September 2023 Board of Education Meeting

At last night’s board meeting . . . 

• CSD Libraries shared some of the investments we are making in our libraries
  In 2016, Colonial School District began an important partnership with the Delaware Division of Libraries thanks to Representative Valerie Longhurst, Dr. Jeff Menzer and State Librarian Dr. Annie Norman. Thanks to our partnership, Colonial Libraries are becoming future ready and leading both the state and nation in the adoption of new library technology called RFID (or Radio Frequency Identification). Board members and those in attendance experienced first hand what it is like to be a student in Colonial by utilizing this new technology (RFID) designed to increase student access to new high quality and engaging books!

• We recognized George Read student, Julia Johnson for winning an NBA Skills Championship.
  WE know we have plenty of talented students in Colonial, and Julia Johnson, a student at George Read Middle School is one of them. Julia competed in the NBA skills challenge and won! She got to attend the NBA draft at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn which was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Julia is also the recipient of the Presiential Award for Educational Achievement after earning all A’s and one B last school year. Principal Nick Wolfe says…quoting now…I wish I had more student athletes that excel on and off the court like Julia! Julia Johnson please accept this certificate from the school board  as a token of appreciation for representing Who We Are!

• Recognizing all summer program staff for the work they have done over the summer of 2023 

We recognized students, staff, stakeholders and members of our community for all of their hard work and support this summer. A special thank you to our amazing summer staff members who created one of a kind summer programs and experiences for students.   We would also like to take this opportunity to thank THE CSD OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE TEAMS, AND BUILDING PRINCIPAL’S for supporting our summer programs on top of the countless tasks they had to complete for the regular school year! 

WE couldn’t do it without you! Thank you to our community partners for their ongoing support of our staff, students and families of Colonial. WE thank you!

Here are some highlights from the 2023 Summer Programs:

• Over 285 CSD staff working summer programs and 17 William Penn High Schools students working as CSD as summer student counselors

1,521 students attended CSD summer programs for more than one day this summer.

Multiple Summer Partnerships including organizations such as 

Amongst Men Inc.

Baseball-Delaware Education Association

Bank of America Better Money Habits

Back To Basics Learning Dynamics Tutoring

Community Collaboration of Delaware

Croda

DelDOT Active Transportation and Community Connections

Grand Canyon University

Girl Coding

Police Athletic League of Delaware

Summer Collab

University of Delaware Financial Literacy

University of Delaware GEM Mindfulness Program

University of Delaware Nutrition

Wilmington Police Department & K9 Unit

We also served summer meals both in summer programs and throughout our community with 16,728 Breakfasts being served, 20,178 Lunches being served And providing 4,876 Snacks

We recognized Gunning Bedford Paraeducator, Danielle Rodriguez, as she has been named in the 40 under 40 list for the Delaware Business TImes

The Delaware Business Times has named Danielle Rodriguez to their 40 under 40 list for 2023. 

40 Under 40 pays tribute to outstanding young professionals who are making a name for themselves through innovative ideas, business excellence, and community involvement. Each year this program recognizes 40 leaders under 40 years old who are bringing Delaware’s business community to new heights.
Mrs. Rodriguez has been with the district for five years.  She has been the head cheerleading coach for the last five years and is the current Student Council Mentor for grades 6-8.  

On top of being an educator , Danielle is a pageant queen, her organization, “Be Kind, We Can’t Review”, is a platform that promotes environmental awareness through volunteerism, advocacy, and education.  She believes the best way to shape our future is by starting with today’s youth.  Mrs. Rodriguez is the reigning Mrs. Delaware Earth.  

Over the last two years, she has hosted many community events to raise awareness for her cause.  Mrs. Rodriguez collected over 2000 pounds of canned food for the Food Bank of Delaware.   Provided Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays and dinners for current students in need.   She has raised over $500 dollars for the Brandywine Valley SPCA of New Castle, where she also volunteers her time along with her cheer team.  Danielle helped open a community garden in Delaware City Delaware in 2021 and was also named humanitarian of the year by Delaware City Babe Ruth.  Every year, she also plans then collects new toys and items for the children at AI DuPont Hospital for children. 

We recognized Our Superintendent, Dr. Jeffrey Menzer as he was named the recipient of the Education Partner Award
We recognized Our Superintendent, Dr. Jeffrey Menzer as he was named the recipient of the Education Partner Award for all the innovative work he has done to promote Communities in Schools -Delaware.  Dr. Menzer received this prestigious honor at the 17th annual All in for Students conference in Detroit that was hosted by Communities in Schools. CIS is a national organization that works inside schools to empower all students to achieve and succeed in life. Among other things, Dr. Menzer has advocated for CIS to have coordinators in every school in the state of Delaware. Former Deputy Superintendent Dr. Carlton Lampkins nominated Dr. Menzer for this award, calling him a visionary in education. WE too recognize Dr. Menzer’s outstanding leadership and are proud to see him gaining national recognition for representing Who WE are!