Twenty-one talented state employees and their family members will be recognized for their works of art featured in the National Arts Program®: Delaware State Employee Exhibition and Contest IV. In addition, one People’s Choice Award winner will be selected through a Facebook contest. The Awards Show and Closing Reception will be held at Delaware State University’s Arts Center/Gallery on March 14, 2015, 1-3 p.m. Secretary of State Jeffrey W. Bullock and Division of the Arts Deputy Director Kristin Pleasanton will preside at the Awards Ceremony.

“This program provides state employees and their family members with an opportunity to show a side that we don’t normally see in the workplace. It clearly demonstrates the range of talented individuals who are working for the state of Delaware,” said Secretary Bullock. “We’re proud to be able to support and recognize the artistic accomplishments of these employees and their families.”

Twenty-one awards will be given out in five categories – Professional, Intermediate, Amateur, Teen (13-18 years old), and Youth (12 years and under), culminating in one Best in Show. Sixteen cash prizes totaling $2,400 will be awarded by the National Arts Program®. Five Honorable Mention ribbons will also be awarded. Below is a list of all award winners who will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony and Closing Reception.

Two hundred thirty-five employees of Delaware state agencies and their immediate family members submitted artwork for the 2015 exhibition and contest. The participating artists came from across the state and region. Judges for the contest were Rosemary Connelly, artist and educator; Jennifer Gunther, Director of DSU Arts Center/Gallery; and James Ulry, artist and educator.

The Delaware Division of the Arts is proud to be the local sponsor of The National Arts Program®, an organization established in 1982 to identify, showcase, and reward the visual artistic talent in America. The National Arts Program® currently sponsors 82 annual programs, encompassing more than 450 cities and counties within 38 states.

The exhibition will be on view in the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University through March 14. The Gallery is open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 7, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Vote for your favorites! To view a complete set of all 235 art works, visit the Division’s Facebook page or view the artwork on Flickr. The image with the most likes on Facebook will be named the “People’s Choice” and recognized at the Awards Show and Closing Reception.

View all juried winner images here.

Best in Show:
Stephanie Berry, Dover
Department: Capital School District, Art Teacher

Professional:
1st Place:
Adam Ledford, Philadelphia, PA
Department: Special Education, Teacher (Immediate Family Member)

2nd Place:
Gregory Thompson, Wilmington
Department: Red Clay School District, Teacher

3rd Place:
Jennifer Boland, Harrington
Department: Education, Art Educator

Honorable Mention:
William Cox, Wyoming
Department: Health and Social Services (Immediate Family Member)

Intermediate:
1st Place:
Mark Blome, West Grove, PA
Department: Labor, Office of Anti-Discrimination (Immediate Family Member)

2nd Place:
Suzanne Oliver, Wilmington
Department: Technology and Information, Project Management Team

3rd Place:
John Fitzgerald, Claymont
Department: New Castle County Vocational Technical School District

Honorable Mention:
William Montgomery, Wilmington
Department: Delaware Supreme Court, Court Administrator

Amateur:
1st Place:
Sandi Carney, Dover
Department: Health and Social Services

2nd Place:
Jennifer Jurczak, Dover
Department: Labor, Business Services Representative

3rd Place:
Elizabeth Lucas, Middletown
Department: Education, Speech Language Therapist

Honorable Mention:
Gary Piel, Oceanview
Department: Corrections, Correctional Officer

Teen:
1st Place:
Leah Martin, age 17, Dover
Department: Education, Star Hill School Nurse (Immediate Family Member)

2nd Place:
Samantha Greim, age 17, Smyrna
Department: North Star Elementary Library (Immediate Family Member)

3rd Place:
Hayley Schuster, age 18, Dover
Department: Caesar Rodney School District (Immediate Family Member)

Honorable Mention:
Willow Quillen, age 18, Lewes
Department: Education, Automotive Instructor (Immediate Family Member)

Youth:
1st Place:
Caroline Dooley, age 8, Wilmington
Department: Delaware Transit Corporation (Immediate Family Member)

2nd Place:
Skyler Ditizio, age11, Smyrna
Department: Labor Unemployment, Claims Interviewer (Immediate Family Member)

3rd Place:
Max Kichline, age 12, Georgetown
Department: Public Health, Trainer/Educator (Immediate Family Member)

Honorable Mention:
Alex Krumrine, age 6, Magnolia
Department: Natural Resources and Environmental Control (Immediate Family Member)

(Hockessin, DE) – In his weekly message, filmed at Star-Med in Hockessin, Governor Markell addresses ongoing efforts
to support the supplier diversity community in Delaware.

“Executive Order 44, signed last spring, ensures businesses owned by individuals with disabilities and certain small
businesses are able to successfully compete for state contracts as certified diverse suppliers,” said Governor
Markell. “It builds on previous efforts to support minority, women and veteran-owned businesses throughout the state,
which, combined, has resulted in nearly a 200% increase in Delaware’s supplier diversity community over the past six
years.”

Every week, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form. The message is
available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/4IiZzezShtY
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

You can view the Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Supporting Supplier Diversity to Encourage Increased Business Growth

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.

Wilmington – In his weekly message, Governor Markell and U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan recognize the tremendous progress made in Delaware to provide students with preparation for and access to educational opportunities beyond high school.

“Delaware has helped to lead the nation where it needs to go and the progress here is a great lesson that others can learn from,” said Secretary Duncan, who was in Delaware to advocate for President Obama’s America’s College Promise proposal to make community college free.

“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,” said Governor Markell. “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.”

Every week, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form. The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/3IQDjFM2BWc
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/governormarkell

Transcript of the Governor’s Weekly Message: Increasing Access to College and Job Training for Workforce of Tomorrow

The Delaware School Libraries Council, with support from the Delaware Department of State and the Department of Education, is embarking on a Statewide Master Plan for Delaware School Libraries, a comprehensive planning effort designed to create a vision that will inform solutions for the development of state-of-the-art school libraries.

The year-long planning effort, which will appraise the current status of school library services and will address future trends and needs, will be conducted by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware and Himmel & Wilson, Library Consultants. IPA has an extensive project management and strategic planning background in the public sector. Himmel & Wilson specializes in evaluation and planning services for libraries.

“Delaware has made a great investment in upgrading the services offered to residents in our 35 public libraries across the state,” said Secretary of State, Jeff Bullock. “Creating a Master Plan for Delaware’s school libraries ensures students will have the resources they need to be successful within their schools.”

“This is an opportunity for our school librarians, teachers, administrators, students and families to share their needs and help us coordinate services and resources across our state and between our public school and library systems,” Secretary of Education Mark Murphy said.

This school library planning process builds upon the strategic Statewide Master Plan for Delaware Public Libraries which resulted in significant improvements in public library buildings and sharing of library collections statewide through the Delaware Library Catalog. “A statewide strategic approach to all library services will support Delawareans in achieving potential in their education, career, and throughout life,” according to Dr. Annie Norman, State Librarian and Chair of the Delaware School Libraries Council.

The consultants will review background documents and national research, and will obtain input from school librarians, educators, district administrators, students, parents, legislators, and the public through surveys, site visits, interviews, and focus groups. A focus of the researchers is determining the most effective methods to integrate electronic resources, instructional technologies, and information literacy/fluency at the individual school-building level. The project will identify ways to utilize print resources to engage elementary-age children with reading, and methods to equip older students to navigate and apply information resources in the post-secondary realm.

The final plan submitted to the Delaware School Libraries Council will provide recommendations for an integrated framework for school libraries, including library services, collections, funding, staffing, operating costs, maintenance, performance indicators and measures, policies, and state and local governance. The summary of efforts to improve school libraries to date and the recommendations for the Statewide Master Plan for Delaware School Libraries can be found in the 2013 Annual Report of the Delaware School Libraries Council.

About:
The Delaware School Libraries Council was enacted by Governor Markell in 2011 through Executive Order 30 to improve and extend school library services that are essential to educational success.

The Delaware Division of Libraries is a state agency dedicated to unleashing the potential in all Delawareans in partnership with Delaware Libraries.