The athletes.

Last night at Baywood Greens was The 27th Annual WGMD Sports Boosters Scholarship Awards where outstanding local high school athletes are honored and given $250 in scholarship money, with two, a boy and a girl, receiving the big award of $1,000 each.

WGMD’s Jared Morris and Dan Gaffney. Jared was broadcasting live from the event and Dan was the Master of Ceremonies.

WGMD’s David Schoumacher and $1,000 scholarship winner Max Coveleski from Cape Henlopen High School

Max Coveleski from Cape Henlopen High School took the big prize for the boys. Max will be heading off to Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he’ll be studying Physics and Engineering. AUDIO

Ellen Rowe, $1,000 Scholarship winner from Sussex Tech and WGMD’s David Schoumacher.

Ellen Rowe from Sussex Tech won the $1,000 award for the girls. Ellen will be off to St. Joe’s in Philadelphia. AUDIO

The Hockers from Hocker’s G&E and Hocker’s Supercenter, and the Coveleskis, Max’s parents.

Pastor Gary Knapp from the East Gate Presbyterian Church and his wife Alisa. Pastor Gary opened and closed the event.

The Lawson’s from DryZone are our newest Sports Boosters.

Our sales team. Athletic? Maybe….

Larry Bauer, the keynote speaker, and Jack Renault, WGMD’s General Manager.

Lesley Rogan from Peninsula Rehab and Sports Medicine and Linda Wilson from WGMD.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR OUTSTANDING LOCAL ATHLETES!

The Athletes:

Cape Henlopen High School:
Christine MacDonald
*Max Coveleski

Delmarva Christian:
Rachel Lins

Lake Forest:
Abigail Hill
Leland Hobbs

Milford:
Rhonda Thomas
Joel Sullivan

Stephen Decatur:
Allison Justice
Logan West

Sussex Tech:
*Ellen Rowe
Zachary Rickards

Delmar:
Alison Bloodsworth

Indian River:
Brittany Steele
Luke Wingate

Laurel:
Kelsy Ann Gordy
David Bartee

Seaford:
Kelsey Riggleman
Andrew Halter

Sussex Central:
Christin Headley
Ronald Lee Tyndall

Woodbridge:
Sarah Judy
Reuss Idler

 

A kindergarten teacher in Florida held a referendum with her students that resulted in a 5 year old boy with Asperger’s syndrome getting voted out of class by a 14-2 vote:

Melissa Barton said the teacher made her 5-year-old son, Alex, stand in the front of her classroom after he returned from the principal’s office, the Sun-Sentinel reports. Each classmate was allowed to say what they disliked about Alex and then the class was told to vote on whether he should remain. The school is in Port St. Lucie.

Alex lost the vote 14 to 2. He is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a type of high-functioning autism.

The teacher tells the story this way:

Portillo and children in the class said Alex was pushing a table up with his feet while he was under the table. The teacher got the school resource officer to remove Alex from the classroom. It was the second discipline referral for Alex that day, the report said.

When Alex returned to the class, Portillo said she and the class were not ready for him to return.

Portillo told the officer she asked Alex to join her at the front of the class.

“She said she then asked him to listen to what the children didn’t like about the things he did, and she asked him how it made him feel,” the report said. “She said at this time, ‘We polled the class’ to see how his peers felt about his return at that time.”

Alex was voted out, 14 to 2.

The teacher has been reassigned, hopefully far, far away from children.

I can’t believe a kindergarten teacher would take this approach with a child that was in the process of being diagnosed with an autism disorder. What a cruel thing to do to a child, and what a cruel thing to do to the parents.

And what terrible lesson did it teach the children in that classroom?

Tisk.

The public parking lot at the end of Savannah Road in Lewes. It’s all sand.

A tree blocking the eastbound lane of King’s Highway, that’s the road to Cape Henlopen High School and the District office if you’re coming from Route 1 north. School was on time, but then around 8:30 a.m., an hour after the start of the day for many schools, the automated call came from the District Office that you shouldn’t send your child to school if there was flooding in your area…little late, fellas.

Downtown Milton.

The end of Old Landing Road.

Route 1 by Five Points.

The ocean at the Indian River Inlet.

A snowplow keeping Route 1 directly north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge free of sand.

The ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Rehoboth did a good job weathering the storm so far.

A small windmill on a home in Rehoboth cranking out power like a champ.

And, the R/V Russell W. Peterson, the research vessel that Bluewater Wind launched to study the possible impact of their wind farm on avian life, has run into trouble:

From WGMD News:

The Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a research vessel off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. Authorities say two people aboard the Russell W. Peterson activated an electronic positioning radio beacon and reported that the boat was breaking up and taking on water about 14 miles off the coast. A helicopter crew from the Coast Guard air station in Atlantic City, N.J., was on the scene, and two small boats from Cape May and Ocean City were also en route. The vessel, named after a former Delaware governor active in environmental issues, was christened in Wilmington just six weeks ago and was being used by Bluewater Wind to study migratory bird routes in connection with the proposed offshore wind farm.

More to come as the tide rolls in…

“It was the worst year of my life” said the Dorchester County Maryland school teacher, when describing the time she worked for Dana Goodman, the Sussex Central principal charged with 30 counts of rape. 

Teacher Jane Doe, (my name for her) also explained how Mr. Goodman would allow the middle school girls to refer to him as “husband” and would call themselves “Mrs. Goodman” while they adjusted his tie at lunch. 

Despite pages of complaints against Goodman, he apparently was given a glowing recommendation when seeking his job here in Delaware, because Dorchester wanted to get rid of him!

Click here and listen to my Jane Doe teacher interview audio.

With the help of a generous Court of Common Pleas judge and a good attorney, 38 year old former Sussex Central High School principal, Dana Goodman, is free on bail.  Judge Rosemary Beauregard reduced Goodman’s bond from $331,000 to $125,000 dollars, which he was able to post Thursday. 

 He has been ordered to have no contact with the 17 year old victim,  the Indian River School District or its employees and no contact - direct or indirect - with any children under the age of 18.  Goodman is charged with 30 counts of 4th degree rape and continual sexual abuse of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.  All are felony offenses.

On Goodman’s release the school district has this comment:

Statement concerning the posting of bond by Sussex Central High School Principal Dana Goodman: 

“Mr. Goodman continues to be prohibited from having any contact with Indian River School District students or staff while his case is being adjudicated. The Indian River Board of Education has directed administrative staff to advertise the position of principal of Sussex Central High School, identify qualified applicants to be interviewed by the board and conduct background checks on all such applicants consistent with IRSD procedures.”                                               

                                Susan Bunting, SuperintendentMay 9, 2008

Earlier this week the Indian River School District appointed former IR and Woodbridge School District teacher and administrator, Robert Powell, as the interim principal at Sussex Central High School for the remainder of the school year.  Also Assistant IR Superintendent Gary Brittingham has been assigned to the school for the rest of the school year. 

The school district has now announced a special meeting for parents and members of the community regarding Sussex Central High School: 

BOARD OF EDUCATION TO HOST SPECIAL MEETING REGARDING SUSSEX CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

 The Indian River Board of Education will host a special meeting on Monday, May 19 to address the future of Sussex Central High School. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s auditorium. Parents and community members will have the opportunity to comment and ask questions during the meeting. A sign-up sheet will be available prior to the meeting for those who wish to address the Board.  MEDIA INQUIRIES: Susan Bunting, Superintendent, (302) 436-1000

At a special meeting on Tuesday, May 6, the Indian River Board of Education hired Robert Powell to serve as interim principal of Sussex Central High School for the remainder of the 2007-2008 school year. In addition, the board assigned Assistant Superintendent Gary Brittingham to the school for the remainder of the year.
“The Board of Education has put Sussex Central High School in good hands. Mr. Powell and Mr. Brittingham are competent and experienced administrators who will assure that the final six weeks of the school year run smoothly,” Superintendent Susan Bunting said. “We are especially pleased to have Mr. Powell back in our ranks. He is a talented educator who will work extremely hard to keep students and staff focused on instruction as the school year comes to a close.”

Powell spent 26 years as a teacher and administrator in the Indian River School District before retiring from the Woodbridge School District in 2005. He began as a health teacher at Selbyville Middle School in 1975 and received the district’s Teacher of the Year Award in 1980. That same year, he became assistant principal at Sussex Central Middle School and served in that capacity until 1989, when he was named the school’s principal. He was principal of Sussex Middle until 2001 and was named Delaware’s Principal of the Year in 1999. He accepted a principal’s position in the Woodbridge School District in 2001.  

Powell has recently served as a hearing officer for the Indian River School District. He will begin his duties at Sussex Central High School on Thursday, May 8.

SUBTITLE: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY 

The Indian River School Board meeting in Executive Session tonight.

  

So, let’s just get right to it, the Indian River School Board met tonight in Dagsboro, and, as they warned WGMD News earlier in the day via e-mail… 

Tonight’s special meeting of the Indian River Board of Education was scheduled for the purpose of addressing the state budget crisis and its impact on our district. These discussions will take place in executive session, as will any discussion related to the situation at Sussex Central High School. There will not be a public comment session at this meeting. However, the board will host two public comment sessions at its next regular monthly meeting on May 27. 

…they went right into executive session.

Now, under the cirumstances, (you know, with Dana Goodman, the Sussex Central High School principal sitting in prison for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a student), you’d think they would have taken the time to at least speak to the small group of parents who showed up.  

Incidentally, the parents didn’t want to comment on Sussex Central principal Dana Goodman, either. In fact, the only thing the parents had to say was that they were there to, “support our school and our administration,” whatever that means. They could certainly learn a lesson from the parents in the Cape Henlopen School District who take the board to task on a regular basis.

It was pretty obvious from my short interview before the meeting with Board President Charles Bireley that no one wanted to discuss Principal Dana Goodman. AUDIO For the record, he denied that the Board ever received a formal complaint from anyone about Dana Goodman. No letters, no e-mails. Just “rumors.”

Dr. Don Hattier was more forthcoming when I spoke with him on his way in, saying that if the charges against Goodman are true, “he’s gotta go.” AUDIO Holy cow, what an understatement.

Superintendent Susan Bunting said she was advised not to discuss the situation other than it being a “personnel” issue.

Is this the same Indian River School Board that fought a religious lawsuit tooth and nail? I guess maintaining the label “Easter Break” on a vacation was worth the lawsuit, while commenting on a principal who may have been boinking a student just isn’t worth the hassle.

Or maybe the Indian River School Board just cares about things that they think are popular. Apparently religion in schools is popular and protecting students from a possible sexual predator is not.

We’ll see, since they’re supposed to release a statement today.

And while I’m at it, I want to point out this comment from our blog:

It’s about time someone questioned the behaviour of the ‘victim’. 

Yeah, a 17 year old girl. I guess this commenter doesn’t think that adult male human beings have the ability to restrain themselves.

We send our kids to school for like 7 hours a day, and we have to be able to trust the teachers and administrators who come in contact with them. I don’t care if the girl left school at the end of the day to turn tricks, when she walks into Sussex Central High School, she should be out of bounds for any adult.  

Good grief. Did I actually have to take the time out of my day to explain that to some of you? 

As Uncle Ben said in Spiderman “Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility.” We give a “great responsibility” to the schools we send our kids to, and when they fail us this miserably doors shouldn’t be closed to the public.

Did Dana Goodman the Sussex Central Principal charged with 30 counts of rape of a minor, have a problematic past at other schools?  I keep hearing it, but have no proof.

I did find some online buzz about him in Dorchester County claiming he had a sketchy work history.

Read it here:  http://www.newszapforums.com/forum11/58625.html

Click here to read our first post about the local Principal Charged with rape.

It’s been a wild ride this week for Sussex Central High School Principal Dana Goodman.

First, Principal Goodman was caught making off color sexual innuendo jokes at a school assembly in front of the students, (cracks about the vice principal’s wife staying home pregnant with Goodman’s baby, and remarks about whether the Principal or Vice Principal would escort the “homely” girls to prom) Principal Goodman issue a formal apology for those jokes, and then told staffers  to avoid contacting “Dan Gaffney at WGMD”

Second, this week I broke the story about how on April 21st a pool of blood, a bloody handprint and a condom wrapper was discovered in a classroom at the start of the school day. A concerned teacher alerted the office, and Principal Goodman quickly ordered the blood cleaned up before the school police officer could be notified. State Police Crpl. Bratz, the school resource officer told me didn’t understand why the principal wouldn’t have let the police see the bloody scene before clean up. Why did the principal act in such an irresponsible way?  This time he ORDERED staffers not to call the Dan Gaffney Show. Read on….

Now at this hour, we hear that Principal Goodman has been arrested by the Delaware State Police. Sources tell me “it’s about 40 counts of rape”. We hear the victim was a student at the school. Officially the police have not released the charges; I’ll update you when that happens.

He has been suspended from his employment in the Indian River School District.

Eww.

UPDATE AT 6:33 PM FROM WGMD NEWS:

The charges are 30 counts of 4th degree rape, endangering the welfare f a child and continual sexual abuse of a child. 38 year old Dana Goodman, the principal at Sussex Central High School in Georgetown was arrested around noon today at school for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old female high school student. State Police say the investigation was launched when an anonymous tip was sent to the school district via a letter. State Police detectives understand the contact was consensual and began in the early part of January of this year and ended about a week ago. Police say Goodman and the student met at various locations in Sussex and Kent counties. Goodman is being held at SCI in default of $331,000 cash only bail and has been ordered to have no contact with children under the age of 18 and no contact with the Indian River School District or its employees. Anyone else who may have been victimized, should call State Police at 302-856-5850 ext 219.

THE TOWNSEND VILLAGE CENTRE FLARES UP AGAIN  


The Townsend Village Center, a proposed commercial and residential development that would sit across the street from Cape Henlopen High School, was addressed again last night at the Cape Henlopen School Board meeting, but this time not by a board member.


Terry Bartley told the board that choosing to keep the High School in Lewes shouldn’t mean the Board can’t get involved in the issue.  AUDIO


The proposed development was unanimously shot down by Lewes Planning and Zoning recently, but The Sussex County Council still has the authority (but hopefully not the audacity) to approve it.      


 SHARON DAVIS TELLS IT LIKE IT IS, WAS AND WILL BE 


Milton Mom Sharon Davis, addressed the Cape School Board Thursday night to stress “fiscal prudence in the current environment,”  AUDIO, among other things:

“The budget that has been presented to you paints a picture of financial health that might tend to bolster confidence in committing to spending as it recommends. After all, it increases expenditures in a number of significant and necessary programs, and still results in an overall surplus. But, knowing what we know about the financial health of this State and not yet knowing fully what the fiscal health of the county may be, does it make sense for you, as those responsible for the fiscal well-being of this district, to simply pass this budget and wait to see what happens next year.” - Sharon Davis  

Mrs Davis went on to urge the Board to “NOT vote on this budget tonight.” The budget was ultimately tabled due to typographical errors, like it had no money budgeted for the library at Milton Elementary School. Whoops! 

 OUCH! The State of Delaware wants 10% back from all over the state, and that includes Delaware’s schools. Where will it come from in Cape?           


Yeah, that says “REDUCTION IN FORCE OF 37 UNITS” which translates into teachers, teachers assistants and paraprofessionals. THAT translates into larger class size.       


THE GREAT BIG  ”SO YOU WANT TO BE A SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT” ESSAY QUESTION OF THE DAY


If you’re the Superintendent in a Sussex County School District, and your every budgetary move is being micro-analyzed by a group of parents who are angry that you balanced the budget by not replacing teachers and increasing class size, how do you walk into a School Board Meeting and announce that you may have to cut staff (i.e. around 37 teachers, teaching assistants and paraprofessionals), in one breath, and then announce that the pool that got shot down in a referendum and a second athletic field for the new High School are back on the table in the next breath? 


 DIFFERENT POTS, SAME “I JUST GOT POKED IN THE EYEBALL” FEELING FOR WORRIED CAPE PARENTS


Even though it was shot down by a District wide referendum, the swimming pool for the new Cape Henlopen High School may be back on the table because of a chunky windfall:      





So, the money may be there for a pool and a second athletic field for the High School. The other possibility mentioned for the windfall, is giving the extra money back to the School District tax payers, but it’s clear which way District Superintendent George Stone wants to go.  AUDIO 


What the parents attending the meeting wanted, was for the money to be spent on extravagances like more teachers and books and teaching supplies, and, yes, those parents “get” that you can’t take money from one pot and put it into another, but it doesn’t make it any better when you’re worrying about already increased class sizes getting increasier. (See how important a good education is!)


These were the questions people were asking today: Can the money be redirected by another referendum to education instead? What would a referendum cost?  Is Dr. Stone right and this is a great chance to bring some good facilities to the district?


More to come…