Hannah Sturgis, a sophomore from POLYTECH High School, won Delaware’s Poetry Out Loud state competition on February 24, 2015, held at the Smyrna Opera House. Sturgis’ recitations of “Snake Oil, Snake Bite,” by Dilruba Ahmed; “The Applicant,” by Sylvia Plath; and “Battle-Hymn of the Republic,” by Julia Ward Howe earned her high marks with the judges. The first runner-up was Kate Goorland from Ursuline Academy, and the second runner-up was Eden Negusse from Glasgow High School.

For her winning presentation, Hannah Sturgis will receive $200 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, with a chaperone to compete for the national championship on April 27-29, 2015. POLYTECH High School will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. Kate Goorland, the first runner-up will receive $100, and $200 goes to Ursuline Academy for the purchase of poetry books.

Walmart provided $25 gift cards for all sixteen student finalists and their teachers. At the National Finals, The Poetry Foundation will be awarding up to $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends, with a $20,000 college scholarship awarded to the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

The state Poetry Out Loud competition, sponsored by the Delaware Division of the Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

Governor also nominates Judge Calvin L. Scott, Jr. for reappointment to Superior Court

Wilmington, DE – Governor Markell today announced he has nominated Collins J. (C.J.) Seitz, Jr., a widely respected attorney with more than three decades of legal experience, to serve on the Delaware Supreme Court. If confirmed by the Delaware Senate, Seitz will fill the vacancy left by Justice Henry duPont Ridgely, who retired on January 31^st.

“During his distinguished legal career of more than 30 years, C.J. Seitz has earned a reputation as a brilliant attorney whose judgment, civility, and integrity are second to none,” said Governor Markell. “If he is confirmed by the Senate, I believe C.J. will serve our state well as a member of Delaware’s highest court.”

Mr. Seitz is the founding partner of Seitz, Ross, Aronstam & Moritz LLP. In that capacity, he regularly litigates corporate, commercial, and intellectual property cases, and advises clients on issues of Delaware corporate law. Previously, Mr. Seitz served as managing partner of Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz LLP, where he practiced for more than three decades.

In addition to his work in the courtroom, Mr. Seitz is actively involved in his community. He is a trustee for the New Castle Presbyterian Church, board member of the Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107, board member and former president of the Greater Hockessin Area Development Association, and board member and former president of Community Legal Aid Society.

“I want to thank the Judicial Nominating Commission and the Governor for this nomination,” said Seitz. “If I am fortunate enough to be confirmed by the Senate, I will do my best to serve the people of Delaware as a Justice on the State’s highest court.”

Seitz, 57, received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware in 1980.  He earned his law degree at the Villanova University School of Law and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1983. He resides with his wife in New Castle.

In addition, Governor Markell today announced that he has nominated the Honorable Calvin L. Scott, Jr. for reappointment to the Delaware Superior Court. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and the Widener University School of Law, Judge Scott has served as a judge on the Superior Court since 2003.

“Judge Scott is a dedicated public servant who has served with distinction as a member of the Superior Court for the last 12 years,” said Governor Markell. “If he is confirmed by the Senate, I believe he will continue to serve our judiciary and our state well.”

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Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock has ordered the temporary suspension of the Delaware nursing license of Dana Dolan of Smyrna, following a filing by the Delaware Department of Justice with the Board of Nursing in response to complaints of the licensee engaging in activities that present a clear and immediate danger to the public health, including the diversion of controlled substances from her employer for her own personal use.

In making his determination, Secretary Bullock considered the written complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleging that Ms. Dolan had engaged in the diverting and consuming of non-prescribed controlled substances from her employer, and her admitted addiction and dependence on controlled substances. As a result, the Board should issue an order temporarily suspending her license, pending a final hearing on the complaint as provided by 24 Del. C. § 1923.

As a result of the actions taken today, the suspension of Ms. Dolan will remain in effect for a period of 60 days during which time disciplinary hearings will be held to determine the final disposition for the nurse.

The licensure status of Ms. Dolan has been updated on the Division of Professional Regulation’s online license verification service.

Hi I’m Arne Duncan. I’m thrilled to be back in Delaware for I think the fifth or sixth time and I’m thrilled to be back here at Howard High School for the second time in four years. I think the progress here at Howard symbolizes the extraordinary progress we’ve seen around the state: the huge investments the state has made in early childhood education, not just in access but in driving quality, seeing high school graduation rates at all-time highs, dropout rates at thirty-year lows, huge increases in dual enrollment, AP participation. Something that the state has done that I don’t know if another state has come close, really ensuring that every student, regardless of financial background or socioeconomic status, every senior who has worked hard and who is college ready has an opportunity to apply to college and be accepted. So, I want to thank the Governor for his extraordinary leadership, but most importantly I want to thank the hard-working teachers and principals, and most importantly, the students themselves for what they’re doing. And in a very real way, Delaware is helping to lead the nation where it needs to go and the progress here is a great lesson that others can learn from.

This progress is driven in no small part by the $119 million we received as part of the Race to the Top funding program led by Secretary Duncan, which allowed us to innovate and transform our schools in many exciting ways. Now the Race to the Top grant is over, but the process of improving our schools is not. And I would not have signed the initial grant application unless we were committed to sustaining our efforts. That’s why I proposed in my budget this year to fund those key things that our teachers and principals tell us are making a difference in their schools every day. We knew much of the Race to the Top funding would be spent on one-time costs. Initiatives that didn’t work won’t continue. But we have a responsibility to step up as a state and support what is working, like the turnaround efforts at Howard High School, work to recruit, mentor, and retain great teachers and principals, support for Professional Learning Communities, and expanding college access. This is not easy work and this is an especially challenging time because the federal money is running out in a tough budget year for our state. But by investing in those initiatives that are helping students succeed in classrooms across our state, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

Photos from the day’s events

With free community college and an aggressive effort to help students continue education beyond high school, Delaware is recognized as a model for President Obama initiative

 Newark, DE – Highlighting Delaware as a model state for providing students with preparation for and access to educational opportunities beyond high school, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan used the state’s efforts to advocate for President Obama’s America’s College Promise proposal to make community college free. Governor Markell, along with U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, joined Duncan for a discussion with students who have benefited from the state’s SEED scholarship, which provides two years of free college tuition to Delaware high school graduates with at least a 2.5 grade point average. They also highlighted recent progress the state has made in preparing students for education beyond high school, with record high graduation rates, record low dropout rates and double the number of high school students enrolled in college courses compared to last year.

“Today, more than ever, Americans need more knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a growing global economy without having to take on decades of debt before they even embark on their career,” said Duncan. “That means it’s more important than ever that we ensure that the opportunities offered to students today in Delaware are made available across the country. I applaud Governor Markell for having the vision to find new ways to provide access to college and career training programs.

“We also know that those opportunities are only possible for students because of great teachers and school leaders. Their work is why the state is reducing dropout rates while increasing graduation and college attendance rates.”

The SEED program uses state funds to pay for tuition at Delaware Tech and for the University of Delaware’s two-year Associate in Arts program. Markell signed legislation in 2010 to create the Inspire Scholarship – a similar program that would provide qualifying Delaware State University students with the same amount of tuition that SEED scholars receive.

“No student who would benefit from an education here should be denied that opportunity because of an inability to pay,” said Markell. “That’s the message we send through our SEED and Inspire scholarships and it’s exciting to see the President take that message to community colleges across the country.  But we know we can do more to ensure students have access to the best education and training for them. It’s why we’re giving more students access to college-level courses as well as opportunities to earn professional credentials in growing industries while still in high school.”

Today’s event at Delaware Tech’s Stanton Campus followed last week’s launch of the Governor’s Pathways to Prosperity initiative, which will establish partnerships with Delaware employers, universities, and school districts to prepare students for a bright future in high-demand fields and careers. The Governor and Secretary highlighted the effort today as an important way for Delaware to build on its efforts to prepare young people for good jobs in the new economy.

The state is dedicating more than $1 million of federal grants to support school districts that make the pathway programs available to students, who will take hundreds of hours of specialized instruction and hands-on training. They will have the opportunity to graduate with industry-recognized certificates and college credits.

“I am proud that Secretary Duncan chose Delaware to hold a roundtable discussion on workforce development and college affordability,” said Carper. “These are the kinds of conversations we need to be having as we continue to explore the best ways to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to obtain a quality education so that they can be competitive in the global market place. I think we do a good job of doing that here in the First State, but we can always do better, and I thank Governor Markell for leading a thoughtful discussion among students and business leaders we gathered here at Del Tech today.”

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Earlier in the day Duncan and Markell visited Howard High School, where they observed an English class and spoke with teachers, as well as Principal Stanley Spoor, about the remarkable progress the school has made in recent years with support of funds the state won through the federal Race to the Top grant competition. Four years ago, less than half of Howard students scored proficient in math and reading. Last year, 82 percent were proficient in reading and 79 percent were proficient in math.

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