Indian River School District

Students in the Indian River School District can rest assured that they will not be in school come July making up snow days. On March 1, the Indian River Board of Education met at a special emergency meeting to discuss and approve changes to their 2009-2010 academic calendar. As of March 1, students in the district had missed 11 days of school due to closings, 10 of which were weather-related.

“We are addressing you as students, but we are recognizing you as teachers,” explained Col. Robert M. Coupe of the Delaware State Police to an auditorium filled with high school students at Sussex Central High School last week, as the Disaster Preparedness Coalition introduced their 2010 Disaster Preparedness DVD – one subtitled in Spanish and one subtitled in English.

Just shy of five years to the day of being named defendants in a lawsuit regarding school prayer, the Indian River School Board has closed another chapter in the case, after Judge Joseph J. Farnan Jr. ruled in favor of the district, stating that their policy regarding prayers before regular school board meetings is not unconstitutional.

The Indian River School District has received two Superstars in Education awards from the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce for 2010. The “Data-Driven Differentiation” program at Phillip C. Showell Elementary School and the “Mastering the Schedule for Student Success” program at Frankford Elementary School were among the seven 2010 Superstars winners announced on Feb. 2.

[UPDATE] Due to inclement weather, all Indian River School District schools will be closed on Friday, Feb. 12. All 12-month employees will be informed of their status at a later time, officials said.

A brief storm update from state officials as of 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10:

• Delmarva Power crews in Sussex County have temporarily suspended operations due to visibility problems.

Gov. Jack Markell declared a State of Emergency covering the entire state of Delaware effective at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, with all non-emergency vehicles ordered off the roads.

State officials were reporting nearly 14,000 electric customers still without power – mostly in Sussex County – on Monday morning, as crews from Delmarva Power and Delaware Electric Cooperative struggled to reach and repair outages from last weekend’s blizzard. Shelters in both counties remained open for those needing shelter due to a lack of power or heat.

State of Emergency declared for state as of 8 p.m., vehicles ordered off roads as of 10 p.m.

Gov. Jack Markell declared a State of Emergency covering the entire state of Delaware effective at 8 p.m. Friday, with vehicles ordered off the roads as of 10 p.m.

The Indian River School Board met Monday, Jan. 28, at Indian River High School. Although the meeting’s agenda items included the district’s cell phone policy and potential uniform policy, the real focus of the meeting was on a decision made at a prior board meeting.

The Indian River School District is asking district taxpayers to vote “for” a funding transfer in a referendum set for Feb. 9.

Due to inclement weather, all Indian River School District schools will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 3. All 12-month employees should report two hours late.

With a weather advisory from the National Weather Service in effect, state agencies on Tuesday were preparing to meet the challenge of yet more snow.

The National Weather Service Mt. Holly office issued a winter weather advisory for Delaware that was to be in effect from 7 p.m. Tuesday evening to 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Due to inclement weather, all Indian River School District schools will be closed on Monday, Feb. 1. All 12-month employees are not required to report.

Other Monday closures, as they are reported to Coastal Point:
Cape Henlopen School District -- closed
Little Hearts Learning Center, Millville - closed

Say “So long” to that styrofoam solar system and “Bon voyage” to the baking soda-and-vinegar volcano. Last week, for the first time in well over a decade, Indian River High School students presented months of research and data in the form of projects at the 2010 Indian River Science Fair, and it wasn’t their parents’ kind of science fair.

Due to snow, all Indian River School District schools are now closed on Friday, Jan. 8. Officials had previously announced a two-hour delay. All 12-month employees should report at their regular time. The Cape Henlopen School District is also closed on Friday, with staff reporting on a two-hour delay.

On Dec. 23, Attorney General Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III held a press conference to update the public on the investigation of Lewes pediatrician Dr. Earl B. Bradley. In addition, Biden provided information about victim services that are available to community members who have been affected by the case.

Volunteers and teachers are changing the way young children develop in local schools today. Throughout the Indian River School District, school mentors are offering their time and interest to be there for young students as they learn.

Lewes pediatrician Dr. Earl B. Bradley was charged with an additional 24 charges on Friday, Dec. 18, after turning himself in to Delaware State Police Troop 4 detectives on Friday morning.

Performances put on by Indian River High School’s music department have become traditions throughout the school year, from holiday performances put on by the school band and choir to the end-of-the-year variety show, which brings together a slew of productions. This year, though, band and choral director Mark Marvel has been hard at work, determined to bring back the Indian River Stage Band – an elite group of talented students who will put on a free holiday concert next Thursday, Dec. 17.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida continued to wallop the Delaware coastal area on Friday, Nov. 13, with winds expected to continue to average around 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph.

Sussex County emergency officials on Friday morning, Nov. 13, were continuing to monitor the major coastal storm affecting the region, but said they were optimistic that once the early morning high-tide cycle was complete, conditions might gradually improve over the next 24 hours.

Gov. Jack Markell has declared a state of emergency for Kent County and Sussex County to better enable response to the current storm, effective at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Route 1 closed in both directions at IRIB

Delaware Department of Transportation officials have completely closed Route 1 at the Indian River Inlet Bridge as of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12. The road is closed both northbound and southbound and in all lanes. No estimated time for reopening of the road has been announced.

Life in front of a canvas may seem like an unlikely outcome for a South Jersey farm boy, but John Donato has fit in quite comfortably with the local artists in eastern Sussex County. Vibrant acrylics, giclées and murals display Donato’s talent, depicting warm, whimsical animal portraits, as well as surfing and beach scenes.

Two late season losses, including one in the Henlopen South Championship game against Seaford, dropped the Indian River boys’ soccer team to 12-3 as the Delaware State Tournament got underway this week. But judging by last year’s performance and a similar record, the Indians are poised to play hard into the tournament.

Starting Nov. 13, Hocker’s and G&E will be offering customers a gas rewards program. For every $100 spent, customers will receive 10 cents per gallon off of gas purchased at Hocker’s or G&E. Through the Hocker’s G&E Gold Card customers will be able to save on various items throughout both stores and pay a discounted price on gas.

Those looking to get involved in their community may want to give the Southern Sussex Rotary at try. The world’s first service organization is looking for members in the area.

“It’s a community thing,” explained Southern Sussex member Dominique Kimball. “But it is also national and international.”

In a case that details the kinds of conflict that can happen as an area is developed, a 1-acre property near Millville has been the source of discord between the property owner and neighbors in recent years, as they battle over an ongoing use that the property’s owner says has existed there for nearly a half-century.

In a move that garnered praise from Gov. Jack Markell and Delaware Congressional delegation, NRG Energy Inc. this week announced that it had acquired Bluewater Wind, one of the nation’s leading offshore wind development businesses, from Babcock & Brown and Arcadia Windpower.