Staff

Chris Burkhart, Director of Bands

Chris Burkhart (B.M. Temple University '10; M.M. Boston University '17; M.M. Southern Utah University '24) has served as the director of bands at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes, DE since 2013. Chris conducts the Cape wind bands and jazz ensembles. He also teaches music technology and music theory. In Chris’s time at Cape the instrumental program has added a second wind band, a second jazz band, a percussion ensemble and a second band director along with a chamber music program and AP Music Theory course. The program is regularly joined by world-renowned guest artists and guest conductors and it hosts an annual high school jazz festival on the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. Cape music ensembles perform at concerts and festivals throughout Delaware and the wider Mid-Atlantic region. In 2023, Cape Jazz I was selected to perform for the prestigious NAfME Eastern Division Conference in Rochester, New York.

Awards and other professional recognitions received by Chris include True Blue Jazz Legacy Award from the True Blue Jazz Festival in 2023, the Springfield Area Educational Foundation Rising Star Award in 2025 and Cape Henlopen School District Teacher of the Year in 2026.

Chris was a member of the faculty at New England Music Camp from 2016-2023 where he led the Jazz Band and taught in the jazz studies program. He previously held the position of Concert Band conductor at the camp. In addition to teaching, Chris's prior positions include serving in the 78th Army Band where he was the musical director of the jazz band and played in the unit brass quintet and as a director on the American Music Abroad Bronze Tour. He also held teaching positions at elementary and middle schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Chris has studied jazz and classical trumpet performance with Sean Jones, Roger Sherman, John Thyhsen and Rodney Marsalis.

Chris lives in Milton, DE with his wife, Jenna, and their dog Acadia. Chris and Jenna grew up in Springfield, PA (Delaware County) and graduated from Springfield High School. In addition to musical pursuits, Chris enjoys cooking, disc golfing, powerlifting and is an avid Philadelphia sports fan.

Elly Rolfes, Assistant Director of Bands

Elly Rolfes (B.M. University of Delaware) is the Assistant Director of Bands at Cape High School and director of the Cape Henlopen High School Marching Band. She leads the Percussion Ensemble and guitar classes along with teaching beside Chris Burkhart in the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band and assist in teaching the piano course. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 2023, receiving a Bachelor’s of Music in Instrumental Music Education and a minor in Psychology. In her time in school, she was an active percussionist in the University of Delaware’s Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, World Percussion Ensemble and Advanced Steel Band.

Maysi Tims, Assistant Marching Band Director

Maysi Tims (B.M. University of Delaware ‘22) has been the Elementary General Music teacher at Lewes Elementary School since 2022. Maysi is currently responsible for grades kindergarten through 5th grade, and she conducts the 5th grade chorus at Lewes. Maysi cannot wait to grow the program at Lewes Elementary in the years to come! Maysi is also the Assistant Director for the Pride of Cape Marching Band for the Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes, Delaware. Prior to joining the staff at Cape, Maysi served as Drum Major for the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band, under the direction of Heidi Sarver. Maysi started her marching career at UD playing sousaphone in the UDMB’s “Blue Thunder.”

Maysi currently lives in Milford, Delaware with her husband Jacob and their dog Banjo. Maysi is originally from Toms River, NJ. Outside of all things music, Maysi enjoys crocheting, taking trips to the beach, and working at Surf Bagel!

Brian Mahoney, Drill Writer

Brian Mahoney (B.M. Salisbury University, M.M. Southern Utah University) has been the band director at Mariner Middle School in Milton, DE for 10 years, where he conducts 3 different grade level ensembles. Since Brian began at Mariner, the instrumental program has added a jazz band and pep band that performs regularly at various academic and community events. Mr. Mahoney is the drill writer for the Pride of the Cape Marching Band. Before that, he was the music teacher and choir director at Milton Elementary School, where he started The Little Vikings a cappella choir ensemble. He has been performing regularly with the band The Stims for the last 15 years up and down the East Coast.

Kelci Atkins, Dance Team Instructor

Kelci Atkins has been involved in the performing arts for much of her life. She studied dance primarily at Sussex Dance Academy with Kate Downes Walker in Georgetown and Rehoboth Beach, DE and has performed in numerous classical performances including The Nutcracker and Coppelia. Kelci has long focused on classical ballet, and participated in summer intensives at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, PA under the direction of Bo Spassoff.

As a student at the University of Delaware, Kelci was a member of the Delaware Repertory Dance Company (DRDC) as a choreographer and a performer. DRDC, which focuses on student centered approaches to dance, incorporated a variety of styles and techniques including jazz, hip-hop, and contemporary. She continued her classical ballet training during this time at the Mid Atlantic Ballet Academy in Newark, DE. She graduated from the University of Delaware in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies Education, and went on to teach social studies at Beacon Middle School. Since 2018, Kelci has been at Cape High School teaching 10th grade economics and is a Social Studies Department co-chair. In that time, she also earned her Master of Education degree in Instructional Design and Technology from the American College of Education, and will be participating this coming year in a Special Education certification program at Delaware State University.

Kelci has taught a variety of dance styles at Sussex Dance Academy since 2011 including pre-ballet, ballet, contemporary, and jazz for students between the ages of 3-18. She has coached the Cape High School Dance Team since 2019 and loves to witness and facilitate the camaraderie between the marching band front, instrumentalists, and dancers. During her time at the high school, she has also been the choreographer for the spring musicals including Mamma Mia, Grease, Matilda, and Once Upon A Mattress.

Kelci was recently married in October 2023 to her husband, Jack. Together, they enjoy live music, traveling, hiking, exercising & yoga, good food & coffee, and spending time relaxing at their home in Lewes with their sweet puppy Oscar.

Ashleigh Ling, Assistant Dance Team Instructor

With a passion for dance that began at the age of 3, Ashleigh brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the Cape Henlopen Marching Band as the Assistant Dance Instructor. She began her journey dancing with Coastal Dance Company for almost 15 years. She danced competitively at various competitions and conventions including NYCDA, Tremaine, and Showstopper. As a proud alumna of Cape Henlopen High School, she honed her leadership skills as a co-captain of the school's dance team during her senior year in 2017. Her journey continued at the University of Delaware, where she majored in Dietetics and minored in Dance. There, she learned of the important building blocks of dance including performance, choreography, instruction, and history. Ashleigh was a member and choreographer of Delaware Repertory Dance Company (DRDC), a student-run organization at the University of Delaware. Later, she further developed her leadership and performance skills by becoming the Vice President of Performance of DRDC in 2020 and 2021. Although her college experience was cut short due to COVID-19, Ashleigh was still able to gain valuable leadership skills from this position including organizing a spring showcase with over 40 dancers and several guest performers.

In addition to her role with the Marching Band, Ashleigh has been sharing her love of dance with young students at Stars on 9 Dance Center since 2022, teaching children ages 3-16 in various styles including tap, ballet, jazz, musical theatre, character, and hip-hop. Additionally, she choreographs gymnastics floor routines for ACPR gymnastics located in Harford County, MD. Her dedication to the art form extends beyond the dance studio; she also contributes to the Milford School District as a full-time dietitian, overseeing their school nutrition programs year round.

After a busy day of work is complete, Ashleigh likes to either snuggle up to her furry friends, Millie & Kaiya, frequent her favorite restaurant, Stingrays, in downtown Rehoboth for their delicious sushi, or practice pilates on the back patio.

Kait Kresse, Drumline Instructor

Kait Kresse (B.M. ’17 Temple University, M.Ed ’21 University of Delaware) currently teaches chorus and general music at Mariner Middle School. Ms. Kresse played percussion in high school and marched bass drum in Temple University’s Diamond Marching Band. She has been Cape Marching Band’s percussion instructor since 2017 and has also directed the pit orchestras for Cape Henlopen’s theatre department for Mamma Mia, Grease, and Matilda. Prior to teaching at Mariner, Ms. Kresse was the elementary general music teacher at Love Creek and then Milton Elementary schools.

Ms. Kresse lives in Milford with her fiancé Drew, her dog Pepper, and her one-eyed cat, Madeye Moody. When she’s not teaching chorus, marching band, or private lessons, she might be reading, walking Pepper, camping, or sleeping, but probably sleeping.

Bella Myers, Guard Instructor

Bella Myers (B.A. McDaniel College '24) is currently the Educational Director for the Milton Theatre, in Milton Delaware, where she has taught and performed for many years. There she directs summer programs (like this year's shows Frozen, My Son Pinocchio, The Lion King, and Matilda), teaches through-the-year classes, and helps make onstage magic happen. In her high school years at Cape, she was a member of the Pride of Cape Marching Band's Color Guard and even continued spinning her first year of college for Coastal Carolina's Chanticleer Regiment before finishing her degree at McDaniel College just this spring.

Since her recent graduation, Bella has been adjusting to post-school life; living in Lewes and balancing her work at the theatre with good books, lots of baking, and an occasional movie night.

Nicholas Greeson, Marching Band Staff

Nicholas Greeson (BMus '04 West Chester U. of PA; MMus '13 American Band College at Sam Houston State U.) is the band director at Fred Thomas Middle School in the Cape Henlopen School District. He has been engaged in the marching arts as a performer, adjudicator, and instructor for over 20 years. As a performer, he was a mellophone soloist with the WCU Golden Ram Marching Band and was a member of the Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2000-2002 and 2005. He has instructed and directed marching bands at competitive and non-competitive levels in Northern and Central New Jersey, the Philadelphia suburbs, and here in Sussex County. Mr. Greeson began his career as a marching band adjudicator in 2011 with Tournament of Bands and currently serves as the Ensemble Music Caption Supervisor for NJA/TOB and is also an active adjudicator for Drum Corps Associates. Remaining active as a performer, Nicholas is a member of Delaware Winds, Rehoboth Concert Band, and currently serves in the rank of First Sergeant in the 78th Army Band - US Army Reserve. He has presented sessions at the Delaware and New Jersey Music Education Conferences and at the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

Jacob Tims, Band Staff

Jacob Tims has been involved in various marching band organizations for the past 11 years. An alumni of Newark High School (‘16) and the University of Delaware (‘20), Mr. Tims started his marching journey as a freshman trumpet player with the Newark Yellowjacket Marching Band. He credits his enthusiasm for band to the outstanding leadership that inspired and encouraged him since the first day of band camp. Outside of marching band, Mr. Tims has played in various ensembles such as the Delaware All-State Band and the Newark Community Band. As a senior in high school, Mr. Tims led his band as co-drum major. Mr. Tims went on to march at the University of Delaware where he shared his passion for band with his trumpet section as Rank Leader.

Mr. Tims graduated from the University of Delaware with a double Bachelors of Science in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, and a minor in Advertising. By day, he works from home as a Digital Marketer for a small consulting firm. Mr. Tims is engaged to Maysi Salt, who introduced him to the Cape Henlopen community in 2022 when they moved downstate. Since then, he has helped in whatever capacity is necessary to create a positive learning environment for the Cape band students.

Marley Enright, Uniform Manager

Marley Enright is the Uniform Manager for the marching band at Cape Henlopen High School, her alma mater. She recently completed a degree in History at the University of Delaware. At the University of Delaware she played clarinet in the Fightin’ Blue Hens Marching Band where she also served as the band's Uniform Manager. She is very excited for this season and can’t wait to see the show out on the field!

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