[NFBWV-Talk] FWD:Article from Hampshire Review News Section 2022 08 31

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The right place at the right time. Campus upgrades, a new leader and a statewide reach mark WVSDBs new chapter ROMNEY Theres a big shift happening in Romney the West Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind may have just started their school year, but the upgrades to the historic institution have been quietly underway for months. In total, the school has received over $2.6 million over the last year to be put toward school upgrades facility improvements, security systems and more, said the schools new superintendent Clayton Burch. The School Building Authority awarded the school over $675,000 for security fixes, Burch elaborated. The school has a brand-new security system, a camera system, fire suppression, he explained, adding that brand-new exterior doors were also purchased with the SBA funds, as well as new roofs for several campus buildings. On the pandemic-relief side of things, the school also received $475,000 in funding to aid with general campus upgrades. Burch said to be on the lookout for new outdoor classrooms and a high tunnel for students. On top of that, the school is seeing $1.5 million thats supposed to be used for recovery, Burch said. Its a broad term, but its basically any improvement that can impact the 60 enrolled students at the school, with a portion of the money going toward upgrades to the Blue and Gold building. Which, since the Feb. 26 Admin Building blaze, is now the oldest structure on campus. Half of the building (which was the original Potomac Academy) will be a rec center for students, Burch remarked, and the other half a conference area. Brian Olden, the schools ProStart teacher, along with his students, will also run a café out of it. Its just such a historic campus, Burch added. You gotta be able to take time to find the money. While at one point, the school had nearly 20 buildings making up its campus, Burch said the future of the school is much more condensed. Eight buildings are being targeted, making sure theyre in good shape, he said. With fewer buildings and more resources focused on them, the goal is to continue expanding the schools reach, both into the surrounding community and throughout the state. The Brannon building is almost ready, he said, housing an E.A. Hawse clinic, Hands and Voices, the Childrens Home Society and 3 art studios through the Hampshire County Arts Council. Statewide, however, the school actually provides resources for hundreds of students, not just the students enrolled at WVSDB. This is a key focus area for the school right now, Burch said, and critical to this next chapter of the facility. (The community has) to stop looking at the school as just serving 60 kids, he said. Its actually serving 800 kids across the state. Dean of Students Melanie Hesse called Burchs arrival at the Romney campus terrific news for the school and the community as a whole. He has shown over the past year that he is committed to growing our school and building a program that is the 1st of its kind across the nation with WVSDB as an immersive program for youth, she said, and the WVDE Technical Assistance Center (TAC) for Accessibility and Transitions (provides) support not only for our teachers and students, but those across the state. She added that hes also actively supportive and aiding in developing relationships with businesses in the community in order to provide students with job experiences and connections. Burchs transition from his role in Charleston to Romney seemed like a natural one, he said hes been forging a close connection with the school and its students for over a year now, and it was just time for a change. I think sometimes people are in the right place at the right time, he said. I was where I needed to be when the pandemic hit. When Covid-19 first popped up on the global radar, Burch had been in his position as State Superintendent for less than 2 months. The department and myself did a great job getting the state through, and got to the point where were in recovery, he said. If there was ever a time that I wanted to make a transition, now is the time. Hesse added that Burch has truly made an effort, in his role as state superintendent, to get to know the students at the school and learn about the campus. Hes the 1st state superintendent to visit frequently, too, she said, and is on a first-name basis with many of the students. Hes even honing his sign language skills. Burch commented that, before he left his post in Charleston, folks thought he was joking about coming to work at the Romney campus. The move has been refreshing, he said, and a good change of pace. Not a slower pace, he maintained, but just a different one. Transitions are sometimes needed, he said. I want parents to look at this school and think, I want my child to go thereit gave me an opportunity to see if I could really take this on and make it better. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE? Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited. Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE? Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments to any other person or disseminate it in any manner. Thank you. The NFB-NEWSLINE? Team.