The Ohio eChronicle A Publication of the Ohio School for the Deaf Spring Issue, 2012

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In this Issue: 1 Janet’s Journal 2 ASL Across the Miles: OSD’s ASL

Distance Education Program 4 Topics for Teens

Earth Day at OSD 5 ACC Happenings

News from Middle School 6 OSD is Re-Accredited!

Academic Bowl Highlights From a Student in Middle School A Profile on Mary Bachtel, OSD Grad

7 News from Our Elementary Department About the Alex’s Lemonade Stand

8 4PLUS 2012 Student Highlight – Neb Mamay

9 DACC 2012 Student Highlight –Twylia Cook

YWCA Bright Future Leaders Program

10 The Sports Award Ceremony 11 Student Life Programs for Spring, 2012 12 Meet Our Graduating Seniors 13 Construction Scenes at OSD

OSD alumnus and staff member, MARY BACHTEL, will participate in the World Deaf Golf Championships at Tsu Country Club in Japan on October 8-12, 2012. Please go to page 6 for more information on her and the upcoming World Deaf Golf Championships.

Alumni Spotlight

THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Debe Terhar, President, District 4, Cincinnati Thomas W. Gunlock, Vice-President, Member-at-Large, Centerville

District 1 - Ann E. Jacobs, Lima Member-at-Large - Angela Thi Bennett, East Cleveland District 2 - Kathleen A. McGervey, Avon Member-at-Large - Tess Elshoff, New Knoxville District 3 - Jeffrey J. Mims, Dayton Member-at-Large - Joseph L. Farmer, Baltimore District 5 - Robin C. Hovis, Millersburg Member-at-Large - Dannie Greene, Gallipolis District 6 - Kristen E. McKinley, Columbus Member-at-Large - C. Todd Jones, New Albany District 7 - Bryan C. Williams, Fairlawn Member-at-Large - Dennis Reardon, Pickerington District 8 - Deborah Cain, Uniontown Member-at-Large - Dennis Shelton, Delaware District 9 - Michael L. Collins, Westerville Ex-Officio Members: District 10 - Jeff Hardin, Milford The Honorable Peggy Lehner - Ohio Senate District 11 - Mary Rose Oakar, Cleveland The Honorable Gerald Stebelton – Ohio House of Representatives

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THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION John R. Kasich, Governor

Stan W. Heffner, Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Sawyers, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction

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THE OHIO SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF Janet S. Gordon, Interim Superintendent

Bobbie Huebner, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Scott Schaller, Chief Operating Officer

Educational Services Papalia, Julie – Principal Woods, Denyse – Assistant Principal Stewart, Kimberly – Administrative Assistant Bachtel-Parker, Susan Bachtel, Tom Balk, Cheryl Barrett, Cherilyn Beckley, Dr. Margaret Behary, Jennifer Bird, Malkah Boone, Nancy – Librarian Burnett-Penny, Tamara Colatruglio, Bobbi Costello, William Cox, Mary Ellen Engebretson, Raymond Estes, Bill Henderson, Donna Heine, Charisse Hemphill, Jennifer Hobbins, Susan Goss, Leanna Griffin, Audrey Joseph, Gerard Jones, Jeff Kisner, Janel Lago-Jones, Melissa Layman-Allen, Angie Leighner, Ross Jones, Jeffrey Jordan, Emily Key, Megan MacFarland, Leslie McTyiere, Dr. Susan – Audiologist Moore, Phyllis Newman, Bill Ogden, Michelle Pierce, Nona

Poe, Abbie Rawdon, Dee Rond, Janice Rose, Pam Sanders, Christine Schmidt, William Schnacke, Sandra Smith, Angela Smith, Laura Smith, Michael Stewart, Julie Stewart, Terrence Sutton, Kim Swisher, Nancy Switzer, Jane Thomas, Jean Uhrin, Sheri Walker, Miranda Watt, Cynthia Alice Cogswell Center Lineberry, Janet − Coordinator Blessing, Marlo Bonello, Mary Cook, Viola Douglas, Gretchen Felter, Christina Malatestinic, Sally Montoney, Carrie Stokoes, Jennifer Swisher, Sarah Ware, Jessica Residential Services Prusinski, Cheryl − Director Lineberry, Terry Administrative Assistant Student Life Programs Pitt, Roosevelt − Assistant Director

DeFalco, Joseph − Supervisor Bachtel, Mary Barabas, Steven Cook, Henry Diley, Larry Dreher, Jeannette Drosak, Helen Frank, Vilas Harris, Kareem Hixson, Acacia Johnson, Dawn Kolb, Robert Lorenzo, Reva MacFarland, Kevin Massey-Norton, Amy Mott, Perry Somnitz, Christopher Voelker, Carolyn Wilson, Karen Outreach Services Brodie, Pamela − Administrator Dorton, Yveetes –

Secretary Crane, Cameron Davenport, Carrie Walker, Vickie Whicker, Cynthia Interpreting and Sign Language Resources Parmir, Jean Asst. Administrator Devine, Trudy Donaldson, Robert Estes, Molly Huff, Kelly Murphy, Margaret

Support Services Food Services Penick, Tajanita

Food Service Supervisor

Lineberry, Jimmy Multhup, Angela Chea, Malaitong

Student Health Clinic Ghiloni, Bryan – MD Chaffin, Stephanie – RN Daulton, Jody – RN Dick, Diana – RN Sauder, Veronica – RN Business Office Cain-McGraw, Joyce Scholl, Karen Safety & Security Chavis, Douglas Fontie, Amad Taylor, Sonni Maintenance Simonson, Chris – Building

Maintenance Superintendent

Duarte, Howard – Building Maintenance Supervisor Blackwell, Danny Flowers, James Johnson, Dale Jones, Jason Maier, Andrew Merwin, James Moggo, Edward Norris, Scott Prater, James

Custodial Aron, Dorothy Belcher, Donnie Washington, Rochelle Technology Estes, Pamela J. − Administrator Eck, Kevin Taylor, Sammy Human Resources Bonito, Morgan (Revised 6/1/2012)

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Janet’s Journal By Janet Gordon, Interim Superintendent At the end of March, I attended an all day conference with three top researchers in deaf education. They shared research findings on best practices for academic achievement results for deaf students, memory and executive functioning skills (organization, planning, attention to task, problem solving thinking) in deaf youth, and literacy education for deaf students. OSD’s Outreach sponsored the conference and several OSD teachers attended, even though it was Spring Break. Teachers, interpreters, a few parents, and other specialists attended the conference. We often think that we “know” what works with deaf students based on experience, but fail to remember that very little peer-reviewed research in scholarly publications is actually done. For example, there’s no RESEARCH that shows that Bi-Bi strategies work with deaf youth – there’s none to show that Bi Bi doesn’t work either. There’s a good deal of research on the importance of exposure to high level thinking skills, rich language of text books and story books, and the importance of “face to face” forms of English as contributing to overall achievement levels. Clearly, what works with some students with a hearing loss is not necessarily what works for all students with a hearing loss. Presenters were Drs. Mark Marschark (NTID), Daniel Koo (Gallaudet), and Connie Mayer (York University in Canada), in case you want to scout out their findings in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and the American Annals of the Deaf. The OSD strategic planning groups have been working on a variety of topics as we broaden our awareness of scope of OSD’s programs. OSD has four operational areas, each of which contributes to student performance – Curriculum and Instruction, Student Life, Outreach, and Operations, which support the other three departments in a variety of ways. The strategic planning groups are thinking about the whole of OSD, not just individual departments. Since we are likely to be flat funded and our position ceiling numbers are not likely to increase, we need to make do with the money and staffing we have. We would all like to improve results. In order to improve results, with the same amount of money and employees, the strategic planning group is trying to consider priorities over the next four years and to think about different ways of doing our work so that we can have improved

results. The teams have looked at strengths and need areas, mandates we face (the things we must do), trends at OSD and in deaf education, data we have, and what we value as a school. We are planning on getting input from parents and other stakeholders as we continue this process. We’ve all struggled with our primary mission in that we feel the need to serve all students who enroll but also feel that it’s hard to find a common strategy when deaf and hard of hearing students (not just OSD students) are all so different – different knowledge base, different communication styles, different backgrounds, and unique learning needs. I also met with a group of students to involve them in the strategic planning process as well. Finally I hosted a Parent Summit on May 20 to gather parents’ feedback regarding OSD’s strength and parents’ view on need areas. Dr. Jay Innes will help to facilitate the strategic planning process when the committee reconvenes in June. Melissa Lago-Jones, Pam Little Rose, and Dr. Lou Mazzoli have all been working hard to prepare for the North Central Association/AdvancED on site review on May 1 and 2. You’ll recall that NCA is one of OSD’s accreditation groups, which tell parents and other schools that OSD meets certain standards for good school practices. There is a tremendous amount of documentation, report writing, surveys, gathering of evidence, data analysis, strategic plan focus, and other preparation that has been going on all year. On May 1 and 2, there will be some “focus groups” for those who want to participate. There will be a walk through the school program. There is an extra team this year who are “deaf education experts” to advise the NCA group – a former teacher of the deaf, the principal from the St. Rita School, a vocational special education supervisor from DACC, and others. At the end of the second day, the NCA team with meet with a few OSD staff members to go over their findings – strengths, need areas, and promising practices. We have some summer activities already in the works -- June 4-15, Drivers Education camp; June 4-12, summer ETR clinic; June 18-19, Summer Institute for sign language interpreters; June 11, start of the summer ACC program; and June 29-30 Dual Language workshop for teachers. We’ll likely do some intensive strategic planning in June as well. June is normally a busy month for the Business Office in that the end of the fiscal year is June 30 and all expenditures stop around June 15 and don’t resume until July 1 when the new fiscal year starts.

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ASL Across the Miles: OSD’s ASL Distance Education Program By Pam Brodie, with Jean Parmir, Cheri Balk and Abbie Poe

The Center for Outreach Services at OSD has helped to start many programs in Ohio’s schools over the years, but one project that had humble beginnings has become a model for other schools to emulate. In 1999 the Center had applied for a grant to install the school’s first distance education equipment. Videoconferencing was just getting started in Ohio schools, so the technology wasn’t close to what we see today. We had hosted a few conferences, and the medium seemed promising. Then we were approached by Linda Sakemiller from Northwest Ohio. She had a group of elementary students that wanted to learn sign language, and she wondered if we would be interested in trying to hold a class via videoconference. We went back to our office and talked about the pros and cons – and there were a LOT of cons to consider. Would the children be able to pay attention? Would the connections work? What about the teacher? How does a teacher bond with students who are so far away? We decided to give it a shot, and one spring day Verne Taylor Jr., who worked in our department at the time, made the three-hour drive to the district to meet the children in person, and from then on they had weekly lessons with Verne “on TV.” It was a big deal in the little town where this happened, big enough that the local newspaper did a story about Verne and his class. That was the first distance ASL “class” offered in the state, and it originated at OSD. Ohio accepts ASL as one of the languages high school students may take to satisfy their foreign language requirement. High schools in large cities were able to attract teachers with ASL teaching credentials, but smaller schools and rural schools had a tough time finding qualified teachers. As time went by and word of OSD’s program got out, high schools started contacting us asking if we’d teach for their schools via videoconference. For the students to earn foreign language credit, the classes must have a licensed teacher, so we had to ask the school administration if it would assign a teacher to the class. The OSD administration decided it would try it out and see what kind of a response the classes got. There were even more questions – did OSD have the authority to teach hearing students? How would they earn credit? Who would develop the Curriculum? Was it possible to learn ASL this way?

Teacher Abbie (DeMattei) Poe is shown here teaching classrooms located in different parts of the state.

The first teacher to lead the program was Linda Mancini. She worked to develop a curriculum, collected materials and endured all the pitfalls of a new technology. In the beginning, just getting a good connection was a feat. Remote schools had a lot to learn too, as they sometimes found that their “top of the line” videoconference systems didn’t have enough speed to accommodate sign language, so funds were secured for OSD to purchase equipment and loan to different school districts. OSD Distance Education Teacher Cheri Balk and IT staff Sammy Taylor traveled to remote schools to help them set up equipment and configure their networks.

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Mrs. Mancini eventually retired, and teacher Kristin Saxon took over. When Mrs. Saxon left to teach in the ASL program at the Ohio State University, new teacher Abbie Poe took on the challenge of teaching the classes. Over the years, there has been tremendous growth in the ASL Distance Education program. From a handful of elementary students taking a class for enrichment, the program has evolved into a four-year foreign language program. Each ASL course lasts two semesters. As of December 2011, there were 16 schools, 96 hearing students, and 16 deaf or hard of hearing students enrolled in the courses. Every spring, the Distance Education students travel to OSD to spend a day at the school and meet students and staff. OSD has an active chapter of the national ASL Honor Society, and ASL students who meet the GPA requirements can become members by performing service to the deaf community. Here are a few student comments about their classes:

“…love this class [I] will be taking it all of high school and possibly pursuing a career with ASL. “Abbie was an amazing teacher and helped us become really good signers while having fun! This was my favorite class this year!” “I really enjoyed taking this class. I have learned so much about the language and culture. I cannot wait until I am able to take the class next year. ” “I think this class is a good way to learn ASL because I came into this class not knowing ASL and now I’m coming out of this class being able to sign to deaf people.”

From time to time, the ASL program has been questioned about its value to the overall mission of OSD and the Center for Outreach Services. Most children who are deaf or hard of hearing are placed in general education programs, with few peers. Schools who want to join OSD’s ASL classes get priority scheduling if there are deaf or hard of hearing students attending their schools. Over the years, more and more mainstreamed deaf or hard of hearing students are enrolling in ASL classes along with their hearing classmates to receive formal instruction in their own language – an opportunity that didn’t exist prior to this program. Deaf students not only gain friends they can talk to, they see their language and culture elevated to something worthy of study. The ASL program is a “window” into OSD and the deaf community. Most of the students from these schools, regardless of their hearing status, have never heard of OSD or met people who are deaf; their teacher, Abbie Poe is the first deaf person many of them have encountered. Apart from ASL, they learn that deaf people are competent, confident people, and the Ohio School for the Deaf isn’t much different from any other Ohio school. ASL students and their chaperones visit OSD and take a positive image of the school and its programs back to their families and the community. They become our ambassadors, and share the good work of the school with others. In the 11 years that these classes have been offered, over 500 hearing, deaf or hard of hearing students have been touched by this program. Some have

learned a new fun language. Some have learned about a community, and some have found a whole new world. Kudos to all that are parts of OSD’s ASL Across the Miles! ASL students meet their “classmates. from afar” and OSD students.

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TOPICS FOR TEENS By Julie Papalia, Principal Our OSD High School students have been participating in our Spring Topics for Teens Workshop Series. On May 24th, we welcomed some Deaf presenters who talked to us about Drugs and Alcohol. We know that many teens are exposed to drugs and alcohol and this presentation allowed us to learn more about the choices we have and how to get help if we need it. We had speakers come to discuss is issues facing White Americans and Black Americans. We saw a movie about a town in Mississippi, where the proms were segregated until 2008. Actor Morgan Freeman, who is from Mississippi, offered to pay for an integrated prom and it helped to open people’s minds about the benefits of integration. We learned about the history of some negative words that are used and we were able to ask a lot of questions. It was a very good presentation. To continue our discussion on diverse cultures, we also had speakers come to talk to us about LGBT issues (issues that face people who are Lesbian, Gay Bi-Sexual or Transgender). We learned that there are supports for teens in Columbus who are LGBT. We learned some of the sad outcomes of LGBT bullying in the national news. We hope to continue this series of Topics for Teens in the 2012-2013 school year.

Earth Day at OSD By Denyse Woods, Assistant Principal This year Earth Day was on April 22, 2012, but at OSD, we celebrated it earlier on April 20th. As a school we all worked together to beautify our small corner of the world, the OSD campus. All teachers and students designated two hours of time in the morning to get outside and spruce up the grounds. All over campus you could see teachers working collaboratively with students to dig and put mulch around our trees. There were students working together to weed, plant flowers, and mulch flower

beds. We helped rake up grass and leaves, plant flower pots, and pass out lots of mulch. The ACC kids ran the fields and collected sticks and debris. The elementary department did lots of raking, mulching, and cleaning up of the playground. Our middle school department worked on redoing the garden between the school building and the vocational buildings, and high school passed out mulch and created beds around the trees. The grounds keeper helped us generate a job list, get supplies, ordered us mulch and kept us all on task. Everyone pitched in to help. More importantly than making the campus more attractive was the beauty of seeing our entire community come together and work for the thing that binds us all together, our love for OSD.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association (OSDAA) is now selling a 194-page bound book on the history of The Ohio School for the Deaf. Write to OSDAA with a check for $1500, 1055 Colony Drive, Westerville, OH 43081 for your copy. OSDAA’s email address is, OSDAA@sbcglobal.net.

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ACC Happenings By Janet Lineberry, ACC Coordinator

As the school year rapidly drew to a close, the Alice Cogswell Center was busy planning for our graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 31st at 4:30 pm in the OSD Garden Gallery, while preparing to leap right into summer fun as we open our annual Summer Enrichment Program on June 11th But before that begins, we are pleased to announce our 2012 Preschool Graduates. Please join us in congratulating: Abbie Barrett Mya Palmer Eli Boggs Bo Porter Kenyin Cole Dee Jea Reynolds Emma Harlan Felicia Williams Ava Lago-Jones Ava Williamson William Zimmerman

Ten of our eleven graduates will be moving on to Kindergarten at OSD. With the large number of children coming in from outside districts, it will be one of the largest Kindergarten enrollments we’ve seen in many years. We are so excited and pleased for all our graduates and their families, and look forward to seeing them in the “Big School.” It’s been a year of growth and development for the ACC staff, children and families. Our programming has been evolving as we have continued to develop our auditory access environment, our study of ASL grammar structure, a move into a play-based philosophy, a focus on the development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills, all of which lead to our program goals of Kindergarten readiness and literacy in both ASL and English. Our students participate in project based activities, which allows for an in-depth study of a unit over 6 – 8 weeks, culminating in a final project or activity that wraps up the topic. We are seeing the children not only able to retain a large amount of new information, but to expand on it, showing us they are making connections and are able to move beyond rote memorization. What a year of growth! It is with mixed feelings that we say good-bye to three very special teachers, who have dedicated their service to the needs of young children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. These outstanding professionals have continued to ‘grow the program’ at the ACC, preparing young children for a happy, healthy, confident entry

into elementary school. We are well into the search for outstanding early childhood professionals to fill these very big shoes. Our very best wishes and gratitude to Teachers Mary Bonello, Malkah Bird and Gretchen Douglas, as they move on to the next part of their life journey. We will miss you! NEWS FLASH! The ACC preschool program has passed their Ohio Department of Education inspection with “full compliance” and has been awarded their license for another year. It requires diligence on the part of EVERY preschool center employee, and the ongoing work of OSD’s food service, maintenance, and SHS departments which support ACC. Congrats to this ACC department.

News from Middle School By Michele Ogden, Department Chair for Middle School Middle School students have been gearing up for the OAA (Ohio Achievement Assessment) tests. Students used a program called Study Island to help them practice and prepare for the statewide tests. After testing was completed students enjoyed a popcorn party to celebrate their efforts. Middle School students also participated in an engineering activity that allowed them to learn about the field of engineering and all of the careers that are a part of engineering. They were involved in some hands on engineering activities as well. Some students had to design and build a boat out of foil and then see how many pennies they could put in before it sank. Another group of students competed to build a paper tower and see who could make the tallest tower without if falling over. The competition was fierce! As the year is winding down, teachers are measuring yearly progress, assessments are being completed, and we are encouraging all students to read throughout the summer. We headed to the Park of Roses on May 25th for an end of the year team-building activity session along with a picnic lunch. Our awards ceremony was held on May 31st at 12:30 in the OSD conference center.

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By Mrs. Pam Little Rose, NCA/AdvancED Coordinator OSD hosted a two-day Quality Assurance Review (QAR) with the NCA/AdvancEd (North Central Association/AdvancED) accreditation team on May 1 and May 2. The accreditation process is a five-year ongoing process of meeting NCA quality standards, engaging in continuous improvement and demonstrating quality assurance. Melissa Lago-Jones, Dr. Louis Mazzoli and Pam Little Rose headed the school’s internal team. The NCA external team included Dr. David Liggitt, Ms. Maryann Barth, Ms. Irene Tunanidas, Mrs. Janelle Adler and Mrs. Jackie Johnson. They met with OSD staff, students, parents and community members and reviewed evidence that OSD is demonstrating the NCA standards of educational excellence. At the conclusion of the QAR visit, the NCA team announced to staff and students that OSD would continue to be accredited for five more years. They noted the respectful attitude they saw among students and staff and recognized OSD for its focus on high quality education for each student. This summer, OSD will receive an official report from NCA/AdvancEd which will include the strength areas of the OSD program and will suggest opportunities for improvement. EDITOR’S NOTE: OSD has earned continuous accreditation by NCA/AdvancED since 2000.

ACADEMIC BOWL HIGHLIGHTS By Mrs. Cheri Balk, Teacher/Sponsor The 2012 OSD Spartans Academic Bowl Team participated in the Gallaudet University Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students in Washington, DC on April 12-16, 2012. Seventy-nine teams from all corners of the United States, Hawai’i

and Canada participated in this year’s national competition. Our team of Jeremy Siler (captain), James Perry, Gregory Rinker and Zachary Davenport did a wonderful job of representing OSD,

finishing with a 4 win - 6 loss record against some stiff competition. After playing their matches, the team enjoyed touring many of our national monuments, memorials and museums along the National Mall.

FROM A STUDENT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL By Jarian Watring In Reading class we are reading The Hunger Games. This book is very interesting and suspenseful. It also has good descriptive writing. We are almost finished with it! Then we will take a test on it. In Science we made two different solar ovens. We were trying to figure out which one is better, the bigger box oven or the pizza solar oven box. Now we know that the bigger box was better because it absorbed more heat because we put newspapers and cardboard in it for insulation. In Social Studies we are learning about Egypt and their social life. In Language Arts we are learning about grammar. Also we are learning on how to use had, is and are. Soon we will be learning about has or have. In Math we are learning about angles and fractions.

A PROFILE ON MARY BACHTEL – OSD GRAD Mary Bachtel, a Class of 1977 graduate from the Ohio School for the Deaf, is being selected to represent the United States team in the World Deaf Golf Championships on October 9-12, 2012 at Tsu, Japan. In July of 2011 Mary tried out for the

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United States Women’s team at Dayton, OH. She played golf for four days and made it to the team representing the United States of America. She met many deaf golfers from all over the United States and is ready to meet some international deaf golfers for the World Championships. Mary explained that she learned golfing while she was a student at OSD under our old PE teachers, Mr. Terry Laughbaum and Mrs. Arvilla Kennedy. She remembered Mr. Laughbaum taking a group of boys and only one girl (Mary) to practicing and playing on an 18-hole golf course at Columbus Airport Golf. After that, she never had the chance to play golf again. Until Mary met her husband Tom (another staff member at OSD) who encouraged her to play golf again. She declined playing until a group of women decided to form a Ladies League known as the Par-Tee Ladies League 15 years ago. She is still playing for the League at the Royal American Golf Course in Columbus area. The US Women will try to defend the title it won during the last championship tournament in Scotland. Three other ladies and Mary is going to do their best to defend that title. Each golfer needs to raise $2,750 to help defray the tournament fees and travel expenses for the event. The United States Deaf Golf Association (USDGA) is a non-profit organization. She is hoping that you will help her dream come true by participating in the World Championships in Japan. She welcomes any and all donations to USDGA with a memo stating that the money is earmarked for Mary Bachtel. The donation is tax deductible since the organization is a 501(c)(3) one Tax ID# 52-2067550. EDITOR’S NOTE: Mary made not one but TWO HOLES-IN-ONE in her 15 years of playing golf. The first hole-in-one was on July 15, 1998 at the Twin Oaks Golf Course and the recent hole-in-one shot was on May 18, 2012 at the Phoenix Golf Course in Columbus. Congratulations Mary and our best wishes for a successful world championship golf game in the Tsu Country Club, Tsu MIE pls, Japan. OSD is very proud of you. DID YOU KNOW THAT OSD has been in continuous operation for 183 years after closing out this 2011-2012 school year. Have a great summer!

NEWS FROM OUR ELEMENTARY DEPARTMENT

By Megan Key, Teacher This has been a very busy semester for our elementary classes. One of our favorite things this semester has been the super mild weather which meant we were able to do our learning activities outside almost every other day. In February we went ice skating at The Chiller where we got to watch the professional ice hockey team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, practice and then skate on the very same ice they do. We helped out with the Earth Day by cleaning up trash and helping with the yard beautification. Besides that, we’ve done everything from taking the Ohio Achievement Test to hosting an Alex’s Lemonade Stand. We are learning not only the book skills, but also applying them to real world work, which we like to call FUN LEARNING! We went to COSI (Center of Science and Industry) and to the Columbus Zoo on field trips. It is always so great to learn and then actually see the wonderful educational places Columbus has to offer which really helps make life in elementary memorable.

Mrs. Jeani Thomas’ class participating at the Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

About the Alex’s Lemondade Stand By Melissa Lago-Jones, Teacher In an effort to join the battle against childhood cancer, the Ohio School for the Deaf elementary students and staff hosted an Alex’s Lemonade Stand in front of Panera Bread (4159 N. High Street) from 12 Noon to 1:30 pm during the week of May 14th

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through the 18th. Members of the community were inspired to get involved with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation after seeing a local story on Alexandra “Alex” Scott. After finding out how easy it was to get involved, they decided to hold a lemonade stand of their own.

Mrs. Key’s and Mr. Leighner’s class with Zachary Veatch and Logan Heckel at the Lemonade Stand

This is the 4th Annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand hosted by OSD elementary students. To date, students have raised more than $4,400 ($1,017.68 just this past

year!). Each elementary class takes a turn hosting the stand on one day of the week. The experience not only teaches students about helping others but also gives them opportunity to practice “business skills” such as greeting customers and counting money.

Mrs. Leslie MacFarland’s class encouraging customers to the Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2004, 4-year-

old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, ALSF, a registered 501(c)(3) charity, has raised more than $50 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 200 research projects nationally.

4PLUS 2012 Student Highlight – Neb Mamay By Nancy Swisher, 4PLUS Coordinator

Nebeyat (Neb) Mamay entered OSD’s 4PLUS program in the fall of 2010. She finished her high school credits from Dublin City Schools and decided that she was not ready to be independent and wanted support in attaining her goals. Neb’s goals were to gain work experience, get a job, raise her reading and math scores and attend college. Neb started out in academic classes. She did well and her scores improved. She decided a year later (while still in 4PLUS) to enroll in Columbus State Community College (CSCC). The 4PLUS team assisted her with applying and enrolling in English and Math classes. The 4PLUS team helped her access the disability services on the CSCC campus and to advocate for support services in her classes. Nebeyat started out working in OSD’s Alice Cogswell Center (ACC) preschool program. Neb was a commendable asset to the teaching team. Neb and the 4PLUS team decided that she needed to work outside OSD in a hearing preschool program. Neb gained valuable experience working at North Broadway Children’s Center (NBCC). NBCC enjoyed having her come in and teach the children and staff sign language as well as work as a teacher aide. Neb then moved to another internship site at Bright Horizons Academy located at Riverside

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Hospital. She interned there for a short time because they liked her so much that they offered her a job. Neb continues to work there part-time while attending CSCC. Neb is totally invested in her education and her work. Her drive and motivation is reflected by her work ethic and her studies. Neb utilizes the 4PLUS program for clarification and new learning in her everyday living. Neb will exit this year and continue her studies in Early Childhood Education. It has been a pleasure to work with her and see her succeed. Best of luck to Nebeyat!

DACC 2012 Student Highlight – Twylia Cook By Cindy Watt, Teacher Four Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) Early Childhood Education Students recently competed at the statewide Family, Career and Community Four Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) Early Childhood Education students recently competed at the statewide Family, Career and Community Leaders of America competition. All four students placed in the top ten rankings. To compete, each student picked a curriculum theme and created activities to teach social studies, science, math, or English and language arts. One activity was required to be adaptable for a student with special

needs, a student of a specific age, or a student that is hearing impaired. OSD student, Twylia Cook, and 3 other DACC students all placed in the top ten. Twylia chose to focus on English/language arts and utilized the book, How to Teach a Slug to Read. She spent a great deal of time looking for a unique book that students were not likely to already know, but would also provide the chance to create a lot of fun activities. DACC teacher, Mrs. Fuller, was impressed with how well everyone did in this competition, stating that there were only three points between eighth place and first. She went on to say, “I expected them to do well because they go through a very rigorous process in this program before they make it to the state competition. These girls love what they do and that’s a requirement for really succeeding when you work with small children and build curriculum for them. I’m impressed that these girls were willing to take on a challenge. Twylia is severely hearing impaired, coming to us from the Ohio School for the Deaf, so her choice of English/language arts just shows how hard she is willing to work. None of these girls took the easy route and for that, I am very proud.”

YWCA Bright Future Leaders Program By Mekayla S. Walker, Student My experience at the YWCA, Bright Future Leaders Program was a totally RICH experience for me. I was glad all of my teachers nominated me to that organization. It means a lot to me. I learned about many leadership terms and what leadership means. In the first meeting, I was frustrated and had a hard time with hearing peers because I was the only one deaf in that organization. I fought through the hardship through those many meetings and I got better and better. I then started to make many new friends. I appreciate being involved in this BIG time and I mean it. I went to a Women of Achievement Award luncheon with my group and many women were downtown at the event. Ms. Cheryl Prusinski was there, too, because she had received this Women of Achievement award in the past. We sat together with two interpreters. I had a blast there. It inspired

Twylia Cook

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me so much as I listened to six women’s experiences, as mother, friend, grandmother, and more. I am grateful to my parents for pushing me through this experience and it has changed my life in some ways. I think I have improved myself since I had gone to that organization. I am looking forward to see a new deaf young lady just like me who will go to the Bright Future Leaders Program next year. I really would be curious to know the experience of the next person

and compare it to my experience. I hope this program will continue every year to see our young ladies grow to become an amazing and successful women in the future. Thank you for reading this.

Mekayla with Ms. Cheryl Prusinski

The Sports Award Ceremony By Kim Sutton, Teacher & Athletic Director The Ohio School for the Deaf (OSD) hosted the Sports Recognition Awards banquet on May 24. After the completion of the fall, winter, and spring sports season, individual awards are given to athletes for their contribution to the team that they participated in. It is a time to recognize individual athletes for helping teams to the highest competitive level possible during the football, volleyball, basketball, cheerleader, or softball season. It is also a time to recognize these individuals for carrying on their teams during good times and bad times, whether it was on or off the playing field or gym court. In other words, awards are considered as token of appreciation to individuals for giving their best to the team’s success. First and foremost, every athlete received a dog tag medal representing each sport for the sport that they participated in as a way to thank each individual for sports athletes for participating in the fall, winter,

and spring sports. They recipients were Cheyenne Pitts, Emaly Carman, Breauna Shakir, Twylia Cook, Dominique Willingham, Jazzi Simpson, Danielle Smithour, Jacob Thornton, Dixy Aplicano, Zachary Davenport, Ephraim Arnold, and Julian Johnson.

Then came the individual awards given to athletes for each participating sport:

Football: Jacob Thornton for Most Dedicated Player, Mike Adkins for Most Improved Player, and Dezjuan Wallace for Best Spirit Player Volleyball: Twylia Cook and Dominique Willingham as Best Offensive Player, Breauna Shakir as Best Defensive Player, Abby Aites as Most Improved Player, and Mekayla Walker as Most Inspirational Player. Girls’ basketball: Mekayla Walker as Best Offensive Player, Twylia Cook as Best Defensive Player, Breauna Shakir as Most Improved Player, and Sheonda Bass as Most Inspirational Player. Boys’ basketball: Brandon Washburn as Best Offensive Player, Jacob Thornton as Best Defensive Player, Zachary Davenport as Most Improved Player, and Scott Woerther as Most Inspirational Player. Junior Varsity basketball: Zachary Davenport as Best Offensive Player, Dezjuan Wallace as Best Defensive Player, Ephraim Arnold as Most Improved Player, and Robert Buckingham as Most Inspirational Player. Cheerleading: Danielle Smithour as Most Improved and Cheyenne Pitts as Most Inspirational Girls’ softball: Dominique Willingham as Best Offensive Player, Emaly Carman as Best Defensive Player, Tracy Boswell as Most Improved Player, Hannah Altman as Most Inspirational Player, and Kimberly Lebo as Rookie of the Year. Boys’ softball: Dixy Aplicano as Best offensive Player, Andrew Gander as Best Defensive Player, David Grant as Most Improved Player, Zachary Davenport as Most Inspirational Player, and last but not least, the Rookie of the Year award went to John Michael Taylor.

For the grandest award of them all, Cheyenne Pitts for the girls and Scott Woerther for the boys were awarded Sportsmanship of the Year. Their names will be engraved on the plaque in the gym hall way. Congratulations to all that were honored at the banquet. Special thanks to the cafeteria department for preparing delicious food and cake for the ceremony.

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Student Life Programs for Spring, 2012 By Reva Lorenzo, Youth Leader

The Adopt-a-Grandparent with "Grandparents" that they can look up to that have been Alumni of OSD and abroad. The program was coordinated with the help of MIG DiGenova and Donita Todd. They have been instrumental in making the program successful this year. The Grandparents love the

opportunity to spend time with kids by being a role model for them. The students and their grandparents worked together on crafts to celebrate various holidays. They had storytelling and the grandparents showed examples on how to do a great job in ASL. Playing Dingo is their specialty in their retirement age; therefore they shared tips on how to play Dingo to the kids. This also helped the kids learn their "ABC's" during the game. The kids had the opportunity to share new technology in playing the game with the Grandparents. The game Dingo was done in a PowerPoint presentation created by Perry Mott, OSD Activities Therapist. He created a

program that whenever a card is drawn, the card is then projected on the screen. Grandparents always shared refreshments with the students which come from the personal finances of Betty Agler. On the last day for the school year, the kids decided to have a cookout with the Grandparents. Thanks to Kroger's and Lonnie Pitt for providing hotdogs, potato chips, and drinks. The hotdogs were even better tasting thanks to the gas grill provided by the Grandparents. It was a successful cookout!

The other program we have for the elementary students called the "Reward Store." The students earn tickets for

good behaviors. Once they earn 5/10/15/20/25/30 tickets, they can select whatever they want on the shelves in the store cabinet. Each shelf has an item equal to how many tickets they earned. That's how they buy goodies. They are

learning the art of shopping by learning how to budget tickets, either getting the low end of goodies with less tickets or save up tickets for the upper end of the goodies. We have seen an improvement by using that system. The kids enjoyed going shopping every Thursday. We are finding that the kids are becoming more responsible with their tickets by holding on to them until the day to redeem their rewards. Many people are involved in this program including Terry Lineberry and Emily Jordan who give tickets during bus transition on the last day of the week.

Special thanks to the Youth Leaders Kacie Hixson and Steve Barabas, who assisted the students during both programs ─ what would we do without you!

The Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association – Columbus Colony in Westerville

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Ohio School for the Deaf Class of 2012

Graduation Ceremonies Friday, June 1, 2012

CUNNINGHAM

RIVERA

WAITE

SILER

WILSON

Brice Adam Cunningham Pickerington, Ohio

Mary Breanna Rae Fields Cincinnati, Ohio

Richard Joseph Gray Columbus, Ohio

Zachary Edward Gullett Willard, Ohio

Felix Antonia Rivera Ashtabula, Ohio

Jeremy Daniel Siler Bucyrus, Ohio

Kristopher Ryan Waite Cleveland, Ohio

La’Teisha RaShay Williams Columbus, Ohio

Gabrielle Dominique Wilson Columbus, Ohio

Scott Michael Woerther Canton, Ohio

FIELDS

GRAY

GULLETT

WILLIAMS

WOERTHER CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR SENIORS!

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New Dormitories Outside and Inside

New School Building Progress

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Have a great summer!

SEE YOU IN THE FALL! Subscribe eChronicle to your email: Subscribe here

New Dormitory Rooms at OSD The Ohio eChronicle

Spring Issue – 2012

Editor – Cheryl Prusinski

The Ohio eChronicle Committee Members – Nancy Boone, Cynthia Whicker, Pamela Jo Estes, and Dr. Edward E. Corbett, Jr., Consultant

The Ohio eChronicle is published three times a year by the Ohio School for the Deaf, 500 Morse Road, Columbus, OH 43214-1899. The Ohio School for the Deaf does not discriminate on the basis of age, ancestry, color, creed, veteran status, disability, national origin, political affiliation, belief or opinion, race, religion affiliation, sex, or sexual orientation in matters affecting program, activities, or employment practices. Questions regarding this policy in terms of employment may be directed to Janet Gordon, Interim Superintendent, (640) 728-1556 or by e-mail, Gordon@osd.oh.gov.

OSD is the place where an equal employment opportunity is being practiced.

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