Rehoboth Elementary amenities taking shape

The site of the old Rehoboth Public School is shaping up to offer a slew of amenities to students and public alike.

After demolition was completed in December 2019, crews got to work leveling and clearing the land to make way for basketball, pickleball and tennis courts that will also eventually be open to the public during non-school hours, Cape Director of Capital Projects Brian Bassett said.

Reclaimed sand-colored brick from the old school has been used to create an outdoor teaching area with benches that face a larger curved wall, Bassett said.

“The bricks needed to be cleaned up by our mason, Dave Wilson, or else they would not have been possible to use as benches,” Bassett said. “He did a great job.”

The name blocks “Rehoboth Public School” and the 1939 date stone that once graced the front facade of the old school building will be repurposed, Bassett said.

“We are working on a few variations before we decide,” Bassett said. “At the moment, the date stone will be part of the arch structure and the name blocks will be part of the sidewalk either under or around the arch. We also used some of the original bricks along the new sidewalk path that goes from the lake to the playground.”

The site is being cleaned up now and grass seed will be planted this month, Bassett said. The nearby garden may be relocated closer to the playground, if possible, he added.

Known once as Rehoboth High School, the school later housed junior high and elementary students after consolidation of Rehoboth, Lewes and Milton school districts formed Cape Henlopen School District in 1969.

Prior to its demolition, Cape district officials hosted a final open house and tour of the old school, and Rehoboth High alumni from classes 1945-72 held a reunion in the school gym. In February, about 150 former students, teachers and community members returned to the site to claim a salvaged brick from the beloved school.

The new Rehoboth Elementary School opened in September 2019.