take part?

It was our drama teacher, Ms.Chas. No part of it was an English class, though I wish there was more like this for English.

What was the hardest part of preparing? How did you choose which poems you would recite?

The hardest part was getting every word down, as well as continuing the recitation to end of the phrase, not to the end of the line. I choose ones that spoke to me, ones I could present with a deep emotional understanding.

Is poetry under-represented in English classes in general?

I feel that English classes try to represent, but many fail to see what poetry really can be.

It’s not just words that rhyme, it’s much more.

Do you write your own poetry or fiction? If so, what kind?

I have written a couple of short, one-act shows, and I used to write poetry. Now, when I look back on them, I can’t help but cringe! I haven’t currently worked on anything I would like presented. I am quite busy doing some other shows, including “Into the Woods” at the Everett Theatre, and “Evita” for Delaware All State Theatre.

What has this experience taught you about presenting yourself in public? Or about poetry?

I’ve noticed I have to put energy into my words, and into my diction, which was quite different for me. It was hard to put all my energy somewhere and all I could do is stand in place. I’m not used to that.

Will you continue with this program next year?

Oh of course I will! I had so much fun! I’m currently a freshman, so I’m hoping for this experience every year!

Do you have plans to do theater or public speaking later in life?

I plan on being an actor, whether on stage or on a film set, whatever I find first!

Where do you live?

I live in Smyrna. I have four sisters, one brother, and I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere without my mom, dad, and grandmother!

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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—————|Middletown People|—————

The art of the pizza Brian Clossen has a flair with sauce, cheese and dough

By John Chambless Staff Writer “I look at it this way,” Brian Clossen said, leaning forward at his table at Little Italy Pizzeria in Townsend. “Everybody’s favorite food is usually pizza, right? So to take that and turn it into something else they really love, it’s wonderful.”

Continued on page 24

Elmo is already red, which makes him ideal subject matter for pizza.

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Photo by John Chambless

Brian Clossen has been enjoying more than 15 minutes of fame for his custom-made pizzas at the Little Italy Pizzeria in Townsend. www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Pizza Art Continued from Page 22

Clossen has been making pizzas and sandwiches since he got his first job at 16. But last April, he got a request to make a Mickey Mouse-shaped pizza. “I figured that was easy – three circles, a pizza with ears,” Clossen said. “So I looked online and there was one that had the ears made with olives, so they were black. Well, no kid wants to eat that.”

So Clossen sketched out his own design, using only the natural colors of a pizza maker’s palette – red, yellow and brown, pretty much.

“So the customer posted it on the MOT Residents page on Facebook, and it went nuts,” Clossen said. “That thing

got 1,000 likes in its first week. So everybody ordered Mickeys, all the time. Eventually, I made a white pizza octopus for my sister. The head of it was white pizza, and the tentacles were breadsticks. She posted that on MOT, and people started calling about other things. The thing just snowballed.”

Now marking the one-year anniversary of his rise to fame as the Picasso of pizza, Clossen has been featured in a full-page article in The News Journal, and in two different TV spots. He is, as far as anyone can tell, the only pizza maker who can turn out pies in any shape a customer Continued on page 26

Left: A grizzled pirate with breadstick beard and black olive eye.

Below: Abe Lincoln gets the Brian Clossen treatment.

Right: Sonic the Hedgehog was created from memory by Clossen, who played the game a lot in his youth.

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Photo by John Chambless

Little Italy Pizzeria in Townsend has become known for the pizzas produced as special orders by Brian Clossen. www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Pizza Art Continued from Page 24

wants, using only things that taste good. His boss, Anthony Elentrio, who also owns Little Italy locations in New Castle and Middletown with his brother Michael, said happily that he’s thinking about expanding Clossen’s work station in Townsend so that he has more room to grow the operation.

The restaurant still turns out plenty of regular-shaped pizzas, subs and sandwiches, but Clossen’s specialty pies (priced at about $20) are a big attraction.

Clossen is a Delaware native whose family grew up in the New Castle and Newark areas. He went to Glasgow High School and took a turn into pizza at 16, when he applied for a job at Valle Pizza, which used to be on Route 4 in Newark.

“I had worked maybe two weeks at a Little Caesars before that,” Clossen recalled. “The owner asked me if I could make pizza. Well, you don’t make pizza at all at Little Caesars. Your dough is already panned. But I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’”

Continued on page 28

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Heihei, the chicken from the Disney film ‘Moana.’

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Pizza Art Continued from Page 26

The owner showed young Clossen a tray with eight balls of refrigerated dough, throwing him for a moment until he was shown how to roll them out. “Luckily I was a fast learner,” he said.

There were a couple of detours into construction and carpentry, but even then, Clossen was working part-time as a pizza maker. “I worked at Gino’s Pizza on Main Street, which is no longer there. It was in a little strip mall between the Broadway Diner and Valero. I worked weekend nights there, I worked at Grotto’s for a few summers, and I made pizzas at Delaware Park,” he recalled.

He started working at Little Italy in Middletown in 2007, and in the Townsend restaurant in 2013 because he knew the pizza was already good. He got a job on the grill at first, but then graduated to pizzas. His days of turning out only standard small, medium and large pies are now at an end, with special orders coming in almost every day.

“Who would have thought there would be a desire for these?” he asked. “This past year has just been amazing.

It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a challenge.”

And it’s all been fueled only by word of mouth and social media. Clossen takes a photo of the special pizzas before he hands them over to customers, some of whom have told him the pies are too great to eat. He tells them to go ahead and enjoy. The restaurant hasn’t done anything special to promote Clossen’s work. Customers are coming on their own.

After the newspaper article featured an Eagles helmet pizza made by Clossen, Tim Furlong, a news reporter for NBC-10, friended Clossen on Facebook. Then, with every station looking for stories about the Eagles in the run-up to the Super Bowl, Clossen got a short TV segment for NBC, and then another one for ABC. Since he wants to give customers what they want, Clossen even turned out a Dallas Cowboys helmet pizza, “But it was made with less love than a lot of the rest of them,” he said, grinning.

After Clossen thinks about what he can use to convey colors without using dyes, he sketches out his idea and Continued on page 30

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Pizza Art Continued from Page 28

then goes to work. Extra dough is used to form features or borders, and sauce and pepperoni are used to make the colored areas. He has refined his designs, tweaking them to be more realistic or cook better. There was one pizza he made for a precocious 5-year-old fan of the “Friday the 13th” movies that was intended to be a hockey mask, “but it ended up looking more like Gonzo” the Muppet, Clossen admitted. The young customer was thrilled, nevertheless.

Each pie takes about 45 minutes to make, so Clossen has to limit the number of special requests. During Super Bowl week, he said, he was fully booked making Eagles helmet pizzas. The pace at the shop has picked up, with most customers saying they would like some special shape, but leaving it up to Clossen as to how he does it. “That gives me the option to make some cool stuff,” he said.

Clossen has turned out five Darth Vader pizzas so far, with pepperoni standing in for the black of the helmet. He made a bust of “Batman” star Adam West just for his own amusement.

He also created a hamster pizza for a mom who was holding a tenth birthday party for her daughter. “The lady wanted a hamster pizza, so I Googled that and came up with a photo of a hamster on a plate, eating some pizza,” Clossen said. “So I created that. It’s a pizza, holding a piece of pizza, getting ready to eat a piece of pizza, so there’s a lot going on. Mind blowing, right?” he said, laughing.

Along the way, Clossen has made a “Jaws” pizza with the huge shark’s head and a tiny swimmer made of dough. “I got to put a naked lady on a 10-year-old’s pizza,” he said.

Elmo is a natural since he’s already pizza-sauce red.

But Clossen, a Middletown resident who is a diehard Eagles fan, said he’s dreaming about doing something along the “Underdog” theme for the team, as well as a portrait of team star Nick Foles.

The orders keep coming in, and Clossen has recently figured out how to create a unicorn pizza, possibly with some edible glitter for that special touch. “I want to do what anybody wants me to do,” he said. “It’s all about the joy.

Continued on page 32

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Follow right 0.2 mile to right onto Carter Rd. Proceed 0.7 mile to left onto Sunnyside Rd. Ashland is 0.2 mile on right. GPS address: 704 Sunnyside Rd, Smyrna, DE. www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Pizza Art Continued from Page 30

“You would have thought I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame,” he said, “But it’s cool that people still care about this. My niece and nephew saw me on the news and they were having a field day with it: ‘Uncle B’s on TV!’ Hey, if I can be famous for making cool pizzas, that’s fun.”

Little Italy Pizzeria is at 325 Main St., Townsend.

Find the restaurant on Facebook or call 302-378-9494.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty.com.

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The happy young customer with Clossen’s ‘Jaws’ pizza. Clossen made this ‘Jaws’ pizza for a 10-year-old’s birthday.

Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

—————|Middletown Q&A|—————

S. Quinton Johnson State Representative, 8th District

Rep. S. Quinton “Quinn” Johnson serves as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives for the 8th District, which includes the greater Middletown area. He was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in November 2008, starting his first term in January of 2009. Middletown Life caught up with Johnson recently to talk about a variety of issues impacting Delaware residents, including the state’s ongoing efforts to boost revenues without raising taxes and the importance of providing quality education to all students, including those with special needs.

Courtesy photo

Rep. S. Quinton “Quinn” Johnson serves as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives for the 8th District, which includes the greater Middletown area.

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

Delaware lawmakers will face many difficult decisions during the current session as the state continues to deal with budgetary issues.

Q: State Rep. Johnson, you’re in your tenth year as a state lawmaker. Can you talk about what led you to enter politics in the first place?

A: I got into politics because I wanted to make a difference for my child, and wanted to do something about the issues that I had encountered. My youngest child was born deaf, and as we worked through his education in the public school system, we were not satisfied at all with the services he and other deaf and hard of hearing children were receiving in the state. Delaware, to begin

with, is a small state and deafness/hard of hearing is a lowincident disability.

However, regardless of what disability a child may have, the stories we heard from other families were all too similar. ALL children are entitled to an education and if given the right tools, ALL children can be successful! I did not want what happened to us to happen to any other parent and I wanted to make the educational experiences of children with a disability easier and more successful in meeting their needs.

Continued on page 36 www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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S. Quinton Johnson Continued from Page 35

What is the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is to serve the residents of the 8th District. I have been humbled by the fact that they have put their faith in me to serve them these last 10 years. While there is still work to do to improve our education system, it was satisfying to be able to address the issues that got me passionate about pursuing public service and to see new laws passed that will help ALL children!

How about the most challenging part of the job?

The most challenging part of the job has been dealing with our budget issues.

Due to my business background, I have had the opportunity to serve on a committee that analyzes our state budget and our revenues. For the majority of the years I have served, we have had to deal with deficits in our budget. That means tough decisions to either cut programs, or raise taxes to add more revenue to keep programs alive – programs that our citizens of Delaware depend on. It is an extremely difficult position to be in when you know that there is someone out there that could use your help and you do not have the resources to help them.

What are a few of the statewide issues or initiatives that you would like to see the General Assembly address this year?

The problem with our budget, and the ongoing deficits, is that a large portion of our revenue does not grow when the economy grows. Prior to my election, the state depended heavily on revenue that came from the casinos and from unclaimed property. Now that other states have added gambling to help solve their budget issues, we are no longer the only game in town and have felt the Continued on page 38

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S. Quinton Johnson Continued from Page 36

impact significantly. Unclaimed property is when someone does not cash a dividend check from a corporation and that check sits for years unclaimed. Since Delaware has so many corporations registered in the state, those funds then come back to us.

An individual always has the right to claim those funds, but the corporation does not get to keep those funds. Due to audits of corporations this revenue grew to over $500 million. However, it is now projected to possibly slide backwards to $300 million.

All of these examples touch on this fact – we have very unpredictable sources of revenue. I have served on committees that have reviewed the volatility of our revenue sources and have made recommendations on what needs to be done to address this

issue and to get us out of the cycle of deficits. It is not an issue of too much spending; it is that the sources of revenue are no longer keeping up with the growth of our state.

Increasing alcohol and cigarette taxes will not help get us a truly sustainable budget.

We need to address this issue once and for all and get the state’s budget process on solid ground.

Is there any legislation currently under consideration that you want your constituents in the Middletown area to be aware of?

We just kicked off the second half of the 149th legislative session and will be getting into the legislative grind in March.

However, following the legislation session is Continued on page 40

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S. Quinton Johnson Continued from Page 38

important, and I ask all of the constituents in the 8th District to please feel free to call me, email me, or stop me in the grocery store, to let me know how they feel about an issue they are concerned with. It is vital that we hear your opinion.

What House committees do you serve on?

I serve as co-chair of the Joint Bond Bill Committee, vice-chair of the House Agriculture Committee, and a member of the House Economic Development Committee, Gaming and Parimutuels Committee, Health and Human Development Committee, Natural Resources Committee, Revenue and Finance Committee, and Veterans Affairs Committee. I am also a chair of the Special Needs Subcommittee, and a member of the Kids Caucus, the Small Business Caucus, and

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the Delaware Sea Level Rise, and Flood Plain and Storm Water Management committees.

You are also a business owner with your wife, Julie. Tell us about the Tender Loving Kare Child Care and Learning Center.

This is a true mom-and-pop, build the business from the ground-up story. We started in 1992 in a garage in our first house offering childcare as an in-home provider, while I still maintained a full-time job. In 1994, back before the Internet, I saw a very small center for sale in the newspaper. Young and ambitious, we purchased that little facility and as they say, the rest is history. We now have three locations and have had the extreme privilege of caring for and educating thousands of children in our community. We Continued on page 42

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S. Quinton Johnson Continued from Page 40

have always focused on quality and are proud to say that all of our locations are STAR 5 quality rated locations and that we were the first private facility in the state to earn that recognition. We were recently recognized for being in the program since the beginning, now 10 years strong.

You reside in Middletown. What are a few of your favorite spots in the Middletown area?

What I love most about Middletown is that it does have the amenities you need, but in a short drive you are in the country. I love the rural farmland, nature and rich history of Middletown.

If you could invite any three guests, living or dead, to a dinner party, who would it be?

Since this is an article that is about my role as a state

representative, I would invite Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Ronald Reagan. I wouldn’t invite them necessarily for their actual political views, but more for how they were able to rally their colleagues and the legislatures of their time in order to make the tough decisions during significantly different times in our nation’s history.

When you look back at each one of their terms, they had issues that were enormously significant to the history of our country and were able to get the people around them to make the difficult decisions that were necessary to address the issues they faced. The creation of our nation, slavery, and the Cold War are all significant issues. There are, of course, many other notable people that I would like to have at the table. Limiting to only three is difficult.

Courtesy photo

Rep. Johnson has served in the Delaware House of Representatives since January of 2009.

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

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———|Middletown Life Arts & Culture|——— Students in an Advanced Placement Studio Art course at Middletown High School will be showcasing the best of their portfolios at the Historic Odessa Foundation from April 13-29

New artists in historic Odessa

“Ralph,” acrylic, by Joy Coon

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

S

ophia Sweetman has been a student of Brianna Shetzler, an art teacher at Middletown High School, since Sweetman was in the eighth grade, so in a way, their journey into the development of Sweetman’s life as a young artist has been an alliance between student and teacher.

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

Sweetman is not alone.

As a student in Shetzler’s Advanced Placement Art Studio class, she is one of a half-dozen seniors who are in the middle of a rigorous, year-long project to complete a 24-piece portfolio of of their art under Shetzler’s guidance, the best of which will be showcased at the Visitor’s Center Gallery at the Historic Odessa Foundation in Odessa, from April 13-29, 2018. The show, which is expected to feature a large representation of each student’s work, will be coming to the Foundation for the first time this year.

“It has been amazing to watch Sophia and my other current students grow as artists, many of whom I’ve worked with since I was at Meredith Middle School,” said Shetzler, who is now in her eighth year of teaching in the Appoquinimink School District. “I’ve been honored to have a really great group of artists who push themselves, and we work together to push each other.”

Continued on page 46

“Light Portrait,” acrylic, by Joy Coon

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Artists Continued from Page 45

Upon entering Shetzler’s AP Art Studio class at Middletown High School, one is not likely to see a small group of students waiting around aimlessly for inspiration to strike.

Instead, the class hums with a factory-like churn of creativity, and for good reason: Every project has a deadline. Under the class guidelines, each student is required to finish a piece of artwork every week and a half.

“I run the class just like it’s done on the collegiate level,” Shetzler said. “There is a sense of urgency there, because they know that they have to meet deadlines, and if they don’t, they know that those deadlines will snowball and they will quickly become overwhelmed. I work on sharpening their sense of time management in order to keep them on a schedule.”

Continued on page 48

“Koi,” chine-colle printmaking, by Julia Blithe

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

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Student Art Continued from Page 46

The first half of the academic year in class is spent engaged in a variety of mediums -- drawing and painting; working with chalk and pastels; printmaking; developing projects by using cut paper; and fabric dyeing. The second half of their year allows them to develop 12 pieces of art, using a common theme.

“I try to expose them to as many mediums as possible, so by the time they begin their AP studio art class, they’ve got that comfort level with other mediums,” Shetzler said. “We want them to begin thinking as artists and about a body of work and how they would produce it, so by the time they get to the college or art school level, they’ve already begun to think about components of art that interest them, and what they would like to concentrate their focus on.”

Before completion, each piece must first go through a formal critique stage done with Shetzler and the other five students, and then tweaked according to the

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recommendations the student is given.

“Every time they have questions, they can come over to me and say to me, ‘I’m struggling with this part. I’m not quite sure what to do,’” she said. “It allows me to open their question up to the class and ask them, ‘What do you see about this student’s work? Where would you take this?’ It turns that moment into a teachable moment.”

There is not a creative artist alive who, if asked to do so, would not be able to immediately reel off the names of other artists or teachers or mentors who inspired them. Given that fact, the student gallery found its way to the Foundation for the first time this year not by accident but by design, one that owes its good fortune to the close-knit fabric of the arts community in the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend area.

In searching for the proper venue to house the 2018 show, Shetzler reached out to Brian Miller, her former

art teacher at Middletown High School, and now an assistant curator at the Historic Odessa Foundation.

“I had the pleasure to work side-by-side with Brianna for one year, before my retirement, and after the retirement of [former art teacher] Jayne Riblett, and I quickly realized that Brianna had found her dream job,” said Miller, who taught art in the Appoquinimink School District for 28 years. “I attended the Studio Art class exhibit at the Gibby [Gilbert W. Perry Center for the Arts] last year, and found the space kind of small.

I knew that Brianna was looking for a new venue for this year’s show, and we both made the recommendation to have it at the Foundation.”

Miller said that the show’s appearance in Odessa is another example of how the Appoquinimink School District works to bring student art out of the classrooms and before the eyes of the general public.

Continued on page 50

“Weathered,” charcoal, by Chandler Driver

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Student Art Continued from Page 49

“I designed two galleries in the district and in main offices, so that student artwork can always be showcased,” Miller said. “This upcoming exhibit is another way to get their work professionally shown in a museum setting.”

Very often, while she guides her students through each of their projects, Shetzler sees a reflection of her own development as an artist which, ironically, began on the very same tract and crystallized when she was in the same AP Studio Art class as a student at Middletown High School.

“I knew then that I wanted to teach AP Studio Art, and it’s been a true blessing for me to be here,” said Shetzler, who is a working sculptor and also teaches ceramics and sculpture classes at the high school.

“I found so many benefits of the art program, and it inspired me to want to give back to the kids who don’t necessarily get appreciated for their skills, and

“All Seeing,” acrylic, by Sophia Sweetman 50

Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

show them that it is special and it is something that they should be rewarded for.

“They are really putting a piece of themselves out there when they are creating their art, and it takes a lot for them to be able to show it for others. Having their name beside their work gives them further recognition.”

Four of the six students in this year’s class are interested in pursuing art as a career and are planning to attend art school or major in art in college. The two other students have expressed an interest in pursuing psychology and early childhood education, respectively, while minoring in art during college.

“I remember that feeling of knowing that I had my future in front of me when I was their age, and determining which way I wanted to go with my own artistic pursuits,” Shetzler said. “Being able to watch their current journeys of where they’re going to study and what majors they want to enter, it’s wonderful to see them weigh those options.”

No matter how it manifests itself, creativity is infectious.

Often, Shetzler works on her own projects during class, so

that students can glance up and see another artist at work.

“Even when I’m not required by deadlines, I want them to see that art is something I still pursue,” she said. “Having that creative force around them, helps quite a bit.

“I love to be able to see how they work. It’s always interesting to watch any artist and see their progress – not only how they approach problem-solving techniques and how they are going about it in their sketchbook – but how they attack the piece in general. It’s amazing for me to watch their maturity as artists, especially when marked against the growth I have seen in them for so many years.”

The Middletown High School Advanced Placement Art Show will be held in the Visitors Center Gallery at the Historic Odessa Foundation from April 13 through April 29. An opening night reception with the artists will be held on April 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Foundation is located at 201 Main Street, Odessa, De. 19730. To learn more, visit www.historicodessa.org.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

Find your next craving Chef Willie Enchill goes beyond the ordinary and takes it on the road

By Drewe Phinny Staff Writer

W

hen was the last time you munched on some grilled octopus at a local food truck? Or fried frog legs toasted in truffles with maple syrup? Or risotto crab balls with kimchi aioli? That’s the kind of range offered by Willie C. Enchill’s Delicious Craving food truck.

Growing up in Ghana, Enchill developed a fascination with food preparation at an early age. “I was 6 or 7 years old at a boarding school, and I cut class a lot and went to watch the woman preparing food for the dormitory,” Enchill recalled.

“She put me to work, cutting up spinach and other jobs.”

The two struck a deal, and in return for Enchill going back to class, she let him do some cooking.

Continued on page 56

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Chef Willie Enchill Continued from Page 55

“I was excited. On the weekends, she showed me how to make bread and more,” Enchill said. He was hooked, and he vowed to go to school and really learn how to do it right. He ended up graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in London. “And then it took off … It became a big deal and this is what I’ve done all my life,” he said.

As Enchill’s career gained momentum in London, he started working at the Magdala Tavern in Hampstead.

That’s where he started rubbing elbows with some famous celebrities.

Continued on page 58

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Chef Willie Enchill Continued from Page 56

“I cooked for Christian Slater a couple times,” he said, also mentioning Jude Law and the late Roger Moore. “It was a very posh area … George Michael’s house was like 15 minutes away.” According to Enchill, Law was a regular at the Magdala, and he loved the shank of lamb steak. “It was curried and he had couscous and chick peas.

That’s all he ate. Christian Slater was also there on location for a movie.”

Enchill’s food philosophy follows some cues from the current media love affair with the culinary arts. “It’s not what other food trucks will have,” he said. “I’m always thinking about what I’m going to do next. Because right now, everybody knows food. People are watching TV, looking at recipes. It’s not like before, when you just get up and go and buy some food. People are actually creating [these dishes] at home. So you have to come up with a concept that is like, ‘It’s Friday. Where’s Willie?’ I have very loyal customers and it’s great.”

Curiosity has played a major role in Enchill’s growing

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

appreciation for food preparation. “I’ve always had a passion for cooking. I’ve always been inquisitive about how to put things together to make bold, vibrant flavors,” he said.

“So I do different things out of the norm. I always look for Continued on page 60

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Chef Willie Enchill Continued from Page 58

the rarest thing.” Enchil, 45, is particularly proud of his alligator dishes. “We’ve cooked a whole gator. We are known for our gator. We inject it with bourbon and smoke it,” he said. “The taste is between catfish and lobster, like a fatty tuna.”

With all the exotic choices, the Delicious Craving menu is generally based on lamb kabobs. And chicken and risotto crab balls. “When I do frog legs, I do about 40 pounds,” Enchill said. “We fried them and then soaked them in truffles and maple syrup at Fair Hill, and everybody loved them.”

One of the stops for Delicious Craving is Blue Earl Brewing, a craft brewery that plays classic blues on the sound system at 210 Artisan Drive in Smyrna. “Friday and Saturday nights are a big deal there, and on Wednesday night, they have a band, and that means a big crowd,” he said. “Everything is made to order. It’s authentic, nice and fresh. It hasn’t lost any flavor. It’s not overcooked. I import a lot of spices from India. That’s why my food tastes different. You’re not going to get it anywhere else. It’s actually a restaurant without a sitting place. I can do the same thing, just without seats. And now, street food is the way to go.”

The sauce flavor for one of the nine types of wings is on the Blue Earl Brewery beverage list. “It’s Buster Brown,” Enchill said. “It’s an American brown ale they have here.

That’s the base for the sauce, along with habaneros peppers and curry leaves. We also have tequila and Old Bay parmesan.”

The Delicious Craving food truck makes its way around Delaware and Maryland to share the tasty treats with a variety of hungry patrons. “Every week, I have a different place where I go on certain days,” Enchill said. “During the week, I normally hit the offices up north and, on the weekends, I do my events, depending on the festivals -like Elkton, Queenstown and Chesapeake City.” On April 28, Enchill will have one of 15 food trucks at Epworth UME Church in Rehoboth. “I’ll be smoking a whole gator there. I’m going to put it on a spit and let it turn around for people to see. It’s not something you’re going to see every day,” he said. “It’s a delicacy.”

Enchill’s reputation for something out of the ordinary has led to a lot of travel miles for the six-person crew. A recent stop in King of Prussia featured 40 food trucks. Despite all that competition, Enchill was confident that his history of satisfying the crowd would help him stand out. And Facebook helps with that, too.

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phones to check the ratings and see what the latest word is, and they find out what I sell is different,� Enchill said. “Then as soon as they start walking around, they ask, ‘Where did you get that?’ Then they know my food is not the usual burgers, chicken tenders and tacos. When I go in there, I have gyros, I have the machines in my truck.

Lamb and chicken ‌ the smell will drive you crazy. You want it!�

One of the mainstays on the Delicious Craving menu has been a big hit in the UK for quite a while. “In England, there are kabob shops everywhere you turn your head,�

Enchill said. Portability is the key. When happy customers stroll around while munching on tasty kabobs, they are walking advertisements. “When I’m cooking, it takes my troubles away,� Enchill said. “I don’t think about anything else. It’s like a drug thing. Also, to be a good cook, you have to like it. I like simple, flavorful foods. If it tastes good, the sky’s the limit.�

Currently, Enchill is presenting something new, even

for him. “This season, I am introducing something I’ve never done before -- the guinea fowl. It’s like chicken but smaller. Very tasty.� The guinea fowl is similar to the Cornish game hen.

When questioned about his personal food preferences, Continued on page 62

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Chef Willie Enchill Continued from Page 61

Enchill replied, “Cereal. It’s easy to do and it has no smell.”

He derives his satisfaction from pleasing someone else with his efforts. “Oh, my goodness. I love to cook for other people,” he said. “Sometimes when people come up to the truck, and they don’t know what to get, they ask what is the best thing on the menu, I won’t lie to them – Everything is good on the menu. Then I’ll give them samples of things to taste and they’re blown away.” One of Enchill’s go-to suggestions is the Tandoori Chicken with Rice, a popular Indian dish. Another favorite is Chicken Tikka Masala Kabobs with Chutney.

And, of course, there are the kabobs. “I’m always going to have kabobs,” Enchill said. “That’s the focus of the truck – lamb, chicken, pork belly. And then I’ll always have the wings. It’s all about the sauce. It’s soaked in the brine before it’s fried, so the skin is crispy. When you bite it, the juices ooze out. That’s the thrill of it.”

After all this great food, if there’s still room for dessert, bring on the baklava. This year, Enchill is considering

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adding rum raisin bread pudding and a traditional cheesecake. However, when all is said and done, dessert is really secondary.

In summarizing his mission, Enchill said, “I want to create something different that will reflect the term, Delicious Craving. You crave it and you come to me. You’re not going to get it anywhere else. People look at the menu and they lick their lips.”

Enchill has a penchant for pairing up flavors, and with this in mind, his latest blend might sound a little unconventional: “I’m thinking about a crab cheesecake. That is what gets my interest. How to put things together for them to just click.”

If that sounds like an unlikely marriage, you might want to reconsider, because Enchill has a way of making it work. In fact, it just might be your next Delicious Craving.

For more information: Delicious Craving (473 Pier Head Blvd., Suite 1, Smyrna), 302-222-0723, www.deliciouscraving.com, facebook.com/deliciouscraving.

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—————|Around Middletown|—————

Finding your way through history Groups test mind and mettle while solving puzzles

Escape room events are held at the Middletown Historical Society.

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By Drewe Phinny Staff Writer

O

ne of the great things about escape rooms is that you don’t have to be a genius to figure them out. And although history can be a part of the story, you don’t have to be a historian either. Although if you do happen to a genius and a historian, it will probably give you an advantage.

The Middletown Historical Society escape room is coordinated by Barb Wessel, who is also one of the board members.

Wessel got the idea from her daughter, a medical librarian at the Delaware State Hospital, where she was creating one as a team-building exercise for the workers.

“Because you have to work as a team to accomplish this,” Wessel said, “I thought that would be a good thing for the historical society to do to get more people involved and to bring different age groups in here, as well as increasing awareness of the organization. There are a lot of new people in Middletown.”

Part of the mission is to educate people about the rich history of Middletown.

“This was the path to the Chesapeake,” Wessel added.

“Right through here. So we started this to bring in a different crowd and build upon that. Plus, it’s a popular thing that’s happening right now. There are quite a few in Newark, some in Dover and at the beach. Why not capitalize on this?”

Although Wessel is quick to note that you don’t have to love history to participate, she is personally a big fan. “I like history. That’s why I’m part of this. But when people came to our first escape room, they thought they had to know all about the Civil War, but it’s just a themed room. You don’t have to know anything to do the puzzles. It’s just logic and you just have to think about it. And you gather your facts from what’s in the room.”

In relating how the first escape room worked, Wessel said, “It was a Civil War encampment and you were looking for the loot that was hidden by the Confederates.” There was a trunk with six locks, which needed keys to unlock them.

Some were keys and others were number and letter combinations. You had to go into the room and figure out how to find the items.

There were some trial runs to make sure everything would proceed smoothly. “We did these so we knew what to expect,” Wessel said. “We had ages from 7 to 70. A lot of families came through; it was a good experience for them.”

And yes, there were some arguments. But they were friendly arguments.

“It’s all about fun. Yes, it can be a challenge, but it’s really what you make it,” Wessel said. “And it gets the kids involved. In fact, sometimes, the kids come up with solutions before the adults do.”

Continued on page 66

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Escape Room Continued from Page 65

In preparing the room for public participation, Wessel and her colleagues are very careful in placing the clues. Since they are dealing with some very rare artifacts, they are particularly cautious with regard to what they can and can’t utilize.

“We don’t want to use anything that is precious because we wouldn’t want to ruin it,” Wessel said. We put clues behind old photographs, but some things are archived and we don’t want anything to be broken. Sometimes people come in and start ripping things apart, although we were lucky this time that the public was very gentle with everything. We hid a flashlight in a tree stump and they had to find the batteries.

“Then there’s a key over here, but what does it unlock? We also had an end table with a phone in it that would help with the camera. Then we had a rod with numbers on it so you had to figure out which rod goes where, and then come up with the number, which would unlock something else.”

The “clue crew” monitors the whole thing in another room and determines whether the group is having problems and might need some help. “We were watching them on a camera so you see where they’re going and if they’re stuck, you give them a clue,” Wessel said. “Watching how people interact is interesting.” Each group gets an hour to figure out the solution.

Continued on page 68

An- escape room, filled with clues.

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106 Patriot Drive Middletown, DE 19709

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Escape Room Continued from Page 66

Obviously clues for Baby Boomers won’t work as well (or at all) for Millennials. “We had a clue that was a riddle,” Wessel said. “Some of the older people knew the riddle, but the younger ones didn’t. The answer was ‘pins and needles.’ The question was, ‘What has an eye but not a head?’ So many people didn’t know it’s a song.”

The challenge is to come up with an equal amount of references which relate to all age groups. The same kind of balance is also important with respect to the difficulty of the mystery puzzles.

The next escape room challenge has been determined and it’s official. “This time, it’s a pirate ship that has wrecked in the cove,” Wessel said. The actual story line is still in the planning stages. The history involves Captain Kidd and Blackbeard coming up the Delaware and, of course, buried treasure along nearby shores -- Bombay Hook, Woodland Beach between Dover and Middletown.

The stories abound. For instance, Blackbeard used to come on shore by Blackbird Forest. Legend says it used to be called Blackbeard, but they changed it to Blackbird. Wessel added that coins were found on area beaches and there were many shipwrecks along the shore. Much of this is documented. “There was a lot of piracy going on around here,” she said.

Wessel has all kinds of interesting information about Blackbeard. “He dressed Continued on page 70

Clues are tailored to many age groups.

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Escape Room Continued from Page 68

with all this armor and weaponry, but he really didn’t kill anybody. He was really tall, like 6-foot-4, and he towered over people so he scared them that way, but he never killed them. He chopped off their fingers, but he didn’t kill them.”

According to Wessel, Blackbeard had a lady friend up in Marcus Hook. “That’s why he came up the Delaware and why he was stopping along the way,” she said. “They found the house they shared and discovered some artifacts that proved he had been there.”

Along with Wessel, there are several other people who play important roles in putting the escape room together.

“I’m just the organizer, Wessel said. “I have a lot of people on my team. We have the builder and the puzzle maker and the logistics person. It’s a good team.”

During a brief tour of the building at 216 West Broad Street in Middletown, Wessel was happy to show some of the upstairs rooms, one of which will house the second escape room, scheduled for this spring. The place is a testament to Middletown history.

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“Up in the attic is where the school students stayed,” Wessel said. “On the wall, you can see where people owed the bookstore money, and they wrote down how much they owed. Yep, the figures are still up there.”

One exhibit shows what downtown looked like back in the day, with a trolley car, a shot of Main Street looking toward Route 301, a barbershop, a church and an area where Lowes is currently located. Another exhibit contained a map of the Underground Railroad.

The soon-to-be-pirate-escape-room was under construction at the time. There’s a planned path around the room for the visitors to traverse in their effort to solve the puzzles. “It’ll be really cool-looking when we get it all done,” Wessel said.

So get your group together and come see if you’re up to the challenge. Eye-patches and skull and crossbones are optional.

For more information: Middletown Historical Society (216 N. Broad St., Middletown), 302-378-7466, www. middletowndehistory.com.

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2018 Chesapeake City Calendar of Events

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Vines, Wines, and Automobiles June 17 (Father’s Day) Chateau Bu De Vineyard & Winery 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Chesapeake City Canal 5K Run/Walk June 30 North Side 6:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Independence Day Fireworks July 1 (rain date July 2) South Side 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Music in the Park

Shakespeare in the Park

Sundays, from July 9 - August 26 Pell Gardens 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

September 8 Pell Gardens 7:00 p.m.

Annual Lotus Blossom Festival

National Revolutionary War Re-enactment & Colonial Festival

August 4 Mount Harmon Plantation 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

September 15 & 16 Mount Harmon Plantation 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Chesapeake City Lions Club Car Show August 25 South Side 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

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————|Middletown Life Photo Essay|————

The quiet beauty o Photos by Jim Coarse The 3,100 acres that make up the Augustine Wildlife Area spread out like a wide patch of confirmation that proclaim beauty is still best found without the addition of a human voice.

Located near Port Penn, bordering the Delaware River and consisting of six large land tracts, the Augustine Wildlife Area is the permanent and migratory home of hundreds of bird species and wild animals. Visitors to the Thousand Acre Marsh and Port Penn Trail can enjoy the glimmering glass of the river, bay and marsh areas at sunset, dotted by the flight of Golden- and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets, the Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, the Peregrine Falcon and the Bald Eagle.

Through the vision and diligence of Delaware Wild Lands, the territory known as the Delaware Bayshore has been protected, preserved and maintained. It acquired the 240-acre Armstrong Farm and the 420-acre Betts Farm, where freshwater wetlands and forest showcase a diversity of waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, birds of prey, deer, otter and small game. With the subsequent purchases of the Kux Farm and Harvey Moore Farm, Delaware Wild Lands’ Augustine Creek land holdings now include over 1,200 acres of impounded freshwater marshland and upland forest.

To learn more about the Augustine Wildlife Area, visit the Delaware Wild Lands’ website, at www.dewildlands. org.

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of the marshlands

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—

All art courtesy of the Appoquinimink School District

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What began years ago as merely to become a one-of-a-kind rea hallmark of 21st-Century teach

————|Middletown Life Education|————

An educational model for the future: The Fairview Campus breaks ground in Odessa

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

I erely an idea is now underway d reality that will serve as a eaching and learning

n the years prior to his retirement as the Superintendent for the Appoquinimink School District in 2011, Dr. Tony Marchio had a vision for the school district, one that perfectly melded the paradigm for modern education with the architecture of design and the circumstance of need.

Marchio was, after all, the head of the fastest growing school system in Delaware, surging at the same rate as the population of the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend community, so he began to envision the expansion of existing schools and the building of new ones, and not scattered throughout the area but centered on one plot of land that would contain K-12 learning on one, inter-connective campus.

Continued on page 84

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Fairview Campus Continued from Page 83

Marchio wanted to provide the campus with the space and the tools that would inspire students, teachers, administration and parents to leap into 21st-Century teaching and learning. He saw areas of education that could be done in the fresh air of the campus as well as the classroom. He saw smart boards and multimedia centers. He saw a continuum of curious minds, working together across the campus green from school to school, and student to student.

In 2009, a referendum was passed that enabled the school district to purchase a 273-acre plot of ground on Old State Road in Odessa, and last December, the community approved a $268 million referendum

The campus will feature a performing arts center.

that will create the first and only comprehensive K-12 public school campus in the nation, and promises to serve as a model of 21st-Century education.

On January 23, 2018, before a welcoming community of stakeholders, the district broke ground on what will become the Fairview Campus. While many local and state elected officials, the school board, construction partners and student leaders in attendance at the event only saw the existing Old State

Last December, the community approved a $268 million referendum that will create the first and only comprehensive K-12 public school campus in the nation, and promises to serve as a model of 21st-Century education.

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Elementary School and the Spring Meadow Early Childhood Center, the beginning of Dr. Marchio’s vision had already been planted – one that will join these two educational centers with the new Cantwell’s Bridge Middle School, and Odessa High School.

In addition to common spaces that encourage learning between schools, the Fairview Campus will include a performing arts center, a media center and kitchen – which will all be used as learning centers.

In addition, an on-site, public-private child care partnership will create a learning lab for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Pathway, as part of a school-within-a-school focus on career pathways that will include student-run enterprise centers like a bank, café, coffee bar, florist, design studio and a school store.

The Fairview Campus will take an environmentally responsible approach, as well. Instead

“What excites me most about this project is the opportunities that students are going to have when they step into this facility. It will be exciting to see the things they will experience, as they makes strides into their careers. Some of the planning has been rigorous, but at the heart of it will be the opportunities that students will have when they enter into this campus.”

Dr. Matthew Burrows, Appoquinimink School District Superintendent

of creating three different access roads, three separate sewer systems, and separate parking, the campus will create one, comprehensive “footprint” that is expected to dramatically reduce impact on the environment and other resources in the community.

“The district did a great job in educating our community in terms of what our need was, and it all goes back to Dr. Marchio,” Continued on page 86

The Fairview Campus will include a performing arts center, a media center and a kitchen – which will all be used as learning centers.

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Fairview Campus Continued from Page 85

said Appoquinimink School District Superintendent Dr. Matthew Burrows. “He had a vision for the campus that dated back to before the land was purchased in 2009.

We had architects that laid out the campus and began to design the buildings.

“I think the key component of the design began to take shape when our teachers spoke to architects about what they needed, in the form of hundreds of pages of comments, much of which was taken directly from what their students wanted.”

To best prepare local residents for the 2016 referendum, the district began rolling out its ten-year plan for the Fairview Campus in January of that year, and as the referendum approached, Burrows said the school district stepped up its efforts to provide the public with more information.

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The campus will offer a school-within-a-school focus on career pathways, that will include student-run enterprise centers like a bank, café, coffee bar, florist, design studio and a school store.

Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

Courtesy photo

On Jan. 23, 2018, Appoquinimink School District Superintendent Dr. Matthew Burrows welcomed visitors to the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fairview Campus.

“We began to meet with stakeholders, and each took responsibilities as team members,” he said. “Some were involved in social media, some connected with businesses, and some formed parents groups.

“We had done a lot of presentations, and the concept was building momentum. It’s always in the back of your mind that ‘what if all of these people have spent all of this time and work and it doesn’t pass?’ But the truth is that the district did a great job to prove its case for this expansion.”

Together with Robert Hershey, who will oversee the project as its construction project engineer, Burrows, architects, and members of the school district’s Building Utilization Committee made road trips to school districts throughout Pennsylvania, visiting schools in Council Rock, Phoenixville, Coatesville, West York, Upper Dublin, as well as to Dover High School in Dover.

“We thought about how we could apply their ideas and fit them into the budgets that are set in Delaware, which in turn keeps property taxes stable,” Hershey said. “You take these ideas, you bring them back and you make them fit within the budgets that have been established.”

From an educational standpoint, the Fairview Campus will allow students from different grade levels to work collaboratively with each other instead of in isolation, allowing younger students the opportunity to interact with older students, and older students to serve as mentors.

Continued on page 88

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Fairview Campus Continued from Page 87

“The design of the buildings will be such that an 8th grader with advanced course work will be able to walk to the 9th grade class, take the class, and then walk back,” Burrows said. “There is an opportunity that isn’t there when you have separate buildings located in different areas of the district.”

Perhaps the crown jewel of the Fairview Campus will be its performing arts center, which will showcase an 820-seat, two-level theater, smaller black-box performance spaces, and classrooms that teach not only the performing arts, but provide opportunities for students to learn set, sound and lighting design, and technical aspects of the performing arts.

“This auditorium was designed literally to be a theater, and the vocational aspects of the performing arts were also taken into account,” Hershey said. “We had specialty consultants brought in from New York, and work with us to create a vision that will be more in keeping with an actual theater than a typical school auditorium.”

The Fairview Campus is being designed by Wilmington-based architects BSA+A and ABHA – who had worked together on the construction of the Old State Elementary School and the Spring Meadow Early Childhood Center. The new schools are expected to be completed by the Fall of 2020, in conjunction with school renovations to Silver Lake Elementary school and Meredith Middle School, which will be razed in 2020 and rebuilt. These projects will require that students from each school attend school on the Fairview Campus during this construction period.

While the Fairview Campus is being conceptualized and built with 2020 in mind, Burrows said, it also needs to accommodate the vision of what contemporary education will look like, as well as reflective of the projected future population of the M.O.T. Community.

“We see education transforming, and that’s one of the challenges in the design of this campus,” he said. “We’ve been designing this for years, but we’re not going to see it functioning for another

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three to four years. The question remains, ‘What’s going to change in education in three and four years, and how can we make sure that we can remain at the cutting edge at that time, and be able to provide what’s needed?’”

“What excites me most about this project is the opportunities that students are going to have when they step into this facility,” Burrows added. “It will be exciting to see the things they will experience, as they makes strides into their careers. Some of the planning has been rigorous, but at the heart of it will be the opportunities that students will have when they enter into this campus.”

For Hershey, the construction of this

“Seeing this come to fruition, to be a part of a team that is helping to create something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the state, is quite an opportunity. I remember visiting the property on day one with Dr. Marchio, and now I get to see the baton of progress pass from him to Dr. Burrows, and then to our students.”

Robert Hershey, Construction Project Engineer for the Fariview Campus

new campus will be the 12th, 13th and 14th new schools he has supervised the construction of.

“Seeing this come to fruition, to be a part of a team that is helping to create something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the state, is quite an opportunity,” he said. “I remember visiting the property on day one with Dr. Marchio, and now I get to see the baton of progress pass from him to Dr. Burrows, and then to our students.”

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

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MOT CALENDAR OF EVENTS April 28 Middletown High School Craft Fair Common Area 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The Middletown High School’s Air Force Junior ROTC Parent Booster Club will be hosting its 3rd Annual Craft Fair and MORE! Homemade and handmade craft vendors and direct sales of wares.

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June 2 Relay For Life Silver Lake Park 4 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

The signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Join us to remember loved ones lost, honor survivors, and help raise money to make a global impact. Walk of survivors and caregivers followed by a luminaria ceremony.

Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

August 25-26 Weedstock 474 Fleming Rd., Townsend 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Second annual Weedstock weekend at the Fire Base Lloyd.

Live music, food trucks, vendors of goods, private location.

Must be 21 or older.

Overnight camp sites for an additonal price.

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August 18 Peach Festival 8:45 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The 2018 Middletown Peach Festival will be held Saturday August 18, 2018 beginning at 8:45a.m. with the annual Peach parade on Broad Street and will conclude at 4 p.m.

Many activities are centered around Main Street. Main Street and a portion of adjoining N Cass Street will be closed to traffic for the event. Entertainment is scheduled throughout the day around town. There are activities for children, a local artist exhibit, historical exhibits, a peach pie contest, crafts, music, food, games, and of course – Peaches! The Peach Festival is a rainor-shine event! Last year’s attendance was about 27,000 people.

Sept 8 Odessa Brewfest Odessa 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The Odessa Brewfest is an opportunity to sample some of the best regional and national craft beers, as well as locallyproduced wine and spirits, accompanied by great food, great live music, and great people, all in a beautiful setting among the 18th-century houses and grounds of Historic Odessa. Unlimited sample with your ticket.

www.middletownlifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2018 | Middletown Life

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Middletown Life | Spring/Summer 2018 | www.middletownlifemagazine.com

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Middletown Life Magazine Spring/Summer 2018 www.middletownlifemagazine.com A Chester County Press Publication P.O. Box 150, Kelton, PA 19346 address corrections not required

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