By Mike Finney

DOVER — Heavy groundwork is taking place at the site of the old Dover High School on Pat Lynn Drive, a place that, though demolished in summer 2015, held many memories for its alumni.

It is the same location where an official groundbreaking took place on a picture-perfect, blue-skied Monday morning, as the Capital School District began construction on its two new interconnected middle schools, which are set to open in fall 2023 and will surely be a place where many more memories will unfold.

The ceremony provided a glimpse into the future and a feeling of optimism in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Dover High School drumline opened the event with an array of rhythmic beats and the Senator Singers Middle School Chorus sang for those gathered, including socially distanced and face-masked members of the district’s Board of Education, local politicians and dignitaries, as well as several others.

“I am beaming with Senator pride today, and my heart is so full, as we move this vision of two interconnected middle schools from a dream to a reality,” said Dr. Sylvia Henderson, interim superintendent for the Capital School District. “Today is a special day for our students. This is their day — and this is your day.

“This is the latest school to be a part of our Senator nation. It feels great to be outside. Thank you to our Dover High School drumline. We haven’t had that in a long time, and I don’t know about you, but that puts pep in my step when I hear that. Things are looking up, as we finally are getting back to normalcy,” she added.

When it is completed just more than two years from now, the 230,000-plus-square-foot facility will serve as two separate buildings connected on one campus. It is expected to serve 1,600 students in grades six through eight. The project required a budget of $113 million that was approved during a spring 2019 referendum.

The Becker Morgan Group and Perkins & Will are serving as the architects for the structure, and the construction manager is Richard Y. Johnson & Son Inc.
Dr. Chanda Jackson-Short, president of the Capital school board, noted that it took the support of the entire Dover community to get the middle school project underway.

“This is a great day for all of us, as we break ground with construction of our two new interconnected middle schools here on Pat Lynn Drive,” Dr. Jackson-Short said. “This is an exciting time for our district, our students, our staff and our community. I want to thank Dr. (Dan) Shelton (former superintendent) for his work in establishing the strategic plan.

“There were so many people involved in the successful passage of our referendum, and I want to say thank you to everyone for your support — our legislators, our city of Dover officials, my fellow colleagues on the board, our administrators and school staff, parents and families, friends of Capital, community members and organizations, and our church organizations in our faith-based communities,” she said.

Dr. Jackson-Short added that when the middle school facility opens in two years, it will spark the implementation of the Capital School District’s grade reconfiguration.

All students in grades six, seven and eight will attend the new middle schools in 2023. Students enrolled in Fairview and East Dover elementary schools will move to Central Elementary School. That will allow preschool and kindergarten students to move to either Fairview or East Dover.

Students in grades one through five not at Fairview or East Dover will remain in their assigned schools.

Ultimately, the Kent County Community School and Kent County Secondary Intensive Learning Center transitions program will move into William Henry Middle School upon completion of the renovations following last summer’s tornado damage there.

“While the two new interconnected schools were part of the vision, it is not the ultimate goal,” Dr. Jackson-Short said. “These schools will host the legacy of Capital. As we continue to achieve educational excellence, today, we’re changing tomorrow. We’re excited for continuing our Senator legacy.”

Many steps preceded groundbreaking

Dr. Henderson said there were many different hurdles that had to be crossed before Monday’s groundbreaking event could finally take place.

“Projects like the interconnected middle schools don’t occur by chance,” she said. “They don’t occur through the efforts of a single person or organization. They occur through the hard work of countless individuals in conjunction towards one common goal and in conjunction with the overwhelming support of families and community members living within the Capital School District.

“So much time has been invested in listening to our families and the community to hear what they needed from Capital School District,” she said.

There were numerous community meetings held to discuss the Strategic Intent 1 Linear and Streamlined District Plan, starting back in spring 2016. Those were followed by Strategic Intent plans 2 and 3, which focused on what was best for the students and how to design the proper environment for them to succeed.

“They needed for us to improve our physical capacity to give students the room they need now, and in the future,” said Dr. Henderson. “Students needed to have a greater impact of services and support provided by the Capital School District.

“Our students needed access to modern technology and learning environments. Our students needed spaces designed for visual and performing arts, career and technical education, science and athletics. Our students’ academia is utterly important to us to the portrait of a middle school Senator.”
Unforgettable memory

Dr. Henderson said she thinks back to April 9, 2019, with such fondness and excitement. That was the night the Dover community voted to approve the Capital’s referendum by a 2-to-1 margin.

When she looked out into the crowd at Monday’s groundbreaking, she noticed Shaianne Benson sitting next to her mother, Shani Benson, principal of North Dover Elementary School.

“One of my favorite memories of that (April 9, 2019) evening was talking with Mrs. Shani Benson, our North Dover principal, and her daughter, Shaianne, standing there. Shaianne was a first grader at South Dover, and she told me, ‘In 2023, I’m going to be in the first class that will be attending the new middle school.’

“Every time I think of that moment, we came full circle that evening — that it was for our kids — and I still get goosebumps,” Dr. Henderson said.

Mrs. Benson said her daughter, who is now in third grade at North Dover, cannot wait to experience the wider range of academics and extracurricular activities that she will get to choose from at the new middle schools, as yet unnamed.

“(Shaianne) plays softball, she does basketball, and she’s starting to get into singing and music, so she’s really looking forward to that and also the academics,” said Mrs. Benson. “I was just thinking about how it will all be here housed in one building. It will be exciting to see how things unfold, and I know my daughter cannot wait until she can come to school here.”