No Cape school board elections this year
No elections will take place for the Cape Henlopen School District Board of Education this year, as only two candidates, incumbents Janis Hanwell and Julie Derrick, filed for the two open seats by the 4:30 p.m., March 6 filing deadline.
Per Delaware Code, when there is only one candidate for the election of a school board seat, the Department of Elections declares the candidate elected without holding an election for the seat.
The elections were originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 12.
More information can be found at elections.delaware.gov/school/index.shtml.
At-large elect: Janis Hanwell
Hanwell, the current board vice president, will be serving her third term as an at-large board member. She was first elected in 2016.
Her first two terms were five years each, but this one will only be four years.
In addition to her work on the district board, she serves as the Delaware representative to the National School Board Association Delegate Assembly, as well as a vice president and Cape Henlopen representative on the Delaware School Boards Association board of directors and its Legislative Priorities Committee.
“Strong schools depend on open communication, transparency, accountability, cultural responsiveness and fiscally responsible decision-making,” Hanwell said. “Maintaining strong connections with our community is essential, and I believe families and residents deserve clear communication and meaningful opportunities to stay informed and engaged.”
She spent 31 years as a special education teacher, principal and district administrator. Nearly 28 of those years were spent in the Cape district, and she retired from the district in 2010 as assistant superintendent.
She and her husband, who live in Lewes, are both Cape alumni, and so are their adult children. They also have three grandchildren currently in Cape schools.
Hanwell can be contacted via email at janis.hanwell@cape.k12.de.us.
Nominating District D elect: Julie Derrick
After an uncontested race, Derrick will be elected to serve another four-year term representing Nominating District D.
She was first elected in 2017 and served for three years as board vice president.
The Dover native graduated from Caesar Rodney High School before earning her undergraduate degree in music from the University of Virginia. She then earned her master’s in education from Wilmington University, with dual certification in K-6 elementary and special education.
She advocates for inclusive and student-centered education.
Beyond her work in education, Derrick is a singer-songwriter, small business owner and mother of three. She and her husband, Jim, a Cape graduate, co-own Shell We Bounce, a local indoor play space.
Derrick can be contacted via email at julie.derrick@cape.k12.de.us.
Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.
