SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
ANNUAL REPORT 2013–14
redclayschools.com
Click the link icons that appear throughout this report to see special moments from 2013–14.
message from the
superintendent Dear Friends of Red Clay, Thank you for your generous support of Red Clay schools this past year. We reached new heights in 2013–14, and we could not have done it without your commitment to our shared vision of academic success for all. For 33 years, Red Clay has provided students with an outstanding educational experience. From our highly successful pre-k programs to our rigorous academic offerings at the elementary and secondary levels, our school district continues to lead the way in delivering a high-quality public education. Among our many accomplishments during the last year, we came together as a community and did the impossible, building the world’s tallest LEGO tower and entering the Guinness Book of World Records in August. We also earned our third National Blue Ribbon in four years, with The Charter School of Wilmington receiving this prestigious award in 2013. And with a solid foundation of excellent classroom instruction and deep parent involvement, our students soared past the state average on several indicators of college and career readiness. I am proud to share this special report which provides a snapshot of a year in our district. In addition to reading about some of our most recent achievements, you will see photos and videos that capture the rich experiences of Red Clay students and staff. Thank you for making it possible. It’s truly amazing what we can accomplish when we work together. Sincerely,
Superintendent
RCCSD STRATEGIC GOALS
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EDUCATORS EARLY LITERACY SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PARENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
staff honors English teacher Charles Johnson (A.I. du Pont High School) was named to the board of the National Council of Teachers of English. School nurse fellows SharonRose Gargula (Stanton Middle School), Kathleen Bugbee (North Star Elementary School), Megan Fioravanti (A.I. du Pont High School), Frances Russo-Avena (Richardson Park Learning Center), and Rebecca King (Brandywine Springs School) received the 2014 Medical Professional Award from Caron Pennsylvania. A team of Stanton Middle School staffers won the national Golden Psi Award from the American Psychological Association in 2014. The winning team included Student Advisors Greg Blake and Valerie Brown, Educational Diagnostician Jeff Eastep, School Counselor Donna Foster, School Nurse Sharon-Rose Gargula, School Psychologist Teri Lawler, School Counselor Abbie Seifert and Behavior Specialist Adriane Smith. Sharon-Rose Gargula (Stanton Middle School) was named Red Clay’s 2014 School Nurse of the Year. Conrad Schools of Science social studies teacher Melissa Tracy was one of only 13 teachers nationwide to be selected as a Hope Street Group 2014 National Teacher Fellow.
A.I. du Pont High School teacher Tami Soltow received the 2014 Award for Excellence as a Classroom LRE Teacher from the Delaware Law Related Education Center. Curriculum supervisor Rebecca Reed’s article “Climbing the Common Core Ladder” was published in the fall 2013 issue of The Leader. Reed was also elected Co-Chair of the Social Studies Coalition of Delaware in 2013–14. Holly Golder (Cab Calloway School of the Arts) was named Delaware’s 2014 History Teacher of the Year. In October, Brandywine Springs School’s Jill Szymanski was recognized as the 2013 National History Teacher of the Year at a ceremony in New York City. A.I. du Pont High School’s Suzanne Smith was named the 2014 Outstanding Library Specialist by the Delaware Association of School Librarians. As part of a 10-member delegation from Delaware, Julie Rumschlag, Dean of Cab Calloway School of the Arts, traveled to Lahore, Pakistan on a people-to-people goodwill mission to promote awareness of life in the United States and strengthen cooperation, peace and partnership between the two countries.
H.B. du Pont Middle School’s Colleen Zufelt was named the 2014 Middle Level Art Educator of the Year by the Delaware Art Education Association. The Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages named Mandy Gillin (Conrad Schools of Science) the 2013–14 World Language Teacher of the Year. Curriculum supervisor Judith Conway was named the 2013–14 World Language Advocate of the Year. Red Clay educators showed their artistic side at the Delaware Art Museum’s “For the Love of Art” show, which ran from November to January. The exhibit featured works in drawing, painting, mixed media, photography, sculpture, ceramics and jewelry. District administrators Jodi Albers, Shirley Ellison, Louis Mingione and Eric Shane delivered a presentation on the progression from fractions to ratio and proportional reasoning at the 2014 National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Conference. Albers was also selected to serve on the Executive Board of the Delaware Mathematics Coalition in 2013–14. Conrad’s Cathy Jackson was named State Coach of the Year.
“
I was searching for a career I could be passionate about
“
Ed Killheffer, 2014 Teacher of the Year
2014 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
ed killheffer HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE RED CLAY’S 2014 TEACHER OF THE YEAR?
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT TEACHING AT CAB?
I am proud to work with a very talented and dedicated staff each day so it was an incredible honor that they chose me to represent them as Teacher of the Year. It’s a wonderful thing to do something you are so passionate about and have others say you are doing it well.
I love the atmosphere of acceptance that everyone in the Cab community has worked to create, and I’m proud to be part of the effort to nurture that environment. Students are comfortable taking risks without worry of being humiliated, and they feel comfortable being themselves. I also love the passion of our staff in how they feel about teaching, their content areas and the welfare and development of our students.
WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB? The time I get to spend with my students. Each day brings a new set of challenges to overcome and it is extremely rewarding to be part of helping them intellectually and socially. They expect me to challenge their thinking and hold them to high standards. WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN 2013–14? I established a relationship with an organization that paired my students with Malaysian and Singaporean students to collaborate and solve business challenges. With the help of the technology department, I utilized Google tools that allowed the students to communicate in real time while I taught a lesson to all of the students simultaneously. It was a great experience for students on both sides of the Pacific! WHAT LIFE LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED AS AN EDUCATOR? Since joining this profession I have learned how difficult it is to be a good teacher. Aside from the considerable effort it takes to do all the things that immediately come to mind to teach well, it takes time to really get to know your students. Teaching is an immense responsibility because you need to say and do what is necessary to move your students in the right direction. You need to get to know every one of them because each one needs something different.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU OFFER TO NEW AND ASPIRING TEACHERS? Let your students know how important their learning is to you. This comes from getting to know your students and how they learn, expressing interest in their lives outside of the classroom and being available to them after class. Get involved in extracurricular activities to show them there are other ways to connect to you other than what you are doing in class. WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IN YOUR OPINION? The end. I’ll frequently say to students, “Remember when you couldn’t stand me at the beginning of the year?” They usually say in disbelief, “No we didn’t.” Then they look at each other and laugh and nod. It’s an awesome feeling to reflect on the year together and see how much they grew and how capable they are. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE? Vince Lombardi said, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” This quote hangs in my room to offer students the hope that they can achieve great things if they are willing to work for them.
ACADEMIC
excellence AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS Students Isayas Dorsey-Lomax (Dickinson High School), Sandra Mbulle-Njabe (Dickinson High School) and Rosa Zaragoza (Stanton Middle School) won the 2014 DSEA Read Across America Contest. Dickinson students Ayodele Mack, Jamie O’Neill, Joey St. Pierre, Seth Schilling, Amber Warrick and Taylor Webb had their writing published in Teen Ink magazine. Students were also published in Creative Communication’s regional poetry anthology. Saryu Chennat (Cab Calloway School of the Arts), Lily Kairis (CSW), Veronika Lynch (Cab), Rebecca Oberschmidt (Charter) and Darian Sorouri (Cab) were finalists in The Delaware Theatre Company’s 2013–14 Young Playwrights Festival. Janay Brooklyn Laws (First State School) participated in the state finals of the 2014 Poetry Out Loud Competition. Charter seniors Steven Burcat, Christopher Deng, Byron Fan, Martin Kurian and Kyle Lennon won the Fifth Place Team Prize in Moody’s Mega Math Challenge 2014. Charter’s Miles Wang and David Xu were semifinalists for the 2014 U.S. National Physics Team.
Charter’s Alex Rigby was named a 2014 National Senate Youth Scholar. At the 2014 Delaware Math League Regional Competition, Brandywine Springs School, Cab, Conrad Schools of Science, Charter and H.B. du Pont Middle School took first place in Team events, while Shain Bannowsky (DMA), Ethan Chang (HBMS), Andy Chen (Charter), Ian Goodwin (HBMS), Luke Hagedorn (Conrad), Haeyoung Lee (A.I. du Pont High School), Desi Pilla (Conrad), Ashley Pennington (Cab), Elliott Ruebush (Brandywine Springs School), Udeerna Tippabhatla (Cab), and Miles Wang (Charter) came in first in Individual events. At the state invitational, teams from Charter and HBMS earned top honors, with first-place Individual Awards going to Grant Lu (HBMS), Abhishek Tippabhatla (Charter), Miles Wang (Charter) and Yuqing Xie (HBMS). Students receiving Perfect Scores were Ethan Chang (HBMS), Michael Lan (Charter), Grant Lu (HBMS), Abhishek Tippabhatla (Charter), Miles Wang (Charter) and Yuqing Xie (HBMS). Emily Ciuffetelli (Cab) was a Distinguished Finalist in the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
Tre-von Gude and Annabelle Kang (Skyline Middle School) were the 2013 grade-level winners in an international Constitution Day Poster Design Contest. Conrad nursing students Jessica Ambler, Madison Gearhart, Brian Smith and Lucy Thomas were winners at the 2014 HOSA State Competition. Junior Juliette Emery was named a statewide HOSA Officer for 2013–14. Charter’s Joshua Gross was named a 2014 Recognized Carson Scholar. Cab students Megan Allen, Josh Fickes and Zac Simmonds were winners in the 2014 Dover Elks Lodge Veterans Day Essay Contest. Fickes also won Division II for the Northeast Elks District. Winners in the 2013–14 PTA Reflections State Competition were Reshu Bejjanki, Samuel Bufano and Jane Gentry (Heritage Elementary School), Emma Harbaugh (HBMS), Bryce Kerteter (North Star Elementary School) and Olivia Sgroi (Linden Hill Elementary School). Seniors Jaimie Carlson (Charter), Chris Catalan (Conrad), Reilly Megee (Cab), Katerina Seifert (Dickinson) and Miriam Villalobos (McKean) were named the Best of the Class of 2014 by 6ABC.
4.5m PAGES READ
In the spring, we exceeded our goal and read an astounding 4,510,962 pages in the district’s annual Reading Madness competition. The contest was a true success, with Linden Hill Elementary School taking first place and Skyline Middle School finishing second!
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
The following seniors were named 2014 Secretary of Education’s Scholars by the Delaware Department of Education: Joyelle Gilbert and Reilly Megee (Cab Calloway School of the Arts), Christopher Catalan and Casey Williams (Conrad Schools of Science), Katerina Seifert and Wai Tang (Dickinson High School), Sandra Estrada and Natalie Lantz (A.I. du Pont High School), Miriam Villalobos and Emily Wagner (McKean), Martin Kurian and Kevin Ye (The Charter) School of Wilmington, and Mark LaRue and Jennifer Shellenberger (Delaware Military Academy). Mrugesh Dave (Charter), Christine Fu (Charter), Martin Kurian (Charter), Regina Reynolds (Charter) and Benjamin Walker (Cab) were five of only seven Delaware students to be named 2014 U.S. Presidential Scholar semifinalists. In March, AIHS and McKean students attended the 2014 Delaware DECA Career Development Conference. Awards and recognitions went to Ryan Chinn, Ryan Coyne, Alexandra Davis, Louis DiChiara, Priyanka Donthi, Lance Earle, Michael Ferriola, Matthew Geist, James Giles, Austin Griffith, Luis Gutierrez, Brent Hall, Jesse Hall, Benjamin Harrison, William Jennings, Lyndasia Jones, Michelle Kelly, Tae Wan Kim, Maame Kyeadea-Amponsah, Sarah Langlier, Megan McCormick, Haley McNulty, Alex Parramore, Connor Pijuan, Ryan Reynolds, Kyle Risner, Sofia Romero, Nicholas Schrieber, Anna Steele, Julia Thompson, Hannah Trader and Kelsey Underwood. The McKean High School FFA team of Jennifer Carucci, Alison Kowalski and Jennifer Lopez took second place in the state for agricultural
communications and floriculture. Lopez earned a scholarship to attend the 2014 FFA National Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. Sophomores Togor Jigide and Jonathan Mason represented Charter at the 2014 HOBY college aid seminar. Allison Aguilar (Marbrook Elementary School) and Franklin Thompson (Stanton Middle School) were winners in October’s National School Lunch Week contest. Recognitions in the 2013 Jobs for America’s Graduates program include Meghan Galamb (Skyline Middle School) and Denise Watson (HBMS), who earned the Middle School Program Championship Award; Keith Beckett (Dickinson) and Brent Rogers (McKean), who won the Alternative Education Program Championship Award; and Ron Robinson (James H. Groves Adult High School), who won both the Outof-School Championship Award and an Outstanding Specialist Certificate. AIHS senior Anna Steele won first place for Delaware North SmartDrive Students of the Year and a $4,000 post-secondary scholarship. Sophomores Nicholas Rapko and Jordan Washam also represented AIHS at the 26th Annual Driver Education Competition at Dover Downs. Rapko ranked 9th out of 118 students and Washam ranked 40th. Rebecca Shumosic (Cab) was one of only three essay winners in the state in the 2014 Common Wealth Awards for Distinguished Service. Winners of 2014 DSEA Awards were Aliz’a Cornish, Rachel Dhar and Taylor Platt (Dickinson), Khazjay Gibbs and Simone Scott (AIMS), Sarvagnya Kompella (Cab) and Omecca Steel (Warner Elementary School).
AIHS and McKean earned several awards at the 2014 FCCLA State Conference with recognitions going to Joan Croce, Katie Francisco, Jessica Griffith, Katie Hitchens, Ivy Janocha, Natalie Lantz, Brianna Maisonet, Katelyn Melvin, Claudia Miller, Marissa Nardo, Victoria Saxton, Volena Sease, Wing Tang and Kelsey Underwood. Mihir Kankari (A.I. du Pont Middle School) was the 2013–14 New Castle County Fire Prevention Essay Contest Winner. Charter student Leah O’Neill was elected to represent Delaware at the National PTA Youth Summit Leadership program in Cincinnati. Winners of 2013–14 Latin American Community Center Hispanic Student Recognition Awards include Fenanda Argudo (Brandywine Springs School); Nicole Mejia (Cab); Aliana Fontanez, Hiraida ArzuagaMaldonado, Luis Rosado, Wilfrido Vargas and Alejandra Villalobos (Dickinson); and David Reyes and Miriam Villalobos (McKean). Conrad freshman Katrina Hardy placed second in the state’s Disability History and Awareness Month Poster Contest from the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens. Seven AIHS seniors were named to the 2013–14 Junior Board of the Delaware Association of Teachers of English. Cab’s Nina Krauss, Taylor Link, JJ Lynch and Emily Richards were state winners in the 2013–14 Delaware Finance Challenge. Students from AIHS, Brandywine Springs, Cab, Conrad and DMA earned several recognitions at state and national Business Professionals of America conferences in 2014.
how we compare For yet another year, Red Clay students outperformed the state on several predictors of post-secondary success.
SAT READING
500
442
SAT MATH 504
AP EXAMS PASSED 68% 55%
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION 84%
444
SAT WRITING 487 420
RED CLAY STATE
80%
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT 64% 58%
High school graduation and college enrollment for Class of 2013 (latest year available)
by the numbers Student Enrollment
18,295
Choice Students from Another District
1,576
Number of Employees
2,265
Instructional Salaries
83%
Operational Salaries
10%
Administrative Salaries
7%
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
nn Conrad Schools of Science was selected as the grand prize winner in Delmarva Power’s Energy Challenge. nn Red Clay was named Delaware’s Head Start Partner of the Year for 2013–14. nn Conrad, The Charter School of Wilmington and McKean High School received Jefferson Awards for outstanding community service in 2014. nn Red Clay won over $300,000 in innovation grants from the Delaware Department of Education. Projects include a Trauma-Informed System of Care at Stanton Middle, an Astronomy Cooperative initiative between AIHS and AIMS, and the Warner Inspiration Zone (WIZ) program at Warner Elementary. nn Charter was named a 2013 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. This makes Red Clay’s third National Blue Ribbon Award since 2009. CSW was also named a 2013–14 Recognition School for exceptional performance by the Delaware Department of Education. nn Delaware Military Academy celebrated a decade of excellence, with the 2013-14 school year marking the school’s 10th anniversary. nn Acting Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Mike Boots joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in presenting Red Clay with a National Green Ribbon School award in April. nn Red Clay schools won four Superstars in Education awards in 2014.
nn The American Institutes for Research and the U.S. Department of Education profiled Lewis Dual Language Elementary for innovative school turnaround practices and supports to be shared nationally with other turnaround schools. nn Fourth-graders from Brandywine Springs School, Lewis Dual Language Elementary School and North Star Elementary School competed at the 2014 Delaware Day Competition. nn Conrad and Charter students earned several honors and recognitions at the 2014 Youth in Government Model Legislature and Court Conference. nn Charter students received highest honors in the 2013–14 National WordWright competition, with the sophomore team placing first in the nation. nn Charter took first place in Delaware’s 2014 Envirothon Competition. nn Cab, Charter, Conrad, HBMS, Linden Hill Elementary School and North Star Elementary School made it to the 2014 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Iowa. nn AIHS placed first in the nation in Technology Problem Solving at the 26th Annual National Technology Student Association Conference in Washington, DC. nn At the 2014 Science Olympiad state tournament, students from AIHS, Charter, Conrad and DMA placed in the top 10 and received several medals. nn AIHS, Cab, Charter and Conrad students represented Red Clay at the state’s 2013–14 Mock Trial competition.
nn DMA, Dickinson and McKean competed at FIRST Robotics Competitions in 2013–14, taking home the Engineering Inspiration Award, the Rookie Inspiration Award and a Judge’s Trophy. nn McKean chartered the Gus Highfield Chapter of Rho Kappa, Delaware’s first and only Social Studies National Honor Society. nn Brandywine Springs School, HBMS, North Star Elementary School and Skyline Middle School participated in the 2014 Delaware National Geographic Bee. nn Charter won first in the state at the 2014 Academic Bowl. nn At James H. Groves Adult High School, students earned a total of 235 Academic Certificates of Completion in Math, Reading and Writing, 119 ESL Certificates of Completion, 26 GED Completions, 20 Jobs For Delaware Graduates Completions and 12 Citizenship Certificates of Completion. nn Lewis Dual Language Elementary School, Mote Elementary School, Shortlidge Academy and Warner Elementary School opened their doors for Saturday Library, a program designed to promote parent involvement in children’s literacy. The program ran from October to March, with the host school’s librarian providing literacy activities, reference materials and computers and iPads for students and families. nn The superintendent launched Dr. D’s Book Club, an initiative to encourage reading by helping Red Clay families to build home libraries.
THE CLASS OF 2014
107
NATIONAL MERIT RECOGNITIONS
1305 GRADUATES
$20m
SCHOLARSHIPS
81%
PLAN TO ATTEND COLLEGE
VALEDICTORIANS JAIMIE CARLSON The Charter School of Wilmington
JOYELLE GILBERT Cab Calloway School of the Arts
KATERINA SEIFERT Dickinson High School
CHRISTOPHER CATALAN Conrad Schools of Science
DESTINY LYNN MANGINI James H. Groves Adult High School
MIRIAM VILLALOBOS McKean High School
SANDRA ESTRADA Alexis I. du Pont High School
REILLY MEGEE Cab Calloway School of the Arts
COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES Appalachian State, Barnard, Bates, Boston College, Brown, Bryn Mawr, BU, Bucknell, BYU, Caltech, Carleton, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Columbia, Connecticut College, Cornell, Dickinson, Duke, Elizabethtown, Elon, Embry-Riddle, Emory, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, GWU, Hamilton, Haverford, High Point, Ithaca, JMU, Johns Hopkins, Kenyon, King’s College London, Lafayette, Lehigh, LMU, Loyola, Messiah, MIT, Northeastern, Northwestern, NYU, Oberlin, Ohio Northern, OSU, Oxford, Penn, Penn State, Pitt, Princeton, Providence, Quinnipiac, Rensselaer, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rutgers, Sarah Lawrence, Stanford, Swarthmore, Syracuse, Tufts, Tulane, Tuskegee, U of Chicago, U of Illinois, U of Maryland, U of Miami, U of Michigan, U of Richmond, U of Scranton, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, UD, UF, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, USCGA, UVA, Vanderbilt, Vassar, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington U, West Point, William & Mary, Yale
HIGHLIGHTS IN LEARNING nn Authors James Arnosky, Peter Catalanotto, Carmen Agra Deedy, Shelley Gill, Jerry Pallotta and Antonio Sacre visited Red Clay elementary schools in celebration of I Love to Read month. Families joined in the fun at the district’s second annual Authors Night, which featured talks by the authors and a book signing event. nn Red Clay held its fifth annual College Fair in March, offering students and families the opportunity to meet college admissions counselors and learn about financial aid, scholarships, the SAT and the college application process. nn Warner Elementary School students explored the arts at the “Cab After School” event. nn McKean High School’s Chef Rosato and his culinary students catered a Blue Rocks ballgame in April, with the Richey Elementary School choir performing.
1,230 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
nn New life was granted to a long-buried treasure in January when the district unveiled a refurbished planetarium at AIMS in January. Additionally, a new solar telescope and a restored 10-inch reflecting telescope were unveiled at the AIHS observatory. nn At AIHS, members of the Astronomy Club joined teachers, fellow students and NASA scientists in a new online distance-learning venture with a Shasta, California, high school and NASA scientists from Johns Hopkins University.
nn Conrad Schools of Science students visited the Delaware Biotechnology Institute for a tour of Bioimaging, DNA Sequencing and 3D Visualization facilities. nn AP Government students at AIHS Skyped with Mark Jardina, Global Director of Operational Security for Internews, hearing first-hand about life and politics in Kabul, Afghanistan. nn In celebration of National Minority Health Care month, Lewis Dual Language Elementary School held its first Community Health Fair in April.
nn Conrad students started a creative mentoring program with Richardson Park Elementary School in September. Seniors were matched with children ages 4 to 7 for educational activities and overall fun.
nn Red Clay students in grades 4–12 participated in the Delaware Law Related Education Center’s annual Law Day, with local judges and attorneys visiting classrooms and conducting lessons with students.
nn A new banking pathway was offered at A.I. du Pont High School, with 25 students enrolled for 2013–14.
nn Highlands Elementary School held its first Science Expo in April.
1,652 AP EXAMS PASSED
4,956 COLLEGE HOURS
$2.2M COLLEGE TUITION COSTS SAVED
strides to inclusion We took the first step toward closing the achievement gap in 2013-14, reaching several milestones on our path to a more inclusive Red Clay. Schools kicked off the campus action planning process, which will result in every building having a customized plan for meeting the unique needs of every one of its student. Teachers, administrators and support staff completed roughly 300 hours of intensive professional development focused on inclusive practices and instructional strategies for students with disabilities and English language learners. And we saw a new level of stakeholder engagement, with four separate inclusion committees established to ensure that our transition plan remains consistent with the guiding vision set by our school board in 2012.
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MA S TERING
nn The district’s seventh annual Art Smart Show was a grand success with over 800 people attending the opening celebration. Student artwork from every Red Clay school was displayed in the Delaware Art Museum through the month of May for this special event. nn
Cab Calloway School of the Arts students earned a number of creative awards in 2013-14. Nikita Doskochynskyy won the 2014 Delaware Congressional Art Award, Tanner Corder was the 2014 Delaware Goes to College Backpack Design Winner and Esther Park was chosen as the state winner in Google’s Doodle4Google contest for her artwork on the theme of “If I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place.” Chelsea Martin and Amy Su were state nominees for 2014 American Vision Awards and Melanie Gasmen was Delaware’s Youth Art Month Flag Winner for 2014. And in music, Jamie Millison was a National Finalist at the 2014 MTNA National Conference.
nn Dickinson High School’s Breanna Peters had a piece of artwork displayed in the Delaware College of Art & Design’s student exhibition. nn Red Clay took home an impressive 38 Gold Keys at the 2014 Delaware Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. At the National Competition, Kyna Smith (Cab Calloway School of the Arts) won a Gold Medal in Writing and Joyelle Gilbert (Cab Calloway School of the Arts) earned Silver in Visual Arts.
nn Linden Hill Elementary School students Esha Bolar, Aneesh Denduluri and Anna Sophia DesChamps were winners in James Madison University’s 2014 Drawing Peace Contest, a worldwide art competition hosted by the Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence. nn Conrad Schools of Science eighth-grader Patrick Elliott was chosen as the state winner in the 2014 SunWise Sun Safety with Shade Poster Contest. nn Artwork by Red Clay students Melanie Gasmen, Alicia Glenn, Sarvagnya Kompela, Alexa Nacchia and Cole Plum was used to beautify the renovations and expansion efforts at the Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in May. nn Concert bands from across Red Clay came together to perform at the district’s High School Band Festival in April. Students also performed at World Café Live at the Queen in Wilmington. nn
Over 120 students from A.I. du Pont High School, A.I. du Pont Middle School, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, The Charter School of Wilmington, Conrad Schools of Science, Delaware Military Academy, Dickinson High School, H.B. du Pont Middle School and Skyline Middle School were named to All-State Band and All-State Chorus in 2014.
A NEW CHAPTER WARNER LIBRARY GETS MAKEOVER COURTESY OF CAPITAL ONE
In October, Warner Elementary School was treated to a READesign library makeover featuring fresh paint in vibrant colors, new carpeting, new furniture and more heightappropriate shelving, iPads and even a smart TV. Upon seeing the space for the first time, one Warner student exclaimed, “This library makes my heart shine!�
Red Clay Day at the University of Delaware, September 14, 2013.
ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS nn A.I. du Pont High School, The Charter School of Wilmington and Conrad Schools of Science were awarded the 2013–14 DIAA State Sportsmanship Award.
nn Over 125 Red Clay students participated in Special Olympics competitions throughout 2013–14.
nn Quadree Henderson (A.I. du Pont High School) was the 1st-Team All-State Wide Receiver, Defensive Back and Kick Returner.
nn Conrad swimmer Madison Northshield earned state titles in the 200 meter and 500 meter freestyle events, and AIHS swimmer Alicia Diaz won the USA AllAmerican title in the 100 meter backstroke.
nn A.I. du Pont High School, Charter, Conrad Schools of Science, Delaware Military Academy and Dickinson High School represented Red Clay at the 59th Annual DFRC Blue-Gold All*Star Football Game.
nn In track and field, Kieran Tuntivate (Charter) won the State Championship in the 1,600 meter and Elijah Agwu (A.I. du Pont High School) set a school record winning the state title in the discus.
nn The McKean High School Football Team walked the red carpet at the premiere of One Blood, a behind-thescenes documentary following the team from training camp through opening night.
nn Conrad Field Hockey, Conrad Girls Basketball and DMA Boys Basketball qualified for state tournaments for the first time in school history.
nn Golfer Kyle Plusch (Charter) was the State Winner in Wendy’s High School Heisman Program. nn In soccer, Landon Hall (McKean High School), Christian Romero (Dickinson High School) and Willie Vargas (Dickinson High School) made 1st-Team All-State, and the McKean Boys Soccer Team made it to the State Championship for the third straight year. nn Charter’s Girls Swimming and Diving Team won the State Championship for the seventh time in a row.
nn Red Clay middle-schoolers competed in the Boys and Girls Basketball championships at the University of Delaware. nn Four Red Clay athletes signed full scholarships in 2013–14: Adrienne Fraczkowski (DMA) will run track at UD, Tyler Hill (DMA) will play baseball for Wilmington University, Darius Jones (McKean High School) will play football at Nassau Community College and Haley McNulty (A.I. du Pont High School) will play soccer for Coastal Carolina University.
RIGHT ON TIME A number of construction projects were completed on schedule and on budget in 2013–14 as the district moved forward in its Major Capital Improvement program. Projects include renovations and additions at A.I. du Pont High School (pictured), where existing mechanical systems were replaced and a new corridor was added to connect the main building to a classroom annex. A new addition also provides two extra classrooms.
WHERE THE MONEY GOES
STATE & LOCAL SALARIES 80%
TRANSPORTATION 5%
STATE 49% LOCAL 31%
(INCLUDES SALARIES)
MAINTENANCE/ UTILITIES 4%
Breaking down the district’s FY2014 Operating Budget $175,495,876
SCHOOLS’ OPERATING BUDGETS 3%
TECHNOLOGY 3% (INCLUDES SALARIES)
CURRICULUM 2%
SPECIAL SERVICES 1% STATE PROGRAMS 1% CENTRAL OFFICE 1% CONTINGENCY <1% DISTRICTWIDE <1%
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