Awards are flying.
Saint Mark’s is honoring one of its own. One student from the Delaware Catholic school was named the 2024 National Eagle Scout of the Year, at the American Legion’s national convention, just before this school year started.
Statewide, Delaware Tech and the Delaware Department of Education have their own advocates and educators to honor this month. And, the Delaware School Counselor Association is looking to cultivate future success with a college and career fair.
In this weekly roundup, we’ll catch you up on these and other education updates you may have missed.
[Did we miss another good education story? Tell me about it: [email protected].]
One Delaware student is the country’s National Eagle Scout of the Year
One Saint Mark’s High School junior has landed a national honor.
Lauren Tyree is the 2024 American Legion National Eagle Scout of the Year, as announced at award ceremonies in New Orleans by summer’s end. Saint Mark’s sent its congratulations in a press release last week, noting just how “extensive and intense” the vetting process for this award can be.
Scouts, the private school explained, are evaluated on a long list of qualifications, like their level of commitment to scouting activities, leadership skills, community service, past honors, their Eagle Scout Project and even career aspirations.
“A quick glance at Tyree’s resume is all it takes,” Saint Mark’s said. At 16, Tyree has already honed a passion for service.
She has started three nonprofits. One raised money for food banks during COVID-19 pandemic by livestreaming weekly concerts; another charters Scout troops; another tackles post-COVID loneliness by pairing students with doctors to serve in the impoverished villages in the sugarcane fields of the Dominican Republic.
This work culminated in a student film, as previously reported, for which her Students In Action Club won 19 awards in 16 different international film festivals. Tyree was key in producing the film, helping to write scripts, as well as narrating and editing.
She has raised over $300,000 for her organizations, helped raise millions of dollars for other nonprofits and served in several student leadership and extracurricular roles while in school. Next, Tyree plans to head to college to study psychology or public policy.
“She is a testimony to what it means to make all things possible for and with others,” school President Patrick Tiernan said in a statement. “The Saint Mark’s family is excited for what lies ahead in her continued commitment to justice.”
This Eagle Scout honor — and its $10,000 college scholarship — joins several other awards listed by Saint Mark’s. The school joked Tyree’s dad may soon need to build her a trophy case. Surely she could build it.
Delaware schools: Your Delaware Student of the Week is a senior from Odyssey Charter School
Time to name the next Delaware Teacher of the Year. Do you know them?
Wait there’s a different election.
Twenty Delaware candidates are vying for an honor without political office. Officially nominated by their districts and charter school network, one of these educators will soon be the 2025 Delaware Teacher of the Year.
Nominees – ranging in career, teaching subjects and more – already submitted detailed applications diving into their teaching style and philosophies, according to the Delaware Department of Education. Five DDOE staffers and five former state teachers of the year evaluate applications, while one of each also observe candidates in their classrooms.
With application and observation scores in hand, another panel of independent judges then recommends the next statewide honor to the secretary of education. That name yet to come would also become Delaware’s nominee in the national program, receive a $5,000 grant for “the educational benefit of his or her students” and a personal grant of $3,000.
It all comes down to Tuesday night.
A dinner event will honor all nominees in Dover. Then, a livestream will be available on DDOE’s YouTube channel as the award ceremony begins around 7 p.m.
[Want to shout out one of the nominees or their work? Email me: [email protected]]
Meet the nominees: Delaware will soon honor the next Teacher of the Year
Delaware Tech honors local advocate in Hispanic Heritage Month
Delaware Technical Community College honored another actor in the community last week.
Yvette Santiago was honored for “her commitment to the Hispanic community and culture across Delaware” at the college’s 15th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Honoree Celebration. The director of community engagement at Nemours Children’s Health has dedicated a 34-year career to advocacy in education, juvenile justice, health care and more, DelTech said in a press release.
Delaware’s sole community college called Santiago a “trailblazer.” She was the first Latina leader in several roles across the state, such as the first president of a public school board in Delaware, in New Castle County Vocational Technical School District.
Tributes from Delaware’s Congressional delegation, General Assembly, governor, lieutenant governor, New Castle County and the City of Wilmington joined the Oct. 3 ceremony. Santiago received the 2024 Hispanic Heritage Honoree Award.
“I have had the privilege of working alongside Yvette on various boards, committees and initiatives, and I’ve seen firsthand her unwavering commitment to equity — not only in healthcare, which is her field of expertise, but also in education and across our state’s workforce,” said Lora Johnson, campus director and vice president of the Wilmington campus, in a statement.
“She is truly a remarkable force, a champion for those whose voices need amplifying, and someone whose leadership I deeply admire.”
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Delaware College and Career Fair to take over UD’s Bob Carpenter Center
Colleges, universities, U.S. Military organizations, banks and more career vendors are headed to the First State.
The Delaware School Counselor Association is throwing its annual “College and Career Fair” at the Bob Carpenter Center next week, and it’s expected to host more than 100 vendors in Newark. From 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, the fair aims to draw high school and other students from across Delaware to start thinking about the future.
Kelsey Stryker, school counselor at Positive Outcomes Charter School in Camden, said DSCA hopes to boost student and family registration this year. Anyone interested can register online, which should be free for students while vendors pay for table space.
Got a story? Kelly Powers covers race, culture and equity for Delaware Online/The News Journal and USA TODAY Network Northeast, with a focus on education. Contact her at [email protected] or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on X @kpowers01.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: One Delaware student named National Eagle Scout of the Year
