Cape fashion pathway to be phased out

Cape teacher Alayna Aiken said her initial reaction to learning she was going to teach students to sew was not a positive one.

“I was like, ‘Oh no, I don’t want to do it. I need to teach something way more academic than sewing,’” she said at a school board meeting in September.

Then something magical happened.

“I began to watch students engage in the highest order of thinking I had ever seen,” she said. “I was watching their ideas go from paper to real life. I don’t know how to describe what happens in my classroom, other than it’s magical. It’s absolutely magical.”

But that magic may soon disappear, as the Delaware Department of Education has determined the fashion pathway does not meet state Career and Technical Education requirements for sustainability, and it will no longer be supported or recognized.

Aiken, along with parents and current and former students, attended the Sept. 25 school board meeting to ask the district to continue the program despite the state’s decision.

Following the meeting, the district said the program will no longer accept new students.

“Cape High will work with current students enrolled in this pathway to identify options for completing their requirements; however, no new students will be admitted to the program moving forward,” the statement reads. “The district will be exploring how to best accommodate Cape Henlopen High School students with an interest in the fashion and apparel field. Cape is committed to providing strong, sustainable opportunities that align with both student interests and the district’s future goals.”

According to the state, the foundation of every CTE program is grounded in workforce need and demand. All CTE programs require continuous evaluation to effectively place students in gainful employment and postsecondary education. Therefore, local, state and regional labor market information supply-and-demand factors are analyzed every five years to ensure the program continues to be responsive to evolving workforce needs.

Carolyn Cordrey spoke at the school board meeting because the program was so beneficial to her daughter, Madeline, who is now a senior and will be majoring in fashion at the University of Delaware.

“The fashion program is a point of pride and distinction, offering far more than just technical sewing skills; it empowers students to design, innovate, manage and execute projects, brining their ideas to life — skills that transfer to countless career paths,” she said.

One of those projects was a collaboration with the Lodge at Historic Lewes. During the spring 2025 marking period, fashion students transformed recycled jeans — about 100 pairs in total — into their own unique denim garments, some of which were modeled by Lodge residents.

“They walked with their walkers down the runway so proud of what my students designed,” Aiken said. “I cannot explain how proud I am of that.”

Aiken said she helped write the program and convinced the State of Delaware to take it on. In the wake of the state’s decision to revoke its recognition, she said she hopes the school board can find a way to repackage it, because it enables students to be creative and have a chance to express themselves.

Aiken was supported at the school board meeting by three volunteers who help in her classroom. Support letters from members of the Ocean Waves Quilt Guild were also sent to the board. 

Reagan Buehler attended the September school board meeting to support her former teacher, whom she now considers a friend.

“Her fashion program was much more than learning to sew; it was a space where we learned about friendship, kindness, patience, motivation, self-discipline and real-life skills,” she said. “Cutting her program doesn’t just remove a class from a schedule; it takes away a rare and vital outlet for creativity, connection and real-world learning. Ms. Aiken’s teaching style should be held up as an example of what teaching should be like – rooted in respect, honesty and equality.”

Cape sophomore Grace Eanes told the school board she was planning to enroll in the fashion pathway, but she will no longer have that opportunity.

“Fashion and design have been a staple among Cape’s elective courses for 12 years, and it was a shock to me and others after hearing its removal was up for consideration,” she said. “Just because the State of Delaware has decided to remove the fashion pathway from its CTE courses doesn’t mean it should be removed from Cape itself.”