Parent has gripe with proposed dress code
The following letter was sent to Cape Henlopen School District Superintendent George Stone with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.
I read the article today in the Cape Gazette about a dress code for our students. As a Cape graduate and a mother of five Vikings, I wish to share with you some thoughts which have come across our dinner table over the years.
Cape Henlopen High is cold all year. Mariner often has a chill in the air, also. Jackets and coats are already banned for the school day; if the board votes to ban sweat shirts and long-sleeve T-shirts, our children will be concentrating on how uncomfortable they are instead of on their studies.
Several sports teams show their pride by wearing uniform sweat suits and short- and long-sleeve T-shirts. Are we, as true Cape to Great believers, willing to ask our students to do away with this form of school pride? Way back when I was in school, athletes dressed in this manner. What can we offer to replace this long-standing tradition?
I do believe we have to take in account our location. We are a beach area and our children are going to dress differently than students in Colorado. In saying that, I was a bit dismayed that I did not see anywhere in the Gazette’s article where a cross section of students had been interviewed for their thoughts and feelings of a proposed dress code. Nor did I read how the cost of an implemented dress code would affect parents’ pockets, especially in this economy. Hopefully, this will be part of the presentation at the board meeting.
As a true believer in Cape to Great, I believe every component of our district structure is important. We work for our students; in reality they are the district’s customers. Dr. Stone, I state it as ‘we’ because, as parents, we owe our educators and our administration and board the respect of sending a respectful, educated, clean and well-groomed student to you five days a week, 180 days a year. Our children go to school for approximately seven hours a day, and if the are involved in clubs, sports, theater or any other school-related activity that takes place after instructional hours are over, that adds up to a nine- or 10-hour day for our students. Having stated that, please allow comfort for our children to be part of your decision.
Thank you for your time. As I know you are a busy person, I am forwarding this email to Mrs. Hanwell and the board, so everyone has an opportunity to give my family’s thoughts some consideration. Best wishes with the end of the school year.
Threasa Brittingham
Milton
Affordable housing a must in Showfield
Here on my block in old town Lewes, three of my five immediate neighbors are over 80 or dead. (His house is vacant.)
I’m the youngster, only 60. And I’m only three years older than the median age of Lewes - 57.
According to ZIP code demographics, Lewes’s population makes her the oldest city with the oldest people in the oldest state.
My age group, specifically 55 to 64, happens to be the group that experienced the greatest increase in the state’s population from 2000 to 2005 – an increase of 25.6 percent, according to Sandra Spence, housing advocate for Habitat for Humanity. She says that our age segment “is expected to continue to outpace the growth in other age groups as more and more boomers move to the beach.” She adds, “The median age of the entire state’s population is only 37.9 while the median age in Sussex County is 42.4 years old. The median age in Lewes is 57...so you see, the First Town has, perhaps, the oldest population as well.”
It feels right, therefore, to introduce the term “Aging in Place” into our conversation about affordable housing in Lewes.
According to NeighborhoodWorks America, Aging in Place supports the notion that older people should be able to maintain a desirable lifestyle by participating in their communities; remaining independent as their health allows; having access to educational, cultural; and recreational facilities; feeling safe; and living in an intergenerational environment.
Some of us have the financial and family resources to support this sort of evolution - our aging in place. Many don’t.
Of all households in Lewes, 14.4 percent were made up of individuals living alone who were 65 years of age or older. Sandy asked, at our recent presentation to the Lewes City Council and Planning Commission, “How does the city wish to deal with its aging population?”
Lewes can help solve this problem as we consider annexing the Showfield development. All people who care need to talk to the members of the Lewes City Council and the Lewes Planning Commission now. Ask them to define and codify affordable housing and then increase the number of houses in Showfield priced around $171,000 - the HUD guideline for affordable housing in Lewes - to as many as 91 units - 15 percent of the new development - to match our aging population’s needs.
Let’s all speak up for our quietest neighbors. Say: Now is a golden opportunity to increase the number of affordable houses in Lewes Let’s help our town, and this special plot of land, become the legacy of livability and diversity that she has witnessed throughout her years.
Patricia Kirby Gibler
Lewes
Lewes must be compensated
The following letter was presented to the Lewes Mayor and Council and Lewes Planning Commission at the April 29 public hearing on Showfield annexation and copied to the Cape Gazette for publication.
Recent changes in the Showfield plan appear more cosmetic than real, reflecting the city’s preoccupation with its zoning and subdivision ordinances.
That more substantive changes are not evident is best explained by the fact that none have been requested - not because the developer has refused to cooperate with the city.
Until our mayor and council recognize that their responsibility is to the present and future generations of Lewes residents - those of us who have no paid advocates as do the developers - the Showfield plan is not going to change. Showfield will have no park at White’s Pond worthy of the name, the outsized multifamily row houses will remain, streets will not reflect the traditional urban grid structure of Old Lewes, and there will be no stores, no town center and no sense of community.
It is disturbing that, while the City of Lewes is not pursuing changes in the Showfield plan that are clearly in the public’s interest, it is at the same time favoring Showfield annexation that is just as clearly not in our best interest.
Annexation would cost us 28 percent of our representation in city government, increases in property tax that would not otherwise occur, reduced property values and other unfavorable consequences.
Without suitable compensation from Showfield, annexation offers no advantages whatsoever to Lewes.
Showfield must know this.
Lewes, therefore, is in a very favorable bargaining position. For the city to simply grant annexation and receive little or nothing from Showfield in return would be a tragic loss and an unconscionable betrayal of the citizens of Lewes.
We therefore request that the following proposals be included in the Memorandum of Understanding to be negotiated between the city and the developers Showfield LLC and Sephora J LLC. These are, in brief:
• Lewes Central Park including 50 acres minimum at White’s Pond
• Neighborhood shops providing household necessities within walking distance
• Suitable scale resulting in buildings and streets that emulate Lewes
• Walking and bike paths safely located away from automobiles
• Energy efficiency from green construction methods surpassing current practice
• Landscaping to include visual buffers and trees at appropriate Showfield boundaries.
These proposals are consistent with the intent of the Lewes Comprehensive Plan, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and the recommendations of two noted authorities in land planning, Randal Arendt and Reid Ewing.
They deserve serious consideration by the mayor and council as partial compensation for the annexation of Showfield land by the City of Lewes.
In the event that Showfield does not agree to provide adequate value to the city in exchange for annexation, then the city should deny annexation so that the question can be resolved by the people of Lewes through referendum.
David L. Greer
Managing Growth Around Lewes Coalition
We must focus on affordable housing
Who can afford the cost of a house in Lewes? Sad to say, not City of Lewes employees, Beebe Medical Center registered nurses or Cape Henlopen School District teachers, among others.
The request for annexation of the proposed “Showfield at Lewes” community offers Lewes City Council and citizens the opportunity to address the issue of affordable housing.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development defines an affordable home as “a dwelling which does not require more than 30 percent of the monthly income of persons or families who earn 80 percent or less of the area median income for like-sized families.”
Eighty percent of the median salary for residents of Lewes is $46,014, which translates into the cost of an affordable home being approximately $170,000.
As Lewes City Council works to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the developers of Showfield, I call upon council to require that a minimum of 10 percent of the project’s units be committed to affordable housing status, so that the person teaching your child or monitoring your health can afford to be your neighbor.
Carolyn Quinn
Lewes
Elect Fuller to Cape school board
I am writing the correspondence with regard to the nomination of Gregory Fuller to the Cape Henlopen school board. It is my most sincere opinion and recommendation that Mr. Fuller would be an excellent candidate to fill the vacancy for school board member that is currently available.
In the 15 years that I have known Mr. Fuller, he has proven himself to be an exemplary and inspiring member of our community. As a former member of the Sussex Correctional Institute’s juvenile and adult rehabilitation staff, I have seen firsthand the level of integrity and forthright ability of Mr. Fuller to be fair and balanced. His ability to communicate effectively, resolve issues without prejudice and remain focused is exceptional.
He is a man of great character and has been known to support grassroots community and education-based programs that motivate and nurture the youth within our community. He also demonstrates empathy and compassion for those less fortunate.
It is my most sincere recommendation that Mr. Gregory Fuller be elected to the Cape Henlopen school board.
Victoria M. Gibbs
Lewes
Fuller asks for school board vote on May 13
Editor’s note: This letter is being printed with a photo of the candidate for the Cape Henlopen school board to correct an error made by the Cape Gazette, which ran the wrong candidate photo in the Friday, May 2 edition.
Today marks exactly four days remaining before the Cape Henlopen school board election being conducted on May 13.
As you read this letter, my wife and I are traveling to North Carolina for our son’s graduation from North Carolina A&T University on Saturday, May 10. I would like to take this time to thank each and every one of the individuals in the community who allowed me to share with them who I was and what I could do as a member of the school board. Special thanks to the Rehoboth Cooperative Preschool, each community center, Senior Singles Beach Club, PTOs and every organization that afforded me the opportunity to come into their presence and share my thoughts.
In addition, I would like to thank each committee member who assisted with my campaign and every family/business who allowed me to post a sign on their property. This has been quite an experience and I thank each of you for it. As May 13 approaches I would encourage each of you to come out and participate in this great process. Once again, sincere thanks to all of the people of the Cape Henlopen School District.
Gregory Fuller Sr.
Lincoln
Cape Thespian boosters excited about future
Anyone who saw their show “A Tribute to Broadway” won’t be surprised to know that the Cape Henlopen Theater Arts Academy students won several awards at the recent Delaware Theater Association Competition at the end of April - Best Actress Nicole Nadig, Outstanding Choreography and Best Ensemble Cast.
They were recognized at the school board meeting on Thursday, May 8.
I think we’re already seeing the effects of the theater academy program director’s influence. He’ll never tell you, but Ken Skrzesz, also co-artistic director of Clear Space Productions, has a resume that would impress anyone in the arts community.
Besides 20 years’ worth of acting, directing and choreography credits, it includes an MFA in dance performance and choreography from UNC- Greensboro, from which he recently received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008, and educational positions including director of student life for the School of American Ballet in New York City, and several governor’s and individual artist’s awards in Maryland, where he held a long-term teaching post at the Carver Center High School for the Performing Arts. Mr. Skrzesz belongs to three professional theater unions and has been honored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
His students have appeared on Broadway in, among others, “Mamma Mia!,” “Chicago,” “Hairspray,” “A Chorus Line” and “The Lion King.” And we have him creating a theater program at Cape Henlopen High School! Let’s do whatever we can to support this program, which will greatly enrich the lives of our students and community.
The Cape Thespian Boosters are very excited about Ken’s proposed four-year theater program, which will become a new career pathway as of September 2008. Informational brochures about the program are available at the schools and in local libraries. Students and parents are encouraged to contact their school counselors to sign up for fall classes. The theater academy will also create internships for our students in both on-stage and behind-the-scenes technical positions.
Also, we look forward to partnering with other Cape Boosters and community groups to benefit common fundraising and scholarship goals. If you have any great ideas, please contact us at donnadek@comcast.net.
Donna de Kuyper
Cape Henlopen Thespian Boosters
Lewes’s Bay Avenue is being neglected
Am I the only person who cares about the disintegration of Bay Avenue? I wonder how the fire company and ambulance drivers feel about answering emergency calls as they weave through the potholes? I’ve heard rumors that the residents are afraid it will become a speedway if the paving improves.
Never mind the stop signs. People go through them anyway. But what about my suggestion several years ago that the occasional speed bump be put where some of the stop signs are? Very few people have the wish to drive for more than one or two blocks on Bay before they turn left and proceed to Cedar, so speed bumps would not be the nuisance one would imagine, but they would certainly prohibit speeding. I’d trade a speed bump for the 29 potholes I have now!
And now that we have the spring rains, the puddle jumping can commence for all walkers, and bikers should be sure to wear their helmets, shinguard, and elbow guards; they’ll need them when they hit a hole and fly over the handlebars.
When, oh when, will this neglect end? In Lewes there is no other street leading to valuable real estate which is in such deplorable condition. It’s a disgrace. And incidentally, no one on the streets committee has ever given me any information about any kind of plan that might include Bay Avenue at any time.
Margaret Martin
Lewes
Henlopen Grange thanks Gazette, community
We have just completed our Grange Month celebration during April 2008 and we appreciate so much your help in this.
Your staff is so kind to us when we deliver items to be published and it always appears in your publication just the way we write it.
We were glad to meet Tom Walsh whom you sent to cover our Open House on April 15, when we awarded our thirty-first Community Citizen Award to Rev. Randy Booth.
The picture and article Tom wrote about the award and Rev. Booth were excellent. Tom is a great asset to your staff.
The community is so blessed to have a newspaper such as yours. Thanks again.
Shirley L. Millman, Chairwoman
Grange Month Committee
Henlopen Grange No. 20
Lewes
Milton elementary health fair a great success
On behalf of Milton Elementary School we would like to thank the following sponsors for making our second Health and Safety Fair a huge success: Milton Food Lion, Delaware Physicians Care, Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Nemours, Milton Public Library, Bear Hugs for Babies, Parents as Teachers, Sea Scouts, Delaware Fish and Wildlife, Milton Volunteer Fire Department, Karen Sposota, Lisa Horsey, 4-H, Cape Henlopen ROTC, Miltonian Pizza, Pretzel Land, Cape Nutrition Services and King’s Ice Cream.
We had over 500 parents, students and teachers participate in games, activities, and displays, and enjoy a healthy meal. We believe children and adults should be active and eat healthy to enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life.
Milton Elementary School
Health Committee
There’s hope for those fighting cancer
As a follow up to BJ Young’s letter in the Cape Gazette regarding help for cancer patients, there is another source for women as well as men who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. The Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition has an office in Lewes at the Red Mill Center on Coastal Highway.
We offer outreach programs, education, mammograms and peer mentoring where one-on-one support is given by trained survivors. If anyone would like more information or to schedule a presentation for an organization you may reach us at 644-6844.
Helen Jackson
peer mentor and volunteer
Millsboro
Hospice says thanks
The Sussex County Team at Compassionate Care Hospice, Dagsboro, wishes to extend a huge thanks to Lynn Leach and the staff at Common Scents Health and Essential Oil Science Wellness Center for their generosity and compassion.
Compassionate Care Hospice,
Sussex County
