Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 155, No. 26
INSIDE
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
$1.00
Sweetman appointed to fill vacant Kennett School Board seat By Chris Barber Contributing Writer
The Kennett Consolidated School District board held a virtual-only special meeting on June 28, during which the members interviewed and then appointed Heidi Sweetman to fill a vacant seat on the board. The Tri-M Group wins The appointment was first-ever Community unanimous. Impact Award...2A Sweetman, 45, of the South-2 precinct of Kennett Square Borough, replaces Ryan Bowers, who resigned from the board earlier this month. The school district is divided into three distinct regions from which
school board members are elected, and Kennett Square Borough is in Region A. At the start of the meeting, school board President Joe Meola announced that the board advertised for candidates with a deadline of June 23, and Sweetman was the only applicant. Sweetman is married and a parent of five children, one who is an adult and four who are students in the Kennett schools. She and her family moved to Kennett Square from the Pike Creek area of Delaware eight years ago. She said they chose Kennett Square because, as members of
Willowdale Chapel, they are familiar with the community and love Kennett Square. Sweetman is a graduate of Elkton High School and earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D degrees from the University of Delaware, with a doctorate in measurement, statistics and evaluation. She has also taught elementary special education at Fred S. Engle Middle School in the Avon Grove School District. When she was asked why she applied for a seat on the board, Sweetman said that given her profession as a consultant and evaluator who works with schools in
Delaware as well as being a former teacher, she feels she can contribute to the Kennett School system and would like to be a part of it. “My work is in program evaluation and I think Kennett does an amazing job, but there is always room for improvement,” she said. Sweetman also runs a program in Detroit during the summer for children who live below the poverty level. She said that helps her understand diversity and the struggles people face. When Sweetman was asked by a board member if she understands how the
board operates, she said it is an intermediary between the public and the school district. Board member Ann Parry asked Sweetman what she believes is the most important challenge the school district faces. Sweetman said that the most important challenge now is helping students catch up with the learning that has been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she was asked what she would like to see her children equipped with when they graduate from Kennett, she said she wants them to Continued on page 4A
I Matter: High School student’s new book illuminates voices of young poets Three generations of Wyeths focus on our heritage...1B
Kennett High School junior Isabella Hanson recently published I Matter, featuring the work of 12 poets whose work reflects on the murder of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
Enjoy dinner again...5B
theatre
INDEX Opinion.......................5A Obituaries.............2B-3B Classifieds............4B-5B
On June 13, 15-year-old Isabella Hanson – who will be a junior at Kennett High School this September -- was one of 15 students from eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware to receive the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations, that identifies and recognizes high school-age students “who significantly engage and challenge their schools or communities to advance racial equity in order to promote respect and understanding among all people.” Hanson was recognized for her work in founding and developing “I Matter,” a nationally recognized youth poetry program focused
on the Black Lives Matter movement; publishing a book of the same name that featured the poems of 12 young authors; working with her high school’s teachers to diversify the English and social studies curricula; and for developing a confidential reporting form for equity and diversity concerns through her work with the Equity Diversity Council. For Hanson, however, the recognition she received earlier this month was the culmination of growth, awareness and discovery she experienced between the bracketed dates of exactly one calendar year – from June 19, 2020 to June 19, 2021 – a 365-day blank slate in her young life that
she filled with purpose and meaning during one of the most volatile years in memory. When Kennett High School converted to a virtual form of education at the outset of COVID-19 last March, Hanson took on the responsibility of attending not just one school, but two. Her mother Sophia, the founder of the National Youth Foundation, began teaching Isabella and her younger daughter Victoria a curriculum she called “Black History X,” that complimented her daughters’ regular schoolwork with a condensed history of the Black experience in America. It was a daily overview of a 400-year odyssey, and
Photo by Sandrien B Photography
Isabella Hanson, a 15-year-old junior at Kennett High School, is the award-winning creator of I Matter, a book of poetry written by authors whose words reflect their feelings and emotions about racial justice.
one dotted with AfricanAmerican names not often found in the pages of our country’s homogenized history books. The sisters learned about systemic racism, and were introduced to
those who countered indecency with activism. They learned about Black poets, authors, artists, musicians and leaders. Sophia also opened The Autobiography Continued on page 3A
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County Commissioners honor former State Senator Dinniman with garden dedication
© 2007 The Chester County Press
The Chester County Commissioners recognized retired State Sen. Andrew Dinniman this week, for his leadership in addressing hunger in the county, and establishing the Chester County Gleaning Program, a forerunner to the Chester County Food Bank’s Farming and Garden Education Programs.
Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline officially dedicated the garden area at the County’s Springton Manor Farm as the Senator Andrew Dinniman Garden. Sen. Dinniman retired from public office at the end of 2020 after nearly 30 years as an elected official, serving as a Chester
County Commissioner and then as State Senator. Speaking on behalf of the Board of Commissioners, Chair Marian Moskowitz said, “When Senator Dinniman announced his plans to retire, we began to think of a way that we could honor his many years of public service, and especially his efforts to address hunger in
Chester County. “The successful Gleaning Program that Andy developed 25 years ago, with a network of volunteers, quickly established a resource for locally grown fruit and vegetables that was distributed to county agencies. The fruits of his labors, along with those of local farmers, community groups and individuals, quite
literally continue to this day through gardens like those at Springton Manor Farm, managed by the Chester County Food Bank.” The Chester County Gleaning Program began in 1996, when then County Commissioner Dinniman called a meeting of concerned citizens to address Continued on page 4A
Justin Best, a UHS graduate, earns spot on the U. S. Olympic Rowing Team By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer In 2015, when Justin Best was still a senior at Unionville High School, he was asked to envision what he could be doing ten years after his graduation. His response, which was included in the school’s yearbook, was that he would be training for a spot on U.S. Rowing Team for the 2028 Olympics. Justin found out earlier this month that he is reaching the lofty goal a little earlier than he had hoped. He will be part of Courtesy photo Justin Best, a graduate of Unionville High School, will be part of the men’s eight+ the Men’s Eight+ team that rowing team that will represent the United States at the upcoming Tokyo 2020 represents the United States Olympic Games. Best is pictured at the 2018 Under 23 World Championship in at the upcoming Tokyo Poznan, Poland, where the crew won gold and set a world’s best time. 2020 Olympic Games. The
Olympic Games will begin on July 23 and run through Aug. 9. Rowing events are tentatively scheduled for the morning of July 23. Justin called the opportunity to compete and represent his country in the Olympics “pretty special.” “I’m really proud to be an American and I hope I can perform my best on the highest stage,” Justin said. He grew up participating in a number of different sports—football, lacrosse, and track events, but a concussion while playing football prompted him to look for a new sport. At around that same time, his parents, Glenn and Jeanne Best, watched The Social Continued on page 2A