Meet Tamara Walker, our 2025 Teacher of the Year!
Meet Tamara Walker, a teacher at Louis L. Redding Middle School and our district’s 2025 Teacher of the Year! Dr. Walker takes over the title of TOY from Cory Hafer, an engineering teacher at Middletown High School, our district’s 2024 TOY and the statewide TOY! Originally from Pennsylvania, Dr. Walker didn’t begin her career as a teacher — after graduating high school, she pursued a Bachelor of Science in computer science and information systems with a minor in general business. She then served in the United States Air Force, with deployments to Okinawa, Japan, and multiple missions across the Middle East. She then spent seven years working at Kuumba Academy Charter School where she “focused on reshaping narratives and empowering high-risk students to excel in mathematics.” When she’s not in the classroom at LLRMS, you can find Dr. Walker coaching the girls' track team, coaching the seventh and eighth-grade math league, or supporting LLRMS’s PTO. On being named our district’s 2025 TOY, Dr. Walker commented, “I am determined to advocate for my beliefs and contribute to our district's ongoing role as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of our students, who are the future.” Open this story to read more.
Cory Hafer delivers remarks at Legislative Hall
Cory Hafer, Delaware’s and Appoquinimink’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, was invited to deliver remarks to the Delaware General Assembly in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week!
In early May, Hafer also traveled to Washington, D.C. for a State Dinner at the White House to celebrate all state-level Teacher of the Year winners. When he’s not representing the First State as Teacher of the Year, Hafer is an engineering teacher at Middletown High School.
Please join us in thanking Hafer for being an advocate for teachers in our district and our state.
Beam raising marks construction milestone at historic Louis L. Redding Middle School
On Monday, May 20, 2024, school board members, local elected officials, construction partners, alumni, students, and school/district staff gathered to participate in a beam signing and team topping out ceremony at the new Louis L. Redding Middle School
This construction tradition provides an opportunity for those who have played a leading role in the funding, planning, and construction of a new building to add their name to the final piece of structural steel before it is raised into place.
Hosting the event was ASD Superintendent Matt Burrows. Guests included Louis L. Redding Middle School leaders, staff, and students, local elected officials, construction partners, senior ASD staff, and students from our construction pathway - part of the district’s work-based learning initiative.
After adding their name, the full group watched as the final piece of structural steel was raised into place. The new Louis L. Redding Middle School is being built thanks to the community’s support of the December 2021 no-tax impact referendum. The new school is being built at the same location as the original, historic school. The new Louis L. Redding Middle School will open in Fall 2025.
Louis Redding was the first African American to be admitted to the Delaware State Bar Association, and was part of the NAACP legal team that challenged school segregation in the Brown v. Board of Education case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Louis L. Redding Middle School was originally built in 1952 with the name Louis L. Redding School and served African American students in grades 1st through 12th in the Middletown area. In 1968, the school’s name was changed to Louis L. Redding Intermediate School, for grades 5th through 8th, and served students of all races. Today, Louis L. Redding Middle serves students in 6th through 8th grades.
Graduation is Saturday, June 8!
It's almost time for our seniors to walk across the stage! All three of our Appoquinimink School District high schools will celebrate on Saturday, June 8 at the Fairview Campus (in the gymnasium).
We will be live-streaming all of the graduation ceremonies, so everyone has the opportunity to participate in the celebration!
Free Summer Meals Are Back!
Thanks to support from the USDA and the State of Delaware, the Appoquinimink School District is pleased to once again provide a Free Summer Meals Program at Louis L. Redding Middle School, 201 New Street, Middletown, DE.
Tasty, nutritious lunches will be served at no cost to any young person between the ages of 1-18.
The program will operate Monday – Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. No registration or student i.d. is needed. Participants are asked to consume the meal in the cafeteria.
The dates for the Free Summer Meals program are June 17 – August 15. Note: No meals will be available on June 19 in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday and July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
- What: Free Summer Meals for young people between the ages of 1-18
- When: Monday, June 17 – Thursday, August 15
- Where: Louis L. Redding Middle School, 201 New Street, Middletown, DE 19709
- Questions: Appoquinimink School Nutrition Office, 302-376-4280
- For information about other sites: Families can call 211; call 1-866-348-6479 or 1-877-842-6273 (for Spanish speakers); text FOOD to 304-304 or Comida to 304-304; or, go to http://www.fns.usda.gov/meals4kids for information about additional open sites in their area.
There’s still time to complete our 2024 Annual Stakeholder Survey!
This survey is a critical piece of our district strategic plan to ensure we are gathering and using feedback from our community – including teachers, staff members, parents, and community members. To ensure families have time to complete the survey, we are extending the survey through June 12.
The online survey should take just about 4 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous.
Everyone’s feedback is critical to ensure that the Appoquinimink School District is providing children with the skills, knowledge, and expertise they need to be ready for what’s ahead in their future. Thank you in advance for your help and support!
One last note: The survey can be taken on any device (computer, tablet, phone, etc.). For our ASD families who are being asked to take the survey, you will be allowed two entries per device.
Growing Our Own: Teacher Contracts Awarded to 17 Seniors
Appoquinimink School District is once again honored to award graduating seniors with offers of employment to return to ASD after they’ve completed their undergraduate degrees! This year, we awarded a record 17 seniors with teacher contracts to return to the classrooms that helped shape them. Moreover, in addition to the 17 students who were awarded contracts, all students who graduated from the K-12 Teacher Pathway and the Early Childhood Pathway received offers to immediately begin substitute teaching within the district.
This program is part of a “Grow Your Own” initiative launched first in our district. The program is designed to create a teacher pipeline that will help combat the growing teacher shortage coupled with the rapid growth of the MOT region.
The 17 students were recognized in their pathway classes and received surprise visits from both ASD leaders and their family members. Join us in congratulating the students and wishing them well at college. We all look forward to seeing them again when they return as teachers!
Appoquinimink High School
- Sarah Steeves - West Chester, elementary education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Marissa Saccullo - Penn State, elementary education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Brooke Widdoes - Delaware Technical Community College, elementary education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Garrett Taylor - University of Delaware, elementary and special education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Jasmine Price - University Of Delaware, psychology (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Tori Larkins - Spelman College, sociology (Early Childhood Pathway)
Middletown High School
- Alexandra Stokes - University of Delaware, elementary education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Austin Colazzo - Wilmington University, elementary education with a minor in special education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Laryn Fisher - Towson University, middle school special education
- Eva Dombrowski - University of Delaware, elementary education with a minor in psychology (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Kendall Reitzes - leaning toward West Chester, math education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
- Kennedi Hutchinson - North Carolina Central, elementary education and special education (K-12 Teacher Pathway)
Odessa High School
- Kiera Bateman - University of Delaware, Elementary Education
- Silvia Bonfigli - University of Delaware, Elementary Education
- Morgan Maurer - University of Delaware, Elementary Education
- Amiyah Morton - Wilmington University, undecided
- Jibril Swint - undecided
Perrine, Sebastiano receive DMEA’s Outstanding Administrator Award
Congratulations to Odessa High School Principal Dr. Voni Perrine and Laura Sebastiano, Arts Specialist, who have received the Delaware Music Educators Association (DMEA) 2023-2024 Outstanding Administrator Award for our district! This award showcases our district’s commitment to music education at all levels!
Official School Board Election Results - May 14, 2024
Join us in congratulating Norm Abrams, who was re-elected to serve on the Appoquinimink School District Board of Education following the May 14 election.
The official results, as posted by the Delaware Department of Elections can be found HERE.
Register for kindergarten today!
If you have a child who will be 5 years old by August 31, it’s time to register for kindergarten!
Registration is completed through an online portal. We have all the information on our district website. And don’t forget: our district offers TWO language immersion programs! Kindergarten immersion programs include Spanish Immersion and Chinese Immersion at certain buildings. Kindergarten students who participate in our immersion programs learn math, science, reading, writing, and social studies in two languages instead of one! We’ll include information below to register and to learn more about immersion.
We have three administrators taking on new roles in the upcoming school year — Kristine Colazzo has been named Spring Meadow Early Childhood Center’s principal, Dr. Deangello Eley is Odessa High School’s principal, and Dr. Erin Kaplan is Appoquinimink Preschool Center’s principal. Please join us in congratulating these administrators on their new roles! All three are familiar faces within our district — Colazzo was most recently assistant principal at Brick Mill Early Childhood Center. Dr. Eley was an assistant principal at Appoquinimink High School before serving as our district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion supervisor. Finally, Dr. Kaplan was most recently an assistant principal at Alfred G. Waters Middle. Open this story to read more about these administrators!
AHS students bring home a second-place finish in the State Personal Finance Challenge
Please join us in congratulating several Appoquinimink High School students on their second-place finish in the State Personal Finance Challenge hosted by the University of Delaware's Center for Economic Education & Entrepreneurship! The students advanced to the National Personal Finance Challenge in Cleveland, Ohio, which took place on May 19 and 20.
Pictured, from left, are Andy Ding, Christopher James, Navya Anumandla, and Carson Coale.
Elementary students’ artwork to be featured in DEMA calendar!
Some of our elementary school students were honored at Delaware Emergency Management Agency's PSEG Calendar Contest Student Award Ceremony! Students from Silver Lake Elementary, Crystal Run Elementary, Brick Mill Elementary, and Townsend Elementary were recognized for their submissions to the calendar. This year's theme was "Patriotism: Recognizing America's Heroes." Congratulations to the students for a job well done!
Large turnout at Secondary Art Show!
Thank you to the families and communities members who attended our district's Secondary Art Exhibition held this year at the Appoquinimink Community Library!
LGE students showcase "STEMpathy!"
Since December, the fifth grade students of LGE have teamed up with Assistive Medical Technologies (AMT) of the University of Delaware to show empathy with some of the families in our community. They learned about empathy first with school counselor, Mrs. Hope Doyle. Students then began their STEAM project with Mrs. Kendra Rosner. Each 5th grade class “adopted” a family in our community who has a child with a disability. Students prepared family interview questions, met with the families to learn how to help their children, and then worked on reimagining power wheels, power carts, and highchairs to fit their specific needs. After developing their prototypes, the fifth graders met with the students of AMT to share their designs. AMT then brought them to life! The culminating activity and showcase took place on May 17 where the LGE students and AMT students gifted their projects to the families. We were able to serve students from Appoquinimink Preschool Center, Brick Mill Early Childhood Center, Cedar Lane Early Childhood Center, and Lorewood Grove Elementary.
Instrument Walkabout introduces students to music
Our annual Instrument Walkabout event gives students in third and fourth grades the opportunity to try out instruments and learn from secondary students who are established in our district's band and strings programs! Thank you to all the families who attended and our music teachers for hosting such a fun event.
Cantwell's Bridge Middle School holds Career Fair for seventh graders
Thank you to all the professionals who attended Cantwell's Bridge Middle School's Career Fair — we appreciate your continued support!
LGE holds STEAM Career Fair
In May, Mrs. Kendra Rosner and the Related Arts team at Lorewood Grove Elementary School planned a STEAM Career Fair Day for all their first through fifth grade students. Community agencies such as B&B Farms, Middletown Fire and Hose, Delaware State Police, Middletown PD, Drone Legends, and Geek Squad all came out to speak to students about how science, technology, engineering, art/agriculture, and math are tied into the job market!
Huge thank you to the Megan Aitken Team for its donation!
Please join us in extending our gratitude to the Megan Aitken Team for donating funds to benefit the Best Buddies Delaware program at Crystal Run Elementary School! Of the total $3,000 raised by the Megan Aitken Team, $1,000 will benefit Best Buddies and will cover the remaining cost of establishing the program at Crystal Run, and $2,000 will benefit Autism Delaware.
May's Transportation Employee of the Month
Tracy Thomas is our district's Transportation Employee of the Month for May! You'll likely be more familiar with him as the driver of bus #2, which he drove before receiving his new bus, #241. He was voted to receive this designation by his peers. Congratulations, Tracy!
Tiwana Richardson is DSEA’s Teacher of the Month!
Townsend Early Childhood Center's Tiwana Richardson received the Teacher of the Month award from DSEA! She was recognized as the winner after being nominated by a parent.
If you would like to nominate a teacher, you can use the following link: https://www.dsea.org/content/all-stars-education
Redding volleyball team wins the district championship!
Please join us in congratulating Louis L Redding Middle School's volleyball team for winning the first ever Appoquinimink School District Volleyball Championship! The championship was held May 9 at Everett Meredith Middle School.
Appo students receive awards at JA 18 Under 18
Mia Trotter, a senior at Appoquinimink High School, was one of the recipients of the inaugural Junior Achievement 18 Under 18 Community Celebration Awards! Trotter was nominated by JA’s event partner Delaware Theatre Company for her selection as one of the winners of the 2024 DTC Young Playwright's Festival.
Our district had a few other winners from the event.
JA Barracuda Bowl Entrepreneurship Challenge winners were: Best Egg Hatch Scholarship winners Jack Murdaugh (Middletown High School) and Daniel McConomy (Appoquinimink High School). Murdaugh's student-run enterprise "Precise Printing Solutions" took second place for JA Company of the Year while Middletown High School's "Cavs2Clean" company came in third under the leadership of their president Jeremy Green.
For more information, visit delaware.ja.org.
AHS’s Chorale and Concert Choir win at Music in the Parks
Earlier this month, Appoquinimink High School's Chorale and Concert Choir traveled to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey to compete in Music in the Parks and returned with quite a few awards! They won:
- 1st Place AA: AHS Chorale
- 2nd Place AA: AHS Concert Choir
- Best Overall Choir: AHS Chorale
- *Esprit de Corps award: AHS
*The Esprit de Corps Award recognizes the participating organization that displays an exemplary attitude of positive support and outstanding personal behavior throughout the festival weekend. Personal integrity, quality character values, a desire for excellence, and a spirit of cooperation serve as the cornerstone qualities of the Esprit de Corps Award
Please join us in congratulating the students on a job well done!
AHS’s INvestment Club learns financial literacy from guest speaker
Appoquinimink High School's INvestment Club recently welcomed guest speaker, Paul Jervey, of Genesis Wealth Management, who shared financial literacy knowledge with the students. Jervey's visit was coordinated by the Middletown Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated as the final activity of their May Week programming. The sorority also presented students with t-shirts for their club. The presenters on behalf of the chapter were Tyheshia N. Davis and Marsha Rodgers. Thank you to sorority for their continued support of our students — we love watching these community partnerships grow! The INvestment Club student members are Navya Anumandla, Gian Royer, Nyla Bostic-Beryman, Chelsea Manso, and Kalunga Hassani.
Alpha Alpha Tau Omega holds yoga session with Silver Lake Elementary Students
As part of its third annual AATO Week, the Alpha Alpha Tau Omega sorority coordinated for Amina Naru from Posh Yoga to lead a half hour long yoga session for students at Silver Lake Elementary School! Please join us in thanking AATO for its continued support of our students.
May is Speech, Language, Hearing Therapy Month!
MHS's JROTC and MOT community support Rise Against Hunger
More than 70 volunteers gathered at Middletown High School in late April to pack meals to Rise Against Hunger. Thanks to a partnership between MHS's JROTC, the MOT Rotary Club, Southern New Castle County Rotary, and Our Daily Bread, about 10,000 meals of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and micronutrient sachets were prepared to benefit developing countries.
Contributions came from the organizations listed above in addition to St. Paul's Methodist Church and St. Joseph's Catholic Church, which helped pay for the meals. The Rotary District 7630 also provided a grant to benefit the project.
Sabrina Ayad, a junior at MHS and a member of JROTC, coordinated the Rise Against Hunger project. For more information about the project, visit riseagainsthunger.org.
Celebrating School Lunch Hero Day!
Last week, Superintendent Matt Burrows stopped by Brick Mill Early Childhood Center to help serve lunches in celebration of School Lunch Hero Day! Our staff who make sure students receive nutritious meals each and every day truly are heroes!
NAPA, Bright Home Delaware help clear school lunch balances
Please join us in extending a huge thank you to Bright Home Delaware and NAPA for their generous donations to help clear school meal balances! Bright Home Delaware donated $500 and Napa donated $605. The funds contributed by Bright Home Delaware will benefit remaining balances at Everett Meredith Middle School where Bright Home's president and founder Carl Zitofsky's two children have graduated from, and his third is set to graduate at the end of this school year. The funds contributed by NAPA will help students across the district with balances.
If you would like to contribute to help clear balances, please reach out to our nutrition department.
Summer camp registration extended through the weekend!
Registration is still open for our summer camps! We've extended the registration deadline through this weekend, so please be sure to enroll soon! Visit bit.ly/apposummercamps to check out the full list of camps and to register!
Upcoming Events & Meeting Reminder:
- 3 June AHS Senior Awards, 6:30 p.m. at AHS
- 3 June LGE Spring Choir Concert, 6:30 p.m. at LGE
- 3 June TES 1-2nd Grade Concert, 5:45 p.m. (Grade 1) 7 p.m. (Grade 2) at EMMS
- 4 June CBMS 6-8th Grade Choir Concert, 7 p.m. at OHS
- 4 June CLE Choir Concert, 6:30 p.m., at AGW
- 4 June MHS Graduation Parade, 9 a.m.
- 5 June Last day of school: Gr 12
- 5 June AHS Senior BBQ, 12 p.m. at AHS
- 5 June OHS Performing Arts Awards Ceremony/Banquet, 7 p.m. at OHS
- 6 June End of fourth marking period
- 6 June EMMS 6-8th Grade Choir Concert, 7 p.m. at EMMS
- 6 June MHS Senior BBQ, 11 a.m. at MHS
- 6 June OHS Senior BBQ, 11 a.m. at OHS
- 8 June High school graduation: AHS / MHS / OHS
- 10-11 June High school exams, Gr 9-11
- 10 June Last day of school: Gr PK
- 11 June Conferences: Gr PK
- 11 June School Board meeting, 7 p.m. at the Marion E. Proffitt Training Center, 118 S. Sixth St, Odessa. Tune in virtually by CLICKING HERE
- 12 June Last day of school: Gr K-11 High school exam make-ups (12:30 p.m. dismissal)
- 13 June WEATHER CONTINGENCY DAY – for students Last day for teachers
- 14 June WEATHER CONTINGENCY DAY – for teachers
- 19 June Schools/offices closed – Juneteenth Emancipation Proclamation celebration day