Ellen Driscoll | The Cape Gazette |November 29, 2022

At the Friends of Cape event Nov. 15, Cape Superintendent said the Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation has awarded $248,000 to 355 grant awardees in the last 11 years. ELLEN DRISCOLL PHOTOS

Students and staff shared their personal stories of how grants received from the Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation have broadened their experiences and helped shape their futures at the Friends of Cape members’ event Nov. 15 at Lewes Elementary.

In welcoming attendees to the event and thanking them for their support, Cape Superintendent Bob Fulton said CHEF has awarded $248,000 to 355 grant awardees in the last 11 years.

One of those grant recipients is Cape High band student Zion Hood, who received a CHEF scholarship to attend a summer performing arts program in Maine last summer. Zion said the entire experience was amazing, as he made lifelong friends while playing in weekly concerts. Thanks to CHEF, he said, he will be able to return this coming summer.

Cape Supervisor of Special Programs Eileen Baker said her daughter’s Girl Scout troop also received a grant. Through her position, Baker said she collaborates often with school psychologists and district homeless liaison Craig Warrington, who said about 120 to 140 Cape students are experiencing homelessness, including foster children. 

After Warrington told the scouts about these students, Baker said the troop devised an idea to create birthday bags for them. Bags include Cape T-shirt and stickers, a boxed microwave cake, candles, decorations, notebooks, earbuds and other presents. 

The troop assembled 120 bags this year and delivered them to school social workers to give to students on their birthdays, she said.

Rehoboth Elementary fifth-grade science teacher Jacquie Kisiel said she has held a science fair for 14 years. In 2022, all five elementary schools participated, she said, and CHEF paid for 420 participation ribbons, 420 certificates, 75 medals and 75 trophies to be given to the budding scientists. 

Sussex Consortium Vocational Coordinator Pam Graves said she received a CHEF grant so students could take part in the Southern Delaware Therapeutic Riding program. This year, 15 students have signed up, she said, and they must groom and tack their horses before riding. 

Being able to ride the horses has given students increased feelings of self-esteem and independence, and has improved their balance, muscle strength and range of motion. Horses respond well to nonverbal cues, and many of her students are nonverbal, she said.

“Seeing their joy and smiles is priceless,” she said. 

H.O. Brittingham Elementary teachers and robotics advisors Cathy Ward and Nina Wilkinson introduced fifth-grader Amelia Kennedy, who told guests the H.O.B. robotics team would never have been able to compete in the world competition in Dallas, Texas, without CHEF.

CHEF President Rick Grier-Reynolds said this year’s goal is to give away $40,000 in grants, and it needs help from the community to raise these funds, including by attending the annual Winter Jam in March.

The Friends of Cape program was also announced, in which community members can donate to CHEF in escalating amounts and receive invitations to events, tumblers, tickets to Winter Jam and more.

In the past years, CHEF invested more than $25,000 in underfunded and unfunded programs in math and science, classroom resources for teachers, the arts, diversity and inclusion, and support for homeless and limited income students. 

For more information, go to chef-cape.org.

Members of the Cape High Jazz Band (l-r) Zion Hood, Abby Stinar, Chance Trumbauer, Freddie Giovannitti, Conor Wiedmann and Chris Rude entertained guests.

Led by music teacher Seth Waldron, left, Cape Chorale members (l-r) Zamira Irizarry Fres, Sophia Tighe, Dylenn Enright, Emily Groll, Reilly Fagles-Carey, Brianna Burrell, Seren Vincent and Federico Giovannitti sing a selection of songs, including the Cape High alma mater. The chorus has received CHEF grants for student field trips.