congratulations - Tennessee School for the Deaf

over 150 years of educating deaf
theTENNESSEE
OBSERVER
and
hard
hearing
children
looking to the future with
our roots
firmlyof
planted
in the traditions
of the past
looking to the future with our roots firmly planted in the traditions of the past
Volume 135
Tennessee School for the Deaf, Knoxville 37920
(Issue No. 2) Nov, Dec, Jan 2012-13
CONGRATULATIONS
KAYLA BROOKS
TSD HOMECOMING QUEEN 2012
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The Tennessee Observer
EElementary Olympics
Top to bottom: 4th Grader, Ri Carlyon carries
the Olympic Torch in the Parade; Ashley Carico
helps to carry the banner for Team Japan;
James Potter "gives his all" in the softball throw
for Team Italy.
The Summer Olympics are held every four years in different countries
around the world. The TSD Elementary School also hosts the Summer
Olympics every four years – a tradition started in 2004. Our games were held
on Thursday, September 6th and it proved to be a day filled with fun, laughter,
friendly competition and learning. In every aspect of the day, the students
were learning about the different countries, measuring distances, keeping
score and using the stop watch. This was a great way to begin the year with
a team building activity and learning to work together as a team – a team that
will continue to grow throughout the year.
The morning began in elementary where each class told a fact about the
country they represented. They had been studying about their country,
making their flag, learning about what they ate in their country and several
even dressed in clothes that represented their country. At 9:00am, the Parade
of Nations, led by chief security officer Lisa Chance, began it’s journey to the
football field. Represented were the great countries of Italy, Mexico, Russia,
China, Great Britain, Japan and the United States of America. The parade
stopped in front of the Ward Building where they were greeted by the TSD
staff and students. High School students led the Pledge to the Flag and the
TSD Elementary Olympic Pledge promising to show good sportsmanship,
follow the rules and to try my best. The parade then proceeded to the football
field where the athletes posed for a picture under the Olympic Rings. Let the
games begin!
Barry Swafford’s Social Studies class worked with us on a cross curricular
activity. His students learned about the history of the original Olympics as
well as learned about the countries represented at our Olympics. These
students were responsible to learn the rules of an event and run that event for
our Olympics. They were a HUGE help and we couldn’t have done it without
them! Screams of excitement could be heard as the athletes threw the noodle
(javelin), the softball (shot put) or the frisbee (discus). Some had no trouble
with badminton, basketball or volleyball, but were challenged at the weight
lifting and the tennis. Future track team members could be spotted running
the 20 yard dash, the hurdles and the relay. We had the long jump, the ping
pong ball hit and the hockey dribble to complete our 16 event Olympics.
When the events were completed, all the students went to the pavilion for
a well earned pizza lunch! Although they had taken a break for a snack, they
were ready to eat again at noon. As they sat and ate, students could be seen
talking about the fun they had, their “best event” or how far they had hit the
softball. This calm did not last too long as the excitement started to build in
anticipation of our final event – SWIMMING! Off to the pool we went where
we ended the afternoon swimming, splashing and enjoying the water. The
students were able to “show off” their swimming skills to their teachers.
When the pool was cleared, all the students could be found outside eating
watermelon and basking in the sun. What a nice way to end a wonderful day!
Many thanks to everyone at TSD who played a part in making this a
memorable experience for our students. Look for the Summer Olympics to
return in 2016.
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The Tennessee Observer
WWelcome Our New Teachers
SSuperintendent's Corner
by Alan Mealka
Due to health problems, Helen Williford has moved into Assistant Living
and will no longer be able to publish the
Retiree Newsletter. She regrets this since
she enjoyed sending you news as much
as you enjoyed receiving it. If you would
like to contact her she would love to
hear from you. Her new address and
telephone number is:
Lauren Mack
Michael Childers
Growing up, I was what you could
consider ‘the ultimate teacher’s pet.’ I
loved helping my teachers plan, organize, remember things, pass stuff out,
and write on the board. Needless to say,
when I went to college at The University
of Tennessee, I knew immediately that
I would major in education. However,
I had no idea what kind of teacher I
would be. During my sophomore year,
I signed up to be in my first American
Sign Language class. I was hooked! I
loved learning about the Deaf culture
and I loved learning sign language.
From then on, I knew I wanted to teach
deaf and hard of hearing students, but
I never imagined the types of looks or
comments I would get from people
when I told them my major. People
would say, ‘That’s cool! Do you know
Braille?” or “You want to teach dead
people?” Yes, those are true things
people would say to me.
Despite all of the confusion about my
chosen profession, I graduated with my
Master’s degree in Deaf Education this
past year. I am excited to call Knoxville, Tennessee my permanent home.
This is something I never thought I
would say considering I had never
stepped foot in the state of Tennessee
prior to coming to college. I am honored to be the new second grade teacher
at The Tennessee School for the Deaf
and am looking forward to many years
of educating young deaf and hard of
hearing students.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, I
have been asked by many people both in
and outside of the Tennessee School for
the Deaf community why a veteran
teacher with no background to speak of
in the deaf community would apply for
a position at TSD. It turns out my
arrival at TSD has been many years in
the making.
Several years ago my wife worked for
the Tennessee Infant Parent Services
(TIPS). Her office, as with all of the
offices for TIPS, was located on TSD’s
campus. I would occasionally come to
her office on any day off I had to help
her file papers and organize. I slowly
learned about TSD’s rich history at
Island Home, and my interest in discovering what it would be like to teach here
began to grow.
About six years ago, I had the desire
to move schools. I wanted a new and
exciting experience, so I applied at both
TSD and the Webb school of Knoxville.
As it turned out, Webb offered me a job
before I could obtain an interview with
TSD. While going through the interview process with Webb, I began to
study ASL on my own. My desire to
teach here grew and grew, but it seems
that I was meant to teach elsewhere for
the time being.
After teaching at Webb for six years,
I moved to Hardin Valley Academy
(HVA) in anticipation of my son’s arChilders...continued on p. 5
Helen Williford
Renaissance Terrace
215 Bearden Place
Knoxville, Tennessee 37917
865-824-4143
The facility is behind Broadway Baptist
Church.
Editor’s Note: Helen Williford worked at
the Tennessee School for the Deaf for over
40 years as the Administrative Secretary.
Helen then retired and continued serving
TSD as a volunteer. We will truly miss
her lovely smiles and giving spirit! Best
wishes to you, Helen!
THE TENNESSEE OBSERVER
(ISSN 0896-1778)
Published quarterly by the
Graphics Communications class at
The Tennessee School for the Deaf
2725 Island Home Boulevard
Periodical postage paid at
Knoxville, Tennessee
Subscription: $2.00 per year
in advance
POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to:
TENNESSEE OBSERVER
2725 Island Home Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37920-2700
Brandi Rood & Shelley King
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The Tennessee Observer
TTSD Volleyball Goes PInk
Back row (Left to right): Jada Pittman, Patty Henley, Diamonique Holmes, Donna Stinnett, Destiny Thompson, Anne Martin,
Michaela Evans, Judi Brookshire, Elaine Alexander, Kayla Brooks. Front row (left to right): Angela Britt, Demetria Beasley, Amanda
Ibezim, Miranda Quarles, Tiffany Paul, and Charity Bailey.
Luke Benson, TSD’s new Athletic Director, challenged each of the Varsity
Teams to do a community service project.
The Volleyball Team decided to do a
GO PINK game to raise money for the
Susan G. Komen Foundation and to
honor the TSD staff members who are
breast cancer survivors. The team members had first heard about GO PINK at
our annual Mason Dixon Tournament
where many of the schools talked about
doing something for breast cancer since
our season is in October – Breast Cancer
Awareness Month.
The team members wrote invitations
to our six staff members who are survivors inviting them to our GO PINK
match on Thursday, September 27th.
Coach Sharon Brown contacted the
two teams who were coming to play
against us and the referees to inform
them it was a GO PINK night so they
could wear pink. Erin Norman and the
Three Bears Club made banners to hang
in the Old Gym. Bekki Brine made us
large Pink and White Bows used to
decorate the Old Gym. Signs were
posted around school and all the students and staff, from elementary to
high school, were encouraged to wear
pink to school that day to show their
support of our survivors. The day
proved to be great – pink all over our
campus from young to old, males and
females, everyone wore something pink!
What an awesome show of support.
On GO PINK night, it was exciting at
the Old Gym. Luke Benson had gotten
some Pink Pom Poms to sell for the
Komen foundation. We had pink ribbon stickers to give away, information
about breast cancer and the concession
stand was giving away free pink lemonade. A representative from the Susan G.
Komen foundation was there to take
part in all the fun. She was very impressed with our effort.
Before the match, the TSD Volleyball
Team presented pink bouquets of flowers to our six staff members who are
survivors as they were all able to attend
the event. The GO PINK fundraiser was
a powerful experience for the volleyball
team. Not only did they learn a lot
about community service and helping
other people, but they also realized the
things they struggle with at school are
small compared to the battle people
face when diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a wonderful learning experience and the TSD Volleyball Team
was able to give close to $300.00 to the
Susan G. Komen Foundation.
A night of FIRSTS – our first GO
PINK game, our first community service project and our first VICTORY of
the season. Congratulations to Kayla
Brooks, Michaela Evans, Diamonique
Homes, Charity Bailey, Demetria Beasley, Tiffany Paul, Jada Pittman, Miranda Quarles, Destiny Thompson, Carlie
Cutshall and Amanda Ibezim for a job
well done!
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The Tennessee Observer
TTSD Athletics
The Tennessee School for the Deaf
Athletic Department is undergoing change
with the recent retirement of Dick Henley. Dick served as Athletic Director for
22 years while coaching football. Luke
Benson was named as Dick’s replacement and hit the ground running. Luke
Benson began his career at TSD in Cottage 303 where he worked for seven years
while attending the University of Tennessee. After graduation with a Master’s in
Deaf Education, he and his wife Camille
(now a TSD Middle School teacher)
moved to Anchorage , Alaska where they
both worked at the Alaska State School
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. They
returned to TSD in 2005. Luke taught in
the Elementary School department for seven years and was also an assistant
coach with the Varsity Boys Basketball and Track and Field teams before
accepting the Athletic Director position.
Alongside a few coaches, Coach Benson spent the summer cleaning and
painting! The football bleachers and concession stand were pressure washed
and painted. Both goal posts and scoreboard were pressure washed as well.
There have also been some changes to the Akin Gym. The concession stand,
which was previously upstairs, has been moved downstairs to better accommodate everyone!
The Athletic Department currently has seven sports: Football, Volleyball,
Boys and Girls Basketball, Swimming, Track and Field, and Cheerleading.
Check out the TSD website, tsdeaf.org, for updates for each season.
The future is bright and busy in Viking Land! TSD will host the 26th Annual
Volleyball Mason Dixon Tournament October 10-12, 2013. TSD will also host
the Mason Dixon Boys Basketball Tournament in 2015 and the Mason Dixon
Girls Basketball Tournament in 2016! We look forward to hosting these
tournaments.
CChilders...cont'd
rival into high school. I knew he would
attend HVA, and I had always wanted
to teach where my children (a 14 year
old son and a 12 year old daughter)
went to school. After a successful first
year at HVA, I received a phone call
from Mark Battle regarding a position
at TSD. My old memories and desires
welled up inside of me. After long talks
with my wife and children, I jumped at
the opportunity Mark offered.
So here I am. I was hired in early
August, so I had no time to study sign
language. Of course, any ASL I had
studied years earlier had vanished. I am
now an eager student of ASL, and I am
told that I am learning quickly. I hope
those who say such things are right! It is
certainly an honor for me to teach here,
and the first few months of school have
surpassed my hopes of how much I love
being at TSD.
My Bachelor’s degree in in the field
of Physics and my Master’s is in Secondary Education: Curriculum & Instruction, both from the University of Tennessee. I have been teaching both physics and mathematics for twenty years at
various schools in East Tennessee. I love
mathematics and consider myself a life
long learner. Complex areas of mathematics are exciting, but I also love to
teach the basics to students and witness
growth of their mathematical thought.
AAkins' Reception
Each year, the faculty of the Tennessee School for the Deaf is treated to a
Back to School reception hosted by our
friend and supporter, Darrell Akins of
Akins-Crisp Strategies. Mr. Akins and
his staff provide teachers with an assortment of delicious refreshments and
a special time to relax and socialize. The
event even includes door prizes! This
reception truly makes each staff member feel special and appreciated. We are
grateful for the support that Mr. Akins
gives our entire campus!
High School Principal, Mark Battle, Director of Instruction, Elaine Alexander, Mr. Darrell
Akins, and Superintendent Alan Mealka spend time discussing the new school year during
the reception provided Akins-Crisp Public Strategies.
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The Tennessee Observer
AA Fun Day at Ijams!
Written by The Third Grade
We went on a field trip to Ijams on November 1. We saw a snapping turtle, small turtles
and a turkey vulture. We went on a scavenger hunt with partners. Lauren hiked with us.
On our hike, we saw a bat cave, poison ivy vines, birdhouses, and grapevines. After the
hike, we ate lunch. We played outside in the playhouse. The field trip was amazing!
TToddler Learning Class
TLC students Connor Tyimok, Ashlynn Murrell, Summer Murrell, Evelynn Nutsch,
and Drake Williams are ready to learn!
by Elementary Speech Teacher, Tressa Farr
The Toddler Learning Class, (TLC),
formerly called the nursery program, is
back again! Currently, this class has five
toddlers ages 15 months up to 28 months of
age, but we are growing! The children
come twice a week and stay for 2 hours
each time. During these two hours, parents
and guardians stay with their children.
They learn through play how to incorporate language, auditory skills, and speech
skills into their daily lives at home. In each
class, we target gross motor skills, fine
motor skills, social and emotional behavior, expressive and receptive language skills,
auditory skills development, and speech
skills development. Parent/guardian educational opportunities of interest are also
provided one time per week as well, such
as the Shared Reading Project, sign language instruction, behavioral management,
etc. I am so excited to be working with
these families and providing them with the
resources and support needed to raise a
child with a hearing loss!
SStatewide Workshop
The Tennessee School for the Deaf
along with the Library Services for the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Metropolitan
Nashville Public Schools, Hamilton County Schools, Memphis City Schools, West
Tennessee School for the Deaf, and the
Tennessee Department of Education presented a workshop for teachers, parents,
and professionals who serve children who
are deaf and hard of hearing in Nashville
at the Tennessee School for the Blind. This
workshop included a variety of topics and
sessions with presenters from across the
state.
Faculty from the Tennessee School for
the Deaf were featured in several sessions.
Superintendent Alan Mealka opened the
workshop with opening remarks. High
school math instructors Christina Foran
and Rebecca Candino presented: Common Core Mathematics Scope and Sequence. Science teachers Shelley King (Elementary School), Robin Grove (Middle
School) and Sharon Brown (High School)
led a session entitled: Science for All Ages.
Elementary Speech teacher Tressa Farr led
Classroom Activities and Speech with
Young Children. TSD’s Career Center
Staff: Kaye West, Theron Strickland, Kay
Sandlin, Karin Robertson, and Deetra
Moore presented: Transition – School to
Work. There was also an interpreters
workshop led by Dr. Steve Farmer, Marie
Griffin and Tina Prochaska. Their topics
included: Do It Anyway – Overcoming
Obstacles to Your Interpreting, So Happy
Together – Building a Successful Educational Team, and Getting a HANDLE of
Classifiers – Signing and Voicing Classifiers.
There was a wonderful group of exhibitors at the workshop from around the
country. Family Voices of TN; Library
Services of the Hearing Impaired; TN
Hands and Voices; Harris Communications; Oticon; Phonak; Ear Gear; Bill Rice
Ranch; Tennessee Temple University;
TREDS; West Tennessee School for the
Deaf; State of Tennessee Department of
Human Services – Division of Rehab.
Services; Hamilton Relay – CapTel; Purple Communications; Comfort Audio;
Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TDAP);
and AT&T TN Relay.
Mark your calendars for November 9,
2013 for the next Statewide Workshop.
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The Tennessee Observer
YYears of Service
5 Years: Back row-Landon Perry, Jason Borque, David Jones,
Arthur Parker, Jimmy Murray, Catherine Gedenk, Lori Gorley,
Cheryl Green; Middle-Darcy McAfee, Emily Hall, Christie
Daugherty, Rebekah Radcliffe, Kim Hayes, Susan Satterfield;
Front-Trina Ellis, Victoria Cordova, Heather Lawson, Matt
Tuxbury; Not pictured-Charles Carl, Lois Loveday
10 Years: Back row- Keith Agnew, Brandi Rood, Theron
Strickland, Joshua Weatherford, Julia Vaughn, Truday Jones,
Rachel Hickman, April Kirk; Front-Rhonda Bruner, Rachel
Cuthell, Robin Grove; Not Pictured: Pat Rittenhouse,
25 Years: Claudia Henderson, Bobby Cooper and Lynn
Andrick
30 Years: Brenda Lindsay, Virgil Moore, and Coy Long
35 Years: Mark Allen, Loretta Ayers, and Barry Swafford
Each year awards are presented to staff for their
dedication and committment to working at TSD. Awards
are given for every five years of service. Without each
and every member of our staff this school could not
function in such a way as to provide a quality education
to our students. Every department is essential to the
functioning of our campus and we want to thank these
employees and congratulate them for their service to
the State of Tennessee and the students of Tenneessee
School for the Deaf!
This year we recognized forty-one (41) members of
our staff for their hard work. All combined, they
represent 490 year of service to our students! Way to
go!
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The Tennessee School for the Deaf is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, equal access, and affirmative action.
Contact the EEO/AA/ADA Coordinator, (865) 594-6022 (Voice/TDD) for further information.
TENNESSEE OBSERVER
2725 Island Home Boulevard
Knoxville, Tennessee 37920
Periodical
Postage Paid at
Knoxville, TN 37920
(USPS 539-240)
Save the date and register
now for the 2013 Run for
the Deaf that will be held
on May 4th at 8 a.m.!
http://runforthedeaf.org
Congratulations to the 2012 Homecoming Court
Left to Right:
Freshman, Anna Steele and escort, Buddy Boyd
Freshman, Jessica Solomon and escort, Hunter Tirey
Sophomore, Michaela Evans and escort, Ethan Swafford
Sophomore, Destiny Thompson and escort, Tory Lipford (not pictured)
Junior, Ashley Hindsley and escort, Zackary Ledger
Junior, Diamonique Holmes and escort, Hunter Johnson
Senior, Kayla Riggins and escort, Jarius Parker
Senior, Brenda Carico and escort, Kelsey Holmes
Senior, Kayla Brooks and escort, Shawn Carico
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