Toy and food drive set for Wilmington 5 Delaware schools clinch finalist slots in national STEM competition
Annual Christmas event at Warner Elementary
Some would say it’s the season for giving.
Wreaths Across America is planning a stop in Middletown. An annual Christmas toy drive is coming to Warner Elementary this Saturday, opening to more Wilmington-area school families this season, with food basket giveaways expected. Delaware Technical Community College landed its own donation, set to fuel new training in safety protocol.
And, Delaware just named its 2024 Educational Support Professional of the Year from Caesar Rodney.
In this weekly roundup, we’ll catch you up on these education updates and more you may have missed.
Annual Christmas toy and food drive popping up for Wilmington families
An annual Christmas drive at Warner Elementary will also open for families from Shortlidge Academy and Bayard School for the first time.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday,
Dec. 16, Warner will host a Christmas Toy and Food basket Drive, aimed at families who could use help this season. The drive is run by the Our Watch Corp., founded over a decade ago.
Such beginnings trace to John Robinson and his daughter expanding their holiday tradition of taking gifts to children in women’s shelters around Wilmington on Christmas Eve. The work has now grown to serve more than 150 families in the area this year.
“Our Watch recognizes that times are tough and despite best efforts, there are those parents and/or guardians who through no fault of their own, are just not able to provide around the holidays,” reads a press release from the nonprofit. “Our Watch believes that EVERY child has the right to dream on Christmas morning.”
Children shouldn’t have to go without this holiday season, they said — “not on Our Watch.”
Caesar Rodney para named Delaware’s 2024 Educational Support Professional of the Year
One paraprofessional with over a decade of experience was honored last week in Delaware.
Sinead Ronan was named the state’s 2024 Educational Support Professional of the Year. The Magnolia Middle School paraprofessional took home $2,000 as the Caesar Rodney School District honoree, but now she’ll also see an additional $3,000 personal grant as well as a $5,000 honorarium to be used for her students.
Superintendent Corey Miklus was proud of Ronan’s win.
“She is collaborative, creative and approaches her work at Magnolia Middle School with a growth mindset,” he said in a statement. “Her goal is to make learning an extraordinary experience for students, staff, and families. We are so proud to call her a Rider!”
Though the Ireland native grabbed the top spot, DDOE honored 20 different educational support professionals from district and charter schools for the fourth year in a row. Honorees could be fellow paras, custodial staff, secretaries, nutritional staff, bus drivers and more.
One Delaware Tech donation leads the way to new training system for chemical process students
Delaware Technical Community College students will now be able to practice “critical industry safety procedures” within their chemical process operator program — thanks to a $10,000 donation from Croda Inc.
Appropriately, Croda is a sustainable chemical manufacturer creating ingredients and technologies for brands around the world, with its Atlas Point facility near New Castle. The new “DAC Worldwide Lockout/Tagout Training System,” landing on the college’s Stanton campus, simulates standard safety procedures vital to those working in industrial facilities, according to DelTech, like chemical refineries or energy utilities.
Compliance with this “lockout/tagout” standard prevents an estimated 120 deaths and 50,000 injuries a year, per the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
For Delaware Tech, it’ll help produce prepared grads in chemical, petroleum refining, polymer, power generation, alternative energy industries and more.
“Our campus continues to serve our community by producing well-trained and highly qualified graduates,” said Dan Ehmann, vice president and campus director at Stanton, in a release. “Future industrial process operators coming out of Delaware Tech will have received hands-on knowledge and realworld training that will keep themselves and others safe while on the job.”
Last week, Samsung named 300 public schools state finalists in the 14th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition. Each finalist snags $2,500 in technology and classroom supplies.
The competition is designed to inspire kids from sixth to 12th grade to “create innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities.” The competition included climate change, food insecurity, student anxiety and loneliness, and even aid for unhoused and migrant families.
The next phase will include creating a plan to execute the pitched projects, with several additional prizes up for grabs. The contest website didn’t yet describe each design. But ultimately, state finalists vie for the national title. Three can win, earning a $100,000 prize package.
Delaware finalists:
● Brandywine High School
● Concord High School
● Millsboro Middle School
● Newark Charter Junior High School
● Newark Charter School
Last spring, five Brandywine High School students led the school to victory in the 2022-23 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition in Washington, D.C. The team proposed a solution for low-cost assistive technology.
“A STEM education is a critical pathway to the evolving future of work,” said Ann Woo, head of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America. “We celebrate the dedication, ingenuity and creativity of the 300 state finalists who are not only showcasing their STEM prowess but, more importantly, addressing local community issues with meaningful solutions.”
Wreaths Across America heading to Appoquinimink elementary school community
A 50-vehicle convoy is expected to travel through the Whitehall community this Thursday, stopping at Lorewood Grove Elementary.
Students, staff and community members are welcome to line the street to welcome the formation, per the district, set to be joined by the Odessa High School drumline and Middletown High School JROTC cadets. It’s forecast to come through between 11:30 a.m. and noon Dec. 14.
Following the convoy’s drive through the main road, according to the district, school groups will gather inside the school gym for a brief program and student presentation.