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Hanwell committed to Cape District goals

May 6, 2021

On May 11 I look forward to casting my vote in the Cape school board elections for Janis Hanwell, our incumbent Cape Henlopen board of education member at-large. Having previously served within the Cape Henlopen District as teacher, principal and assistant superintendent, I can’t imagine better credentials for anyone committed to serving the diverse needs of the children of our district.  Janis’ perspective is firmly grounded in an in-depth understanding of the history of our rapidly growing district, which administrative and teaching practices need to be preserved, as well as which critical issues need to be addressed so that the needs of all students are met, regardless of their socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. 

Having moved to Rehoboth in 2011, I was determined to become familiar with the important issues affecting my new community. One of my first volunteer commitments was to join the League of Women Voters of Sussex County.  In that capacity, I became a league observer at the bimonthly Cape Henlopen school board meetings, reporting to the league membership the significant issues discussed by the board, as well as the issues raised by the parents and community members who attended those meetings. Over the two years I attended those meetings, I became acutely aware of the disparity in achievement sustained by students of color, of the racial inequity in the teaching staff with appallingly few teachers of color.  I was dismayed to learn that at that time there was no district-wide recognition of the Nobel laureate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

In contrast, in the New Jersey school district in which my children were educated, the Rev. Dr. King’s achievements had been formally celebrated in week-long events since 1982. Having retired from the school district in 2010, Dr. Janis Hanwell was not serving during the period of time which I reference. However, I had the privilege of meeting Janis in 2015 when I began volunteering as a driver for ITN Southern Delaware, for which she served as an administrator. After learning about Janis’ long service in the Cape Henlopen School District, she helped me better understand the history of why the needs of minority students were not being met. I was impressed with Janis’ determination to return to the district as a board member, where she felt she could better serve the student population than was possible when she served as a school administrator.

Since Janis Hanwell was elected to the board in 2016, there has been a significant change in the district’s commitment to addressing the needs of its diverse student body.  This pivotal work needs to continue.  I urge all residents to go to the polls May 11 and cast your vote in support of Janis Hanwell as Cape Henlopen school board member at-large.

Sue Claire Harper
Rehoboth Beach
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