[Nfbwv-talk] Dr. Keller's WVSDB Weekly Notes

Fri Apr 7 20:42:19 UTC 2017

WVSDB Weekly Note 4/7/17

Dear WVSDB Community;

Hello, everyone! As hard as it is for me to believe, this week marks the completion of the 3rd quarter of the school year. We are down to the final quarter, and our goal is to make every minute count between now and the year's end.

Priscilla Epperly, FSA Coordinator, has been working diligently with her team of volunteers preparing for the upcoming FSA Family Day. Please see the email attachment containing the flyer detailing plans for the 2nd annual Family-School Association Day.  The event will be held on Saturday, May 20th from 8:00 am - 4:00 p.m.  A variety of fun activities and events are being planned to be enjoyed by the WVSDB community.  Alex Abenchuchan of the Daily Moth News and Nico DiMarco (twin brother of Nyle DiMarco) will be joining us for the festivities. Nyle says his brother, Nico is the one in the family who has always loved music and the one who first tried, with no success, to teach him to dance.  So what does Nico bring to the table? He is a Disc Jockey, and yes, he is Deaf. The day will begin with a pancake breakfast, a live band will provide musical entertainment, STEM activities will be available for students, as well as a cornhole tournament...just to mention a few of the activities being offered.  It is an event that cannot be missed!!

On a different note, I am pleased to announce that Barbara Raimondo, who is currently the Executive Director of the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD), has agreed to serve on the WVSDB Board of Advisors.  I have known Barbara for more than 10 years dating back to the days when we were both representatives on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Alliance (DHHA).  Barbara is a long-time advocate for the rights of deaf and hard of hearing individuals and their families.  She has worked as a government relations liaison, director of advocacy, parent consultant, attorney, and trainer.  She has presented and written about numerous topics including early hearing detection and intervention, education, test equity, civil rights, family support, deaf-hearing partnerships, parent and deaf community involvement, and others.  She has served on the board of the American Society for Deaf Children, which presented her with its Lee Katz Award for her "dedication and service to families raising children who are deaf or hard of hearing."  She has also received the ADARA Legislative Award.  Barb has also served on the board of the Maryland School for the Deaf, including as president for three terms.  She and her husband are the parents of two young, deaf adults and recently hosted a deaf exchange student from Ghana for a year.  Barbara received her law degree from George Mason University.  Welcome aboard, Barbara!!

I am also excited to let you know that Kevin Hall, a Deaf pro golfer, has agreed to share his inspiring story at the WVSDB Athletic Awards banquet on June 1st. Kevin will also serve as the Commencement Speaker during the June 2nd graduation ceremony.  Kevin was formerly a student of mine when I served as the K-12 principal at the St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati.  Upon graduation, he was awarded a full 4-year academic and athletic scholarship to Ohio State University in Columbus, where he was the first African American to play golf on scholarship.  He was elected Co-Captain of the golf team in his junior and senior years, and led his team to a Big Ten Championship in 2004.  He graduated with a Journalism degree in 2005, and has played golf competitively since then.  Most recently, he was invited to play in the PGA, Genesis Open, in California last February.

Finally, I am pleased to announce the contest winners in the recent essay contest for blind and visually impaired students which was co-sponsored by ACB's Audio Description Project, (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). The long name for this contest is, The Benefits of Audio Description in Education; its acronym is 'BADIE'.  Contestants were divided into three age categories for the competition. They watched audio described films, and then wrote a review which included an analysis of the quality of the film's audio description. The contest winners from WVSB are as follows:

1.  John Holstein was the third prize winner in the Juniors category. His teacher, Donna Brown, needless to say, is proud of his accomplishment.

2.  In the Sophomores category, Audrey Mattingly was the first-place winner, much to the delight of her teacher, Mrs. Danielle Engle.

3.  Townsend Stemple gave teacher Danielle Engle another reason to celebrate by placing third in the Sophomores category.

Students wrote essays about a variety of films, including "Peregrine", "Sherlock", "Minions", "The Living Body", "Interaction", "The Magic School Bus", "Dare Devil", "The Sound of Music", "Faith", and "Tin Soldiers".  Audio described films increase access to cultural literacy for blind and visually impaired students.

Hats off to our WVSB student winners and their teachers for a job well done. The recognitions awarded not only brought honor to the individual students, but to the school as well!

Please note that the last day of the school year will be Tuesday, June 13, at noon.

Respectfully yours,

Dr. Martin P. Keller, Jr., Superintendent

West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

301 East Main Street

Romney, WV  26757

Videophone/Phone:  304-553-7974

Email:  martin.keller at k12.wv.us<mailto:martin.keller at k12.wv.us>

Achieve.  Challenge.  Thrive.  WVSDB shall set high expectations for learning in a positive climate where lifelong learning is nurtured by example.

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