Cape Henlopen High School

The original Cape Henlopen High School opened in 1969. It was a combination of three area schools that housed their high school grade levels with other grades: Rehoboth School, Lewes School, and Milton School.

The district began construction of a new building to house Cape Henlopen High School in 1974. In September 1976, the new Cape Henlopen High School opened on Kings Hwy. The school was a model of 1970s architecture and echoed the educational sentiment of the day that called for minimal distraction in a classroom. The school's very few windows were positioned in places where it would be difficult for students to gaze out of them during classroom time. It was possible for a student to enter the building at the beginning of the school day and not see the sunshine again until he or she left at the end of the school day. Over time the sentiments of educators changed, and, because the school was showing its age, when construction began on the new school (located on the same property of the current school) in 2007, the decision was made to make it as bright a place as possible.

Construction of the new school was completed in the fall of 2009. The new Cape Henlopen High School incorporates energy efficient materials and state-of-the-art technology. It also incorporates a separate 9th grade academy and vocational wing, eliminating the use of the Ninth Grade Campus building.

It was announced during the 2018–19 school year that an addition would be placed on the school. The plans were announced during the 2018 referendum. The addition is currently under construction on the Kings Highway side of the building. It will feature 20 classrooms and an additional capacity of 450 students. New features include a UN-style classrooms, 6 dedicated consortium classrooms, access corridors from the ninth grade wing, and an additional courtyard. The addition follows the same exterior architecture as the main campus. The addition also adds an extension to the cafeteria that has been completed.

While Cape Henlopen High School offers a variety of career pathways, the school is developing academies in areas which include the following:

• Health care and human services including the Certified Nursing Assistant Academy
• Leadership and JROTC
• FFA, animal, plant and environmental sciences
• Theater and performing arts
• Business, finance and technology
• Hospitality and tourism
• World languages
• Culinary and Hospitality management course backed by ProStart

Staff development includes Learning Focused Strategy training and summer workshop initiatives which concentrate on curriculum alignment in core subject areas.[3]

Cape Henlopen High School enjoys an athletic program to support student academic goals and interests.[3]

Cape Henlopen High School participates in athletics in the Henlopen Conference and is one of the larger high schools based on enrollment, thereby competing in the Henlopen North. Their 37 state championships rank them #1 in the Henlopen Conference for total state championships. The Lady Vikings' win of the 2009 Lacrosse title made them the first public high school in the state to win the championship that had been held since 1998. They also have a defending conference championship girls' cross country team that is looking to defend the title. Beside them is the boys' cross country team, coached by George Pepper. In May 2010 Cape's Lady Vikings Lacrosse team was titled State Champions for the second year in a row. As of 2015, Cape's girls' field hockey team has won five consecutive state championships, making them the first high school in the state to do so.[4]

On May 23, 2013, Cape's girls' lacrosse team won its fifth straight state championship, defeating Tower Hill 12–10 at Dover High School. Cape became the first public school to win a girls' lacrosse title and is one of only three schools in the state to ever win the championship. The win extended Cape's winning streak against Delaware opponents to 63 games.[5][6]

Cape Henlopen High School has an Army JROTC program, under the leadership of Senior Army Instructor LTC Ron Erale, and Army Instructors 1SG Phillip Webb and SFC Hurt. Cape Henlopen competes in competitions all over the area with its Raider, Rifle, and Drill teams and its Color Guard. Its Raider Team is one of the best in the region, acting as the vanguard for the entire program.

The school bands take an active part in the community. The concert and marching band has over 100 members every year, and they perform in numerous local parades, as well as in competitions in places like London, Boston, Toronto, Miami, and Cleveland. The jazz band also participates in many local events, performing for Veterans Day and Memorial Day services, for local retirement homes, country clubs and the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. The band was started in the 1970s by Barry Eli, and since then, the group has been awarded numerous trophies and has taken many "superior" titles. Eli retired from Cape in 2008.

• Jimmie Allen, country singer[7]
• Kathy McGuiness, state auditor of Delaware[8]
• Bryan Stevenson, lawyer, activist, author, law professor; founder and executive director of Equal Justice Initiative

• Official site
• Cape Henlopen School District
• Public School Review