A Walk Around The Point

Yesterday was a bright, warm and sunny day and it seemed a great day for a hike around the point of Cape Henlopen. I had been out to the point last week-end for a few minutes and took some shots of the Lighthouse on the inner breakwater of the Harbor of Refuge. I wanted to have an extended photographic hike, get a little exercise, and breathe some fresh air.

Christina, who enjoys occasional beach-combing jaunts with me, agreed to come along and we headed out for the State Park.

We choose to make the walk from the ocean side around to the bay side. It was low tide, with slanting afternoon sunlight, a hard flat low-tide sand strand for walking, and small waves lapping the shore.

We found good pebble deposits, small crabs washed ashore and left floundering on their backs by the waves, and a few seashells. As usual, we were on the lookout for Conch shells, but had no luck. I don't think this quite the right time of year.

We enjoyed a walk up the sand spit and around the point. We were treated to good views of the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse and an ever-changing beach/sea interface. The gradual transition from ocean beach to bay beach reaches its head at a spot that forms the point of the Cape itself. Conflicting tides from ocean and bay seem to meet in a confusion of water and sand. From there, we walked into low sunlight that cast things into sharp relief.

As we left the point, we looked back to see the Cape May/Lewes Ferry heading out between the Cape and the lighthouse for its run to New Jersey. We considering running back to the point to see if we could get that rare close-up view, but we'’d gone too far to be able to make it back in time.

Low tide on the inside of Cape Henlopen reveals broad sand flats that, at other times of day, are thriving shallows. We could see where the waves had formed tiny ridges in the sand. Fish egg casings were washing in the water. There were a few clams still sticking out of the sand; we couldn't tell if they were dead or just very patient.

I enjoyed the opportunity to repeat several views of the lighthouse that I'd taken at high tide a week before.

The lighthouse at high tide.


The same at low tide.


We had an hour'’s hike, enjoyed the sunshine, and brought home smooth pebbles and colorful shells to add to our collection.

Visiting Downtown Milton

I took a short walk in Downtown Milton this morning, wandering along and photographing the Governor's Walk, which follows the Broadkill River through the center of town. It was good for a short photo set. I particularly enjoyed taking pictures of the spillway.

Interim Update

The most recent Coastal Point newspaper was not on-line when I posted last night on this subject. Their story on the Board meeting (School board hears from arts supporters) adds some helpful details.

Update: News Coverage of SDSA and Indian River School Board

Just a quick update. The strong showing of support by parents and students of SDSA at last night's Indian River School Board meeting has generated more media attention.

Stories appeared last night and this morning on WMDT TV (47) and WBOC TV (16).

There was also a very interesting story in the WAVE newspaper (SDSA program left intact for now, officials say) which included some very troubling remarks from one Board Member, Donna Mitchell, who is quoted as comparing the arts core curricula at SDSA to "dessert:"

"I'm kind of a basics person and I think the mandated things have to come first," she said. "If you're going to buy a meal for your family, you buy dinner first and then, if you have money left over, you buy dessert."

The "dessert", she explained, are programs like SDSA which are not required by state law.

"If cuts have to be made, I would prefer they would be made outside of kindergarten through 12," she said. "These [programs] are wonderful things but if we can't afford them, they have to go."

I'll give Ms. Mitchell a break and assume that this quote is from before last night's presentations, in which I think the case was clearly made that the arts are not an added program at SDSA but rather are a integral part of the academic curriculum.

We're not done here.

In Which We Descend, in Force, on the Indian River School Board Meeting

We went to this evening's meeting of the Indian River School Board in support of the Southern Delaware School of the Arts (SDSA), which is under some threat from School Board budget cutters.

I've been tracking this story, which has been covered by the News Journal (Parents fear arts school will close), the Cape Gazette (School of the Arts may be facing budget cuts),
and on local television.

The Board meeting was fascinating. I was surprised at the extensive pomp and circumstance built into the meeting. It started with a deeply Christian prayer to start the meeting, continued through a solemn color-guard procession, and featured a strictly regimented Board agenda with time limits on speakers and warnings not to mention teachers, administrators or students by name because personnel matters have to be discussed in executive session. It was most baroque.

We packed the meeting room with school supporters sporting SDSA stickers. That's mine above. The public comment sections of the agenda included many statements of support for the School of the Arts. A student group including Honor Society and Student Government members -- my girls among them -- gave a multi-media presentation (singing, dancing, public speaking, sign-holding, and public painting) about SDSA. Parents spoke about the positive affect the School has had on their kids.

Even other segments of the agenda showed the value of the School of the Arts. The board honored high-achieving Indian River High school students. A good portion of them -- especially among those named to all state chorus and all-state band -- were SDSA graduates.

The school board members said at the meeting, and are saying in press coverage, that they -- at this point -- have no plans to close or cut SDSA. But we know that we need to keep the pressure on and make sure that they know that if they mess with the School, they will be messing around with one of their best schools, and they will face a motivated and dedicated group of parents, friends and graduates.

We're watching.

A Sample-Mix of my iTunes

Here's a new toy -- the iTunes Signature Maker -- which takes a sample of songs from your iTunes, extracts a snippet of each, and mixes together a musical signature of your musical taste.

Here's mine.

Because the Inspirations and Enthusiams of Youth Should Remain a Part of Life for Life

The Groucho Marx Name Generator

We'll Be Watching This Very Closely

It was only a matter of time before concerns about the Indian River School Board, the district's budget, and the fate of the Southern Delaware School of the Arts hit the newspapers. Molly Murray reports on the situation in a story in today's News Journal (Parents fear arts school will close).

We know that the Board is looking for ways to save money. Recently, they very publicly decided not to cut the Junior ROTC program in the district after parents of kids in that program became vocal. In at least one news story on that decision, it was reported that the Board would look at other programs for savings. The list of programs under consideration included the School of the Arts.

That stirred up quite a few of us who have children at that school. Karen works at the school, though I don't worry about her finding a good job if the school closes. Karen is very good at what she does.

The other day, I drafted a letter to the members of the School Board. I forwarded copies to a number of local legislators and I'd like to share it with you, as well.

I am deeply concerned about suggestions that the Indian River School District might consider closing the Southern Delaware School of the Arts as part of an effort to save money. This would be a tragic mistake.

I have supported the School of the Arts from the days when it was only an idea under consideration by the District. I felt then that it was one of the best ideas for improving education that I have encountered. Since then, the School of the Arts has proven that a school that fosters academic progress through integration with the arts can produce students who excel academically and artistically and show advanced social development.

My wife and I enrolled our oldest daughter as part of the first first-grade class in the School of the Arts in the fall of 1998. We used the School Choice option to move her from the Cape Henlopen School District, and schools just down the street from our home, to the School of the Arts, almost an hour away from our home. Over the years, her consistently high scores on the state tests, her success in the Academic Challenge program, her progress as a dancer, her growing skill as a musician, and her selection to the Junior All-State Chorus have shown me that the educational approach pioneered by the School of the Arts works, and works wonderfully well. Our youngest daughter is now in fourth grade at the School of the Arts. Her academic and artistic development are on pace to match her sisterÂ’s.

I'’m a proud parent; I will always think my children are above average. And I stand in awe of my wife's ability to help our daughters take full advantage of their classes and homework. But I also know that my children have been blessed to have had a chance to take part in an arts-integrated school. The staff at the School of the Arts includes some of the best academic teachers and arts instructors that I have ever encountered. Their working together to integrate the arts and academics has helped my girls reach their full potential.

They are not alone. Students from the School of the Arts score very well on the state tests; the school itself is rated as a Superior School.

Our experience has proved to me that the School of the Arts must remain an option for education in Sussex County. As members of the Indian River School Board, you have a responsibility to provide the best educational opportunities to the people of the District. The Southern Delaware School of the Arts is one of the best you have.

It would be a terrible mistake to risk damaging a school this successful.

In today's story, Molly includes a quote from the School Board President, Charles Bireley, who says "I can assure you we have no intention of closing the School of the Arts."

That's promising, but I don't think we should relax just yet.

. . . a few weeks ago, [PTO President Candace] Thune and some other parents attended a finance meeting and learned that district officials consider the arts school a special program.

"We want everybody to know we are considered a program and not a core school," she said.

We'll keep an eye on the Board and try to make sure that they don't play around too much and mess up what is a wonderful school.

A Visit to Kingston-upon-Hull

Instead of the YMCA and a treadmill this noon, I took a brisk walk out the marsh trail at the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve. I've used this trail for mid-day exercise before. This time, though, I was determined to make the full hike out to Kingston-upon-Hull, the 17th-Century farmhouse two miles out on St. Jones River.

It was a bright, warm day. No blue skies, but not a bad day for photography. I've posted a short photo set focused on the area right around Kingston-upon-Hull. It can serve as a companion to the marsh trail photo set I posted in November. That one was based on the first half of the trail.

I rather enjoyed the old house. It offered ancient brickwork and weathered windows.

This is an interesting corner of Delaware history. The State Archives offers 1677 survey language and a map of the nearly 500 acres of farmland and marsh belonging to John Briggs and Mary Phillips "By Vertue of a Warrant from the Court at the Whore Kill dated the 12th day of March 1677-8."

One of Our Billboards is Down

One of Our Billboards is Down
Originally uploaded by mmahaffie.

This Hooters billboard came down in the gale-force winds that blew through southern Delaware on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. I was going to leave it as just a Flickr posting, but the winds are back today, reminding me that this is what's in the news for this area this week.

I wonder what else will come down?