Two weeks after Shawn Dutkiewicz officially resigned as Chadds Ford Elementary School principal, Unionville-Chadds Ford School Board directors hired his replacement. Danielle Clark was appointed during the school board’s Oct. 14 work session.
Danielle Clark
The vote to approve her appointment was 8-0. Dennis McKnight will continue as interim principal until Clark starts her new job on or about Dec. 16. Her pay rate is $132,500 per year.
“We’re thrilled to have you on the team,” said Superintendent of Schools John Sanville after the vote. “It’s an arduous process we put candidates through [but] you stood head and shoulders above the other candidates. I’m confident that you’re going to be a fantastic fit.”
For her part, Clark said, “I appreciate the profound sense of responsibility that you have entrusted in me and to serve and to lead the Chadds Ford Elementary School community.”
Dutkiewicz started at CFES at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. The school board accepted his resignation on Sept. 9 of this year. His resignation was effective Oct. 1. He went to the Radnor School District to become elementary director of teaching and learning.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
Flu season is upon us—which means you’ll need a flu shot this fall if you haven’t already gotten one.
Everyone six months or older should get a flu shot
Getting a flu shot isn’t a guarantee that you won’t get the flu. So, how much does it help, then? “The overall effectiveness of last year’s vaccine was 38 percent,” said Dorothy A. Slavin, M.D., F.A.C.P., an infectious disease physician at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. “While that may not sound especially high, it was still very effective at preventing serious illness.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year’s flu vaccine prevented 7.1 million illnesses, 109,000 hospitalizations, and 8,000 deaths.
Everyone six months and older, and especially those with underlying conditions, should get a flu shot no later than the end of October, Dr. Slavin said. The flu generally begins circulating in the fall. Some years, it can be as late as November. Still, it takes two weeks from the date of the shot for the vaccine to take full effect.
The vaccine’s effectiveness wanes after six months. It also varies slightly from year to year in an effort to match it to what are expected to be the most prominent flu strains of the upcoming season. So it’s important to get a flu shot each year.
The flu is extremely contagious. It can spread from one person to another standing within six feet of each other via droplets from sneezing, coughing, or simply talking. According to Dr. Slavin, symptoms usually come on abruptly, unlike a cold, and they can be severe: fever, chills, headache, and body aches.
If you experience any of those symptoms, contact your family doctor. Also seek your doctor’s advice about the best places to get your vaccination soon.
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Plein air artists Brandywine Valley Nocturne Stroll
This week, plein air painters are taking it to the streets and beyond. If you aren’t familiar with the term, it is a French expression that means “in the open air”. It’s used by artists who paint outdoors to capture a view in natural light. This style of painting was developed in France in the mid-19th century and is still wildly popular today around the world. Several fun events are happening this week to celebrate this style of art.
Fresh Farm by Mary Lou Griffin
In Kennett Square, the one night only “Nocturne Stroll” is on Thursday, Oct. 17th. Over 40 Plein Air Brandywine Valley artists will be painting between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and the 100 block of East State Street will be closed to traffic for it. This is the first time that Kennett Square will be the location for the annual event. Plein air painters typically work outdoors during the day to catch the natural light from the sun. Painting at night presents a different challenge because light is coming from several sources; the moon, car headlights, and street lamps to name a few, but these brave artists are up for the challenge. Visitors should take advantage of this unique opportunity to talk with artists and enjoy watching them as they work.
This is part of the larger week-long “Plein Air Brandywine Valley” event, now in its 9th year. The press release states, “For one week each fall, artists paint some of the most scenic properties in and around the Brandywine Valley including private estates, land preserves, streetscapes and renowned duPont properties such as Winterthur Museum and Gardens.” Other events on Thursday night include Square Pear Gallery hosting a special one-night exhibition of the Plein Air Brandywine Valley Artists’ work from the Marshallton Quick Draw competition being held on Tuesday, Oct. 15th and a reception at the restaurant La Verona.
A final reception will take place on Friday, Oct. 18th at Winterthur where visitors can see all the works finished during the week. The art will be on view throughout the weekend. Proceeds from sales will benefit Youth Development Programs at Children’s Beach House. These activities will support Plein Air Brandywine Valley’s mission, “to help children with special needs reach their highest potential as functioning members within their families and communities.” For more details visit: https://www.pleinairbrandywinevalley.org and https://www.cbhinc.org.
Chill in the Air by Mary Lou Griffin
In Wallingford, Community Arts Center (CAC) and LandArt Events Farm-to-Table Plein Air are partnering for a new event called “The Harvest Gathering.” This celebration of art and music will be on Saturday, Oct. 19th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. outside at CAC or in the Duke Gallery if it rains. It’s a big and worthy event. Visitors will see works that were painted over the past five months by 25 local artists who set up at various farms and farmers markets. A collaborative piece titled, “Plein Air Panorama” will also be on view. It’s a work made by young artists and their instructor during a workshop at CAC’s summer art camp. The entire exhibition will be on view in Duke Gallery from Wednesday, Oct. 16th through Saturday, Oct. 19th. In addition to art, there will be beer tastings, pizza, and more. Be prepared to have fun listening to live music and to get your kids involved in the special art activities being offered. For all the details and to purchase tickets visit https://www.communityartscenter.org.
CAC “Harvest Gathering”
In Exton, the plein air paintings of artist Mary Lou Griffin are on view now through Oct. 23rd at Chester County Art Association’s (CCAA) Exton Square Studio Gallery. Griffin began painting “en plein air” when she relocated to the Brandywine Valley in the late 1990s and she has been capturing the light brilliantly ever since. The exhibition is on view through Oct. 23rd. CCAA’s Exton Square Studio Gallery is at the Exton Square Mall on the first floor, next to Boscov’s.
One more event worth checking out: If you are a fan of mid-century craft, make an appointment to see “In Philadelphia: Then and Now (1950-2019)” at Globe Dye Works. The exhibition features works by such luminaries in craft as Wharton Esherick, George Nakashima and Paula Winokur along with works made by some of today’s most compelling artists. It is on view now through November 9th. The “then” part was curated by the venerable art dealer, gallery director and educator, Helen Drutt and curator and writer Matthew Drutt, while the “now” part was curated by Joseph Leroux and Stacey Lee Webber, artists who live and work at the a former yarn-dying factory turned live/work space for creatives. To connect with the curators, email:hello@bertrandproductions.com or visit https://www.bertrandproductions.com/about-1.
A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.
The Callaway Crab Apple trees in front of the Brandywine River Museum of Art look as if they’re performing a modern dance number. Mark Gormel, the horticulture coordinator at the conservancy said they’re swirling shape is not typical of the species. He’s been grooming them that way. The trees are not native to the region but were the personal choice of Frolic Weymouth, before the decision was made to have only native plants in the Chadds Ford campus, Gormel said.
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
