IRSD Spotlight

Transitioning from one grade level to the next is a part of every student’s educational journey. But while many students handle this time-honored tradition with minimal disruption, it can present a unique set of challenges for special education students, especially when those students are transitioning from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school.

To celebrate IRSD Spotlight’s 100th episode, we are looking back at some of our favorite moments from the past 10 years. These moments are funny, poignant, informative, powerful and even sad.

In order to regulate and manage a child’s behavior in the classroom, it’s often imperative to find out why certain behaviors are occurring in the first place. In the Indian River School District, this done using tools such as Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans. In the latest in our series of special education-themed episodes, IRSD Director of Special Education Melissa Whisted and Supervisor of Special Education Patricia Harris stop by to discuss the district’s strategies for managing problem behavior in the classroom.

Hailey Mack is a 2024 graduate of Indian River High School and the current Miss Delaware title holder. In September, she competed in the Miss America Pageant in Orlando, Florida. Hailey joins us to discuss her experience as Miss Delaware, her “Shoot for the Stars” platform and how her experience in the Indian River School District helped shape her college and career goals.

In the world of public education, there are acronyms galore. But perhaps nowhere are those acronyms more prevalent, and important, than in the realm of special education. Melissa Whisted, IRSD Director of Special Education, and Patricia Harris, Supervisor of Special Education, explain the meaning behind terms such as IDEA, FAPE and IEP.

Stefanie McElhinny, Sam O’Shields and Jesse Steele have all experienced glory on the athletic field. In this episode, we hear their stories.

In this episode, we speak with four administrators – Renee Jerns, Jenna Argo, Corey Dietrich and Kristina Gosnell – who are moving into new positions for the 2025-2026 school year.

It took five years, a global pandemic, extensive value engineering and a lot of uncertainty, but the new Sussex Central High School is finally ready to open its doors to students, staff and the community. In our first back-to-school episode for 2025-2026, we speak with two people for whom the opening of the new school has special meaning.

On the surface, the concept of co-teaching seems rather straight-forward and self-explanatory. But the concept is much more layered and nuanced than you might think. It’s also a key component of the Indian River School District’s special education services. Melissa Whisted and Patricia Harris explain the practice of co-teaching for IRSD families.

Amanda Howard has been a kindergarten teacher at Long Neck Elementary School for the past 11 years and it has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream. On May 8, she received the Indian River School District’s highest teaching honor when she was named IRSD Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026. Amanda's enthusiasm for teaching kindergarten is infectious, engaging and funny. And according to many of her colleagues, she possesses all of the qualities of a truly gifted educator.

Students with disabilities have many more educational opportunities than they did several decades ago. One of those opportunities is inclusion, the practice of having special education students learn in the same classroom as their typical, general education peers. Since gaining traction in the 1990s, inclusion is now standard practice in most school systems and the benefits have been far-reaching.