Indian River School District

A lopsided 48-0 win for Indian River over Seaford last Friday, Nov. 4, gave the Green-and-Gold a lock on the No. 1 spot in the Delaware Division II football standings. But before they head into the postseason tournament – with the highest ranking they’ve ever landed – the undefeated Indians were to face one more test, as they played host on Nov. 10 to Sussex Central, which has sealed the Henlopen North title for the past two years.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, Delaware will join all other states in conducting the first nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. At 2 p.m., radio, television and cable stations will broadcast the familiar alert warning sound. Following the alert sound, the recorded message on broadcast media will state, “This is a test.” The audio message will be the same for both radio and television.

Delaware’s Department of Transportation has announced that beginning this evening, Wednesday, Nov. 2, there will be a shift in traffic patterns on Route 1 just north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. The shift will be implemented to ensure continued road safety due to dune erosion adjacent to the northbound lanes, they said.

At 365 square miles, Indian River is Delaware’s largest school district geographically, but enrollment is increasing, too. At the IRSD school board meeting Oct. 24, the district announced an enrollment of 8,871 students, which is an increase of 85 students since last school year.

On Oct. 13, Lord Baltimore Elementary School students and staff, along with members of the Bethany Beach and Millville volunteer fire companies, commenced a week of activities highlighting fire safety, in recognition of Fire Prevention Week.

Indian River High School has helped shape the lives of countless high-school students since 1969, and, this year, a new organization has formed to try to reach out to the many graduates who have walked through the school’s halls over the years.

The Indian River School District is taking another swing at developing a proposed social media policy, but teacher input and expert advice are aiding the process as it moves forward.

It’s getting a lot harder for people driving across the Indian River Inlet Bridge to see through the gap between north and south sides of the new bridge as they drive past, with the time for the final concrete pour of the project nearing and just 10 feet of space remaining between the two cantilevered portions of the bridge deck.

At a time when health concerns and rising obesity rates are at the forefront of American consciousness, school lunches are perhaps more important than ever, and National School Lunch Week was observed Oct. 10 to 14, with this year’s theme being “Let’s Grow Healthy.”

Agriculture may be a long-running part of the Delmarva lifestyle, but Indian River students are going places with it.

Delaware high school students must now fulfill a new, worldlier requirement before graduating. Beginning with this year’s freshmen, the class of 2015, all students must earn two credits worth of world language requirements.

The Indian River School District Board of Education didn’t waste time in the new school year before diving right into discussion about full-day kindergarten at the first board meeting of the school year, on Sept. 27.

Indian River High School has become synonymous with musical and artistic talent over the years. Band Director Mark Marvel has put in the better part of three decades at the school, developing a noteworthy musical program that has put on concerts and recitals, variety shows, holiday events and the recent revitalization of the school’s stage band.

With both sides having won one legal round, the Indian River School District Board of Education now plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for final reckoning in the district prayer debate that began in 2005.

Coastal Delaware began its recovery from Hurricane Irene on Sunday, dealing with localized flooding and power outages, as well as downed trees and broken limbs. Gov. Jack Markell lifted a travel ban and evacuation orders for at-risk areas as of 11 a.m. on Aug. 28, advising caution for those who did choose to travel.

From Ocean View Police Department (11:45 p.m.):

Over the past hour, winds and rain subsided.  Police patrols were initiated and all roadways in town are reported to be open.  Power is still out on the east side of West Avenue and in Bethany Beach.  Many trees have fallen, however, at this time there has been no report of damage.

Level 2 driving restrictions will be in place in Sussex County starting at 6 p.m.; then in Kent County starting from 8 p.m.; and in New Castle County starting from 10 p.m. This means that non-emergency travel will be prohibited.   Those who are evacuating from flooding or flood-prone areas, including to shelters, are exempt.
 

Indian River Inlet Bridge closing, conditions deteriorating as Irene approaches

As conditions across Delmarva have started to deteriorate with the approach of Hurricane Irene, the Delaware Department of Transportation has announced that the Indian River Inlet Bridge could be closed as early as 3 p.m. on Saturday but would definitely be closed by 4 p.m.

Hurricane Irene begins making its way into Sussex County
Those evacuating at-risk areas should be out; conditions will worsen quickly as day progresses

The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Warning and Flood Watch for the area, as Hurricane Irene comes ashore and heads toward Delmarva. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but it remains near Category 2 strength, with winds near 100 mph.

The evacuation of Sussex County’s most vulnerable areas continued Friday evening as Hurricane Irene, now slightly weaker but still a very dangerous storm, remained on a collision course with the eastern United States, including Sussex County and the rest of Delaware.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has declared a mandatory evacuation for much of the Coastal Point readership area. Everyone in towns including Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, North Bethany, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Long Neck, Oak Orchard, and Broadkill, Primehook and Slaughter beaches is being required to evacuate prior to 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.

“School days. School days. Good old golden rule days.”

School is out of session, so the Indian River School Board of Education had a relatively light agenda at the July board meeting. Although they were primarily dealing with updates and reports on Tuesday, July 26, the board heard several important presentations and updates.

Coastal Kayak, located in northern Fenwick Island along Route 1, is giving back through the fourth installment of their Paddle for a Purpose fundraiser, this Sunday, June 26.