Aspiring Delaware health care workers will represent the First State at a national leadership conference this summer after winning state awards last week.

More than 1,000 middle and high school students participated last week in the 13th annual HOSA State Leadership Conference at Wilmington University. HOSA members earning a medallion qualify for the International Leadership Conference June 26-29, 2024, in Houston, Texas.

Delaware HOSA is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) dedicated to students who are interested in pursuing their future in a career in healthcare. Through HOSA-Future Health Professionals, more than 1,300 Delaware members have the opportunity to participate in career focused competitive events, take part in community service, and become leaders for the organization in their school, state, and at the international level. HOSA-Future Health Professionals incorporates curricular and co-curricular experiences to emphasize the importance of knowledge, leadership, skill development, and teamwork.

A list of all state award winners and events is located at delawarehosa.org. To learn more about Delaware HOSA, please contact Peg Enslen by email at: peggy.enslen@doe.k12.de.us.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Students brought home honors from the 51^st annual Delaware Technology Student Association (DETSA) State Leadership Conference at University of Delaware’s Clayton Hall last week. Bringing together more than 800 students, educators, and industry professionals from across the state, this year’s conference was a celebration of innovation, leadership, and excellence in technology and engineering education, all under the theme “Evolution of Excellence.”

Fun-Filled Highlights of the 51st Annual SLC:

• Awards for Competitive Events: With more than 60 exciting competitive events covering robotics, coding, engineering, fashion design technology, digital video production, multimedia production, and more. Delaware’s students displayed their talents and expertise for all to see!
• Empowering Leadership Workshops: Attendees were inspired by engaging workshops and seminars led by professionals from the University of Delaware’s College of Engineering, helping them gain valuable skills and knowledge for their future adventures in technology and STEM.
• Connect and Learn: The conference provided a platform for students to make friends, meet educators, and connect with representatives from the University of Delaware’s College of Engineering, sparking new friendships and inspiring teamwork within the technology and STEM community.
• Special Shoutouts: Outstanding chapters like Indian River School District’s Sussex Central High School and MOT Charter School were recognized, as well as exceptional student leaders such as Lillian Sharp and Jessica Liu, for their contributions.
• Celebrating State Officers: Outstanding senior student leaders Anaum Allimulla, Kate Li, and Sanjana Gontu were recognized for their contributions along with their fellow standout peers of Chuiyee Kong, Arnav Taduvayi, and Mason LeNoir for their fantastic leadership skills.
• Passing the Torch: DETSA welcomed new visionary student leaders from Odyssey Charter School, Caesar Rodney School District’s Caesar Rodney High School, and Newark Charter High School, who are ready to lead DETSA into a future full of excitement and innovation.

Alongside these highlights, the conference celebrated the achievements of Delaware Technology Student Association members through thrilling competitive events. DETSA’s 2024 awards represent how our youth are dedicated to applying innovation and creativity to solve technological problems.

For more information about the Delaware Technology Student Association and upcoming events, please visit www.detsa.org.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

More than 180 students brought home medals from this month’s Delaware Educators Rising State Leadership Conference — with more than 80 students qualifying for the national conference this summer.

Winners in the children’s literature competitive events were awarded scholarships from University of Delaware and winners in the Educators Rising Moment, a speech event, were awarded scholarships from Wilmington University.

Rising education professionals engaged in multiple professional learning sessions hosted by University of Maryland Eastern Shore, University of Delaware, and Wilmington University, as well as keynote sessions with Sinead Ronan (2024 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year), Representative Sherae’a Moore, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, and Cory Hafer, 2024 Delaware Teacher of the Year.

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) partnered with University of Delaware to host the event in Newark.

Delaware Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) affiliated with the Delaware Teacher Academy. The organization integrates learning opportunities into existing education and training programs to prepare Delaware youth for future education careers.

Educators Rising students participate in professional and personal development events, engage in state and national educational competitions, and expand their experiences as rising educational professionals. The program is also engaged in Delaware Grow Your Own, which allows school districts and charter schools throughout the state to recruit future teachers early from within their own teacher academies.

For a list of awardees and more photos, visit Educators Rising results.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Future educators from Smyrna High School were named national champions at the Educators Rising National Conference.

In total, 18 individual or teams from Delaware were recognized with Top 10 honors.  Smyrna High School had 11 individuals or teams place in the Top 10 and was crowned 2023 National Champion.

Delaware Teacher Academy students and advisors from across the state attended the 2023 Educators Rising National Conference in Orlando.  Delaware was represented by students from Appoquinimink School District’s Appoquinimink High School, Brandywine School District’s Concord High School, Cape Henlopen School District’s Cape Henlopen High School, Indian River School District’s Sussex Central High School, Laurel School District’s Laurel High School, New Castle County Vocational Technical School District’s Howard High School of Technology, Red Clay Consolidated School District’s McKean High School, Seaford School District’s Seaford High School, Smyrna School District’s Smyrna High School and Delaware Technical Community College.

Throughout the conference students were able to engage in professional and personal development opportunities, networking and competitive events.  Educators Rising competitions are performance-based competitive events in which aspiring educators demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and leadership in education.

Seaford High School’s Taylor Jenkins was elected as the national vice president of service.  Jenkins is only the third student in Delaware to be elected as a national officer with Educators Rising.

To learn more about the Delaware Educators Rising visit www.delawareedrising.org  or contact Michael Hill-Shaner at michael.hill-shaner@doe.k12.de.us.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

Students and advisors from across the State of Delaware joined more than 8,000 national members at the 45^th Annual Technology Student Association (TSA) conference that was hosted in Louisville, Kentucky last week. The First State delegation represented 130 of Delaware’s finest student leaders from Caesar Rodney High School, Cab Calloway School of The Arts, Fred Fifer Middle School, H.B. duPont Middle School, Indian River High School, Magnolia Middle School, MOT Charter High School, Newark Charter School, Newark High School, Odyssey Charter School Postlethwait Middle School and Sussex Central High School.

Students competed in individual and team events such as: Architecture; Podcasting; Biotechnology; Board Game Design; Career Prep; Coding; Cybersecurity; Data Science and Analytics; Video Production; Dragster Design; Extemporaneous Speech; Fashion Design and Technology; Flight Endurance; Foundations of Information Technology; Future Teacher; Manufacturing Prototype; Microcontroller Design; Photographic Technology; Solar Sprint; Software Development; STEM Animation; Structural Engineering; System Control Technology; Technology Problem Solving; VEX Robotics; Video Game Design; Virtual Reality Visualization (VR); and Website Design and more.  Honors for the Delaware delegation include:

Achievement Awards

• Samhitha Vallury of MOT Charter School recognized for service as secretary of Technology Student Association inc.
• Samra Iqbal of Caesar Rodney High School recognized for service as reporter of Technology Student Association inc.
• Roger Seedorf of MOT Charter School recognized as High School Teacher of the Year
• Laura Barnas of Postlethwait Middle recognized as Middle School Teacher of the Year
• Mike Fitzgerald from the Delaware Department of Education recognized as the National State Advisor of the Year

National Top 10 Finalists

• Desen Basara of Caesar Rodney High School earned 1^st place in Essays on Technology
• Shiven Reddy and Youg Patel of Newark Charter High School earned 3^rd place in Technology Problem Solving
• Nathan Hryniewicz of Newark Charter High School earned 5^th place in CAD Engineering
• Arnav Angra of H.B. duPont Middle School earned 7^th place in Foundations of Information Technology
• John Barnas, Zachary Barnas, and Mason Lenoir of Postlethwait Middle School earned 7^th place in Video Game Design
• James Carroll and Audrey Houghton of Newark Charter High School earned 10^th place in Forensic Science
• Ethan Ho, Chase Polk and Noah Veron of Newark Charter High School earned 10^th place in System Control Technology

The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) dedicated to students interested in advancing the future of technology, invention, innovation, design, and engineering. Through TSA, members gain the opportunity to participate in STEM focused competitive events, take part in community service work, and become leaders for the organization at the school, state, and national level. TSA incorporates co-curricular experiences to emphasize the importance of knowledge, leadership, skill development, and teamwork. To learn more about the Delaware Technology Student Association visit: www.detsa.org or contact Mike Fitzgerald by phone at (302) 735-4015 or via email at mike.fitzgerald@doe.k12.de.us. A list of all international finalists can be found online at TSA Competitive Event Finalists.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006