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The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and its affiliate, The Partnership, Inc., will present five outstanding educational programs with the Superstars in Education Award. Mr. John Hollis, founder and director of Minority Educational Regional Incentive Training (MERIT), will receive the John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award. The Superstars in Education Reception & Awards Ceremony will be held at Wilmington University’s Doberstein Admissions Center on Monday, May 14, at 4:45 p.m. Leaders from the education and business communities will join elected officials and state dignitaries to celebrate the winners. Governor John Carney will speak at the event. The John H. Taylor, Jr. Education Leadership Award recognizes someone who has provided sustained leadership in advancing Delaware education and has made our community a better place. Mr. Hollis created MERIT to provide academic enrichment and college preparatory opportunities for minority students from the Greater-Seaford area, and across Sussex County. To date, 370 MERIT alumni have earned a college degree, accounting for nearly 97% of its participants. Mr. Hollis was a longtime administrator, teacher and coach in the Seaford School District, and the Personnel Director for Delaware Technical Community College. “It’s the care for the community that Mr. John Hollis has demonstrated through his work at MERIT that makes our nation truly great. Thank you, Mr. Hollis, for your commitment and for investing in future generations,” said Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Development, whose sons participated in the MERIT program. Superstars in Education is charged with recognizing programs that exemplify the creativity and passion needed to provide students with innovative educational opportunities and leverages the business community’s investment in the future workforce. Winners include: Thomas McKean High School’s AVID Program in the Red Clay Consolidated School District. AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a systematic program which aims to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. AVID serves as a guiding principle for teaching practices that best prepare students for collegiate work, and for the demands of careers post high school. The Will to Skill Program at Milford High School of the Milford School District. Milford High School says, “If you have the will, we will provide the skill.” Milford High School and Milford Central Academy have partnered to establish a system to identify students who have honors, Dual Enrollment, and AP potential, creating a culture of access that has grown these programs by over 300 percent in five years. Specialized Transition to Employment Pathway (STEP) Program at Delcastle Technical High School of the New Castle County Vocational Technical School District. STEP is a district-wide certificate program that is part of the continuum of special education services within NCCVTSD's inclusion model. The curriculum is based on the extensions of the Common Core Curriculum, individually modified to best meet the academic and vocational learning needs of each student. S3 STEM Summer Scholars through the Office of Curriculum Instruction of the Red Clay Consolidated School District. S3 is a multi-week summer enrichment program, offered to all students living or attending school in the Red Clay Consolidated School District, in fourth through eighth grade. S3 allows students to apply STEM principles to real world problems in a carefully structured environment. GoBabyGo! at Smyrna Middle School of the Smyrna School District. Smyrna Middle School, in collaboration with Smyrna School District, has partnered with the University of Delaware in an exciting, innovative, mobility project. Approximately 90 STEM students design and modify battery-operated cars to help children meet their mobility potential. The cost to attend is $35 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information about the event, or to register, visit http://www.dscc.com/. Press interested in covering the event should email Denée Crumrine at dcrumrine@dscc.com.