"Cape Proud" of Tom and Alyssa Burn

Tom and Alyssa Burn met at Cape Henlopen High School in the fall of 1991 in the beginning of their junior year.  Alyssa had attended the Cape Henlopen School District since kindergarten; Tom, however, was new to Cape.  In prior years, he attended Worcester Country School, now known as Worcester Preparatory School.

Tom informed his parents at the end of 10th grade that he wanted to meet people that lived in his area and play golf for a team, therefore, he wanted to go to Cape.  He immediately enjoyed the more diverse learning environment, the ability to choose from a wide variety of class options and making new friends.

When Tom began his junior year, it was not long until he met Alyssa.  They attended the junior prom as friends and remained friends until a homecoming “after party” they attended their senior year.  It was then that the duo realized they were meant to be together.

The rest is romantic history.  In fact, Alyssa still has the corsage from their senior prom in the refrigerator.

Upon graduating in 1993, Tom headed to Western Maryland (now called McDaniel) and Alyssa opted to attend University of Delaware.  But the couple didn’t like the long distance relationship, so Alyssa ultimately transferred to Western Maryland as well.

After earning their degrees in 1997, the couple again was separate for a time.  Alyssa, armed with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Accounting, headed home to work for “Chez La Mer” for the summer with plans on moving to Owings Mills, MD in the fall to start her career.

Tom moved to Owings Mills after graduation to launch his career. He earned a degree in Studio Art, Art History and Graphic Design but had trouble finding a good job in his field.

Alyssa and Tom stayed in Owings Mills for the winter but both decided Rehoboth Beach was where they wanted to be and in 1998, they moved back to the beach.  They bought a condo in Beach Haven and started planning their life together.

Tom landed a position as a graphic designer for WBOC and Alyssa accepted an accounting position at Atlantis Industries in Milton.  After eight years together, they got married in 2000.  Meanwhile, Alyssa switched careers and started working at Rehoboth Elementary School. She resigned in 2004 to have their first child.

Two children later, Alyssa and Tom have stayed in the community and are raising their daughter Mallory who is currently in 3rd grade at Rehoboth Elementary School, and their son Tommy who is a 6th grader at Beacon Middle School.

Tom is currently employed at Delaware Technical Community College as the Marketing Operations Manager and Alyssa still substitutes for the Cape Henlopen School District.

Alyssa and Tom both fondly recall their time in the Cape Henlopen School District.  Alyssa recalls Mr. Alfred Best making accounting seem like so much fun that she “wanted to do this forever.”

Tom remembers how Dr. Seuss, (not the author) a teacher who instructed mechanical drawings, created the base for his passion of graphic design.

Alyssa and Tom Burn are examples of amazing Cape Henlopen “High School Sweethearts” who remain in our wonderful area and continue to contribute to our local community.  They are truly a match made at Cape.  Because they are wonderful role models for their own kids and many others, we as a community are “Cape Proud” of Tom and Alyssa Burn.

Please visit our Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation (CHEF) website at www.chef-cape.org to learn more about CHEF's educational partnership with the Cape school district. We invite the entire Cape community to help us achieve our mission of preparing students for a healthy, productive life in a diverse and global society. We hope you can join us at “Rehoboth in White” on September 26^th: an elegant evening at an exciting mystery location. More info on our website.