Music in Our Schools Month is coming to a close, and what better way to close out the celebrations than with our Virtual Let's Make Music Festival! View bucket drumming, steel bands, and more from all across the state, including, of course, from Colonial! Thank you to our own Mrs. Crissy Lewis for organizing this non-traditional tradition!

Click to View HERE

William Penn's Culinary Arts students took home 2nd place when competing at the 9th Annual Prostart Student Invitational at the Chase Center against 10 other school teams! That's not all, WP's Marketing Team (dressed in red shirts) pitched a fictional restaurant concept they named "Wildflower Dining"  and placed 3rd! The students raced against the clock with judges standing nearby to prepare a delicious three-course meal with pan-seared cod as the main entree.  Congrats to our award-winning students and to their top chef instructors! 

Amazon in New Castle gave back big time to Carrie Downie's kids. Thanks to their generosity, EVERY classroom was given a high-quality classroom rug to help with our return to in-person learning. The kids and their teachers are super grateful! Thank you, Amazon for being an amazing community business partner!

On National Down Syndrome Awareness Day students and staff showed off their colorful socks. At Colonial's Early Education Program (CEEP), the staff started the day off with a group photo... everybody was rocking some super fun-looking socks!

Thanks to a special invitation from teacher Lakeya Nova the storybook characters Piggie and Elephant made an in-person visit to Southern to celebrate I Love to Read Month. The kids screamed in delight when the huggable characters entered the cafeteria. Southern Sharks truly do love to read!

From Time Warp Day at Wilbur (top), St. Patrick's Day at Wilmington Manor and Castle Hills, to Super Hero  Day at New Castle Elementary School, students and staff loved dressing up for the occasions.

Students in the 8th grade at McCullough and Gunning Bedford got a visit from Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor Dr. Nick Baker after a unit on how to engineer a container to keep eggs safe from breaking. The kids were tasked with using math, science, their own designs, and a lot of imagination to come up with ways to protect their eggs. Dr. Baker stood on a stool to drop some eggs to see which ones cracked under pressure. What a fun way to learn!

Thanks to a large donation from Discover, the library at McCullough Middle School was given a big upgrade. With new furniture, a new lounge area, new technology, and a refresh to the library books and space - McCullough staff and students now have a collaborative learning space modeled after the Innovation Center (another Discover donation) at William Penn High School. Staff from both Discover and McCullough assembled the furniture,  created a comfortable educational space, and went through the existing library catalog.  Discover truly made a positive impact on McCullough!  

Governor John Carney sent a proclamation to Colonial's outgoing Supervisor of Nutrition Services, Paula Angelucci (center). Aimee Beam (right), with the Department of Education, presented it while Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (left) looked on. Paula, who plans to retire after 36 years of service to the district has received countless state and national awards for finding innovative ways to help her staff serve nutritious meals to students, especially at the height of the pandemic. She's a  superstar who will be missed by all!

Jobs for Delaware Graduates (JDG) and Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County partnered to host a job fair that William Penn students attended. Nearly 200 New Castle County students flooded Goodwill’s Community Room, ready to meet employers and complete applications for immediate and summer hire. The event featured more than 50 employers, and at least one Penn student with a resume in hand was hired on the spot! 

 
 
The Wall That Heals is a three-quarter-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., measuring 375' long and 7.5' tall. It's coming to William Penn THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022  –  SUNDAY, May 1st.  Thousands of visitors are expected to come by to view the wall which will be free and open to the public 24-hours a day. A formal opening ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 28th beginning at 9 AM, with a candlelight vigil scheduled for Saturday at 8 PM. Accompanying The Wall That Heals is a mobile education unit that will display an "In Memory Honor Roll" of photos of local Vietnam Vets. The In-Memory Program is specifically for Vietnam Veterans who served, came home, and later died.
In conjunction with the visit of the Wall that Heals a POW/MIA Chair will be dedicated in Memory of Major Carol Timmons, the first woman to be in charge of the Delaware National Guard. She was also a William Penn Graduate. This will be the first POW/MIA Chair in Delaware dedicated to a woman! 
Over 100 volunteers are needed. There are volunteers needed on April 27th to set up the wall and May 1st to take it down. There are volunteers needed during the opening and Candlelight ceremonies, in the education center, and as guides to help people find the names of loved ones on the wall. There are also volunteers needed to watch over the wall at night.

For information on the Wall That Heals, the schedule of events, and to volunteer check out http://www.colonialschooldistrict.org/williampenn/the-wall-that-heals/
 

Frank Burton 111, a stand-out player, and a 2016 William Penn graduate took home awards from the University of Delaware this month. At UD he was a two-time captain who in addition to the Captain's Award won the Unsung Hero and Senior Award. He was also named Most Valuable Player. The top photo is the Taylor Memorial Award he earned. NFL scouts are taking a hard look at Frankie and Colonial Nation is proud of his accomplishments!