A program for elementary school children that combines math with karate embodied all the kick and kid appeal to become an educational winner -- and that is precisely what has happened.

Brandywine School District's Harlan Elementary School in Wilmington was selected as one of six winners this year in the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce's annual Superstars in Education Award. The school won for its "Belting Out the Facts" initiative, a program started by sixth-grade math teacher Sam Fawks that encourages students to earn colored "belts," actually wristbands, by working through progressively more difficult math problems. A black belt is the ultimate prize, and the children wear the wristbands with pride.

"The program has focused in helping our students fill in the gaps as they're learning division and multiplication facts," said Cora Scott, the school's assistant principal. "I think it definitely engages them. It follows that karate format of structure and setting goals and focus."

"Belting Out the Facts" proved successful after 74 percent of the students taking the Delaware Student Testing Program met or exceeded the standards in math, an increase over the previous year's percentage by 3.3 percent.

Similar creative efforts by English teacher Diane Wallace to set up a "Titanic Reading Room" at H.B. du Pont Middle School in Hockessin also were recognized by the Chamber of Commerce after the school saw a 2 percent uptick in the number of students passing reading standards, bringing the total to nearly 97 percent.

Children in the Titanic program read literary, scientific and historical works related to the "unsinkable" ship that sank nearly 97 years ago. Teachers also make the program more realistic for the children by dressing up for the period and playing the part, said Chad Carmack, principal at the school in the Red Clay Consolidated School District.

"Maybe it's the movie, but a lot of the kids have seen the movie and it draws them in," he said of the 1997 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. "I saw the excitement of the kids, the teachers and the parents who were there. It was a lot of fun. The best thing for us is that we want better writers and we want better readers, and this does both."

The Superstars in Education Award, which was started 20 years ago, honors Delaware educators who have implemented and sustained a creative, unique program or teaching practice that shows measurable results and improves student achievement. This year's six winners will be feted May 4 with a dinner at the Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington.

"The educators who developed these winning programs have come up with innovative ways to ensure that students in their classrooms meet established standards and have the tools they need to succeed," said Jim Wolfe, president and CEO of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.

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January 31, 2026