State chamber announces 2020 Superstars in Education

WILMINGTON – The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and its education affiliate, The Partnership Inc., announced the 2020 Superstars in Education award winners March 5, including efforts that ranged from closing reading achievement gaps to readying high school students to enter the workforce.

The 21-year-old award program highlights excellence in science teaching, integrated classroom technology and school-to-career partnerships, while serving to support the business community and its investment in the future.

The Superstars in Education Selection Committee considered numerous nominations from public, private, magnet, charter and parochial schools from around the state before deciding upon three winners this year. The 2020 honorees include:

W.O.L.V.E.S Reading Program

Las Américas ASPIRA Academy, Charter School

The W.O.L.V.E.S. Reading Program is aligned to Las Américas ASPIRA Academy’s (LAAA) mascot, mission, and vision by fostering a culturally inclusive community that honors and helps all students realize their full potential in English and Spanish content area classrooms and beyond. The program enhances the balanced literacy framework at LAAA by embedding language acquisition scaffolds so that all students, English Language Learners (ELLs) included, improve their literacy achievement and ultimately close the reading achievement gap.

Student Advisory Program

Talley Middle School, Brandywine School District

At Talley Middle School, teaching and fostering positive social behaviors is important to academic success and creating responsible citizens in the local community. The program was created with the goal of providing a systematic way to teach social emotional lessons and engage students in important age-appropriate conversations that help them grow as individuals.

Sussex Tech Health Professions Program

Sussex Technical High School, Sussex Technical School District

Of the school’s 17 career-technical areas, the Health Professions Program is the most popular. Through classroom and clinical instruction, students gain hands-on experience and training for a range of careers in medical or health care fields. The four-year program prepares students to ultimately achieve certified nurse assistant (CNA) status, which allows graduates to enter the job market immediately upon graduation or to work in their field and earn an income while pursuing higher education.

These winners will be recognized at a reception and awards ceremony at 4:45 p.m. Monday, May 11, in Wilmington University’s Doberstein Admissions Center Auditorium.

Leaders from both the education and business sectors will make appearances during the reception and awards ceremony. The cost to attend is $35 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information about the event, or to register, visit www.dscc.com.

By Jacob Owens

jowens@delawarebusinesstimes.com