Cheerleaders & Wrestling Place 1st at NCASB Conference

March 1, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 7

T E N N E S S E E S C H O O L F O R T H E B L I N D

Tiger Cheerleading Champs!

Arriving in Louisville, KY by bus for the NCASB Championship, there was just enough time to check into the rooms, have 20 minutes to change and dress and head out to practice. After the hurry and scurry we found our practice time had been delayed 30 minutes. Luckily for us, we now had time to eat and wouldn’t have to prac-tice on empty stomachs. Practice went very well! Tim practiced his Outstand-ing routine and the team went through their routine. The coaches, Mrs. Buntin and Mr. Hector, were (cont. on pg.13)

MEET NEW 2

SPECIAL SCHOOL 3

LOBBY COLORS 3

BLACK HISTORY 4

DIRECTOR DESK 5

HEARTS DANCE 6

PEP RALLY 6

COTTAGE CORNER 7

DELTA GAMMA 7

PIE INTO TREAT 8

RESOURCE CENTER 9

PRINCIPAL 9

SPOTLIGHT 10

SOUP-ER BOWL 12

BULLYING 12

CHAMPS 13

AUCTION 14

LIFE SKILLS LOOP 15

EVENTS 16

Inside this issue:

The

Tiger Wrestling Champs!

Friday February 5th, the TSB Wrestling and Cheer teams loaded the bus and set off for the Kentucky School for the Blind. TSB brought a strong team of eleven wrestlers, the most in the con-ference. Nick Heggie won 1st place at heavyweight. Tori Harrison and Garret Meeks won 2nd in their weight clas-ses. Miguel Jose won 3rd at 145lbs. Carlos Medrano and Eh Gay won 4th, and Avery Mayberry placed 5th. The team won eight matches and came in 1st place for the first time since 2012. TSB scored 122 points at (cont. on pg.13)

Martha Hicks-Robinson Martha Hicks-Robinson began work as a substitute teacher at TSB on February 1. Prior to that, she worked in bar admissions for 14 years, administering the bar exam and determining char-acter and fitness of appli-cants. She and her husband moved to Tennessee from Vermont in June of 2014 and live close by, behind the Jackson Downs shopping cen-ter. She has two daughters, one in Nashville and one in Cincinnati, and a grandson who is 1 1/2 and a granddaughter due in early June. She is enjoying her time here at TSB and finds the staff very helpful and the students amazing.

Frances Henry- Frances joined the staff in February as a Youth Service Worker. She is enjoying everyday spending time with the students. “I started with the state in October 2012 at Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute as a Tech-nician,” said Frances. Frances has one daughter and one grandson. She was both born and raised in Nashville.

Jenny Robinson A graduate from Trevecca Nazarene University in 2011, Jenny majored in Communication Stud-ies and minored in Art with a focus on pho-tography. She recently moved to Mt. Juliet from Newnan, GA to be closer to her family. Jenny has worked at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America for the last two years making hotel reservations for patients when they came in for treatment. “It was an awesome opportunity to get to know and serve the patients and their families,” said Jenny. Jenny has a little dog,

Meet Our New Staff

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Roar of the Tiger

Theo, who she says “ is my right hand man and pret-ty much goes wherever I go.” Jenny’s plans are to attend school in the fall or spring pursuing her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Her new position at TSB is Adminis-trative Assistant to Debo-rah Boshears-Gunter. “ I look forward to becoming more acquainted with the TSB culture and staff,” said Jenny

Andrew Kurek In the absence of Ann Carr, the month of Febru-ary brought Andrew Kurek to TSB as an Occu-pational Therapist. Andrew is from Nashville and is married (wife’s name is Maren) with 2 boys, Sully (5) and Finn (3). Andrew grew up in Middle Tennessee before attending Samford University in Birmingham, AL. It was there that he earned his B.S. in Political Science. He also has received a Master of Science in Exer-cise Science and Health Promotion from MTSU. Additionally, Andrew earned a sec-ond Master of Science de-gree in Occupational Thera-py from TSU. “ I enjoy ex-ercise and working in my yard on the weekends,” said Andrew. “ I love going out to local greenways with my family, although the boys always complain when we go on long walks,” Andrew continued. Andrew has worked in exercise and personal training at mul-tiple facilities and was employed as an Exercise Specialist at Beyond Therapy TN: A Shep-herd Center Program working with SCI, TBI, and CVA patients. He worked there nearly 3 years and enjoyed developing creative ideas to modify exercise based on client ability and goals. He has previously practiced occupational thera-py in skilled nursing facilities and has experience in outpatient and inpatient settings as well.

Jenny Robinson

Andrew Kurek

Martha Hicks-

Robinson

Frances Henry

Page 3

Visitors to TSB these day find a fresh and profes-sion look as they enter the campus. After receiving a much needed makeover, the main lobby in the Blue Roof Building is sporting the school colors of Royal Blue and Gold. After the walls received new paint, architectural fabric was installed in rotat-ing fashion over the sound backer boards. The color coordinated seating places the lobby in high fash-ion. A grand re-opening is scheduled for early April.

Volume 4, Issue 7

Speaking of a Special School

Lobby Sports School Colors

Dear TSB Stakeholder,

The job of interim superintendent at the Tennes-

see School for the Blind is filled with challenges,

long hours, and sometimes even difficult deci-

sions. It would be very easy for me to get

bogged down in a seemingly constant struggle

to balance state and federal regulations, espe-

cially during a year of numerous changes at the

state level. Yet, I am surrounded by a team of

talented educators whose resilience and dedica-

tion provide a source of inspiration to press for-

ward. Seeing the results of their labor bring moti-

vation and direction to our students is the ulti-

mate reward for a superintendent.

Last month at the annual Partners in Education

(PIE) Conference hosted by the Tennessee De-

partment of Education, TSB and its work was

highlighted in several ways. Tim Tanner, a grad-

uating senior at TSB, was asked to deliver the

keynote address at one of several luncheons.

He did an amazing job addressing over 1,900

special educators as he shared his journey to

become of member of the U.S. Paralympic team.

As part of his speech, he thanked his TSB family

for helping him reach his goals. He specifically

acknowledged coaches Mr. Andy Joiner, Mr. Jo-

seph Gray, and Ms. Christina Von Reyn. Tim

was articulate, charismatic, and funny. TSB is

grateful to Mrs. Hilary Murtagh, who worked tire-

lessly with Tim (and within a tight time-

line) to prepare him for the presentation.

Thanks also to Ms. Sara Bradley who

created an amazing video that played

after Tim spoke.

I was proud for Tim and the great young leader

he is becoming. It was gratifying to reflect on the

great work being accomplished at TSB and to

see it promoted throughout the conference. I

would like to say a very special thank you to

Mrs. Amanda Black whose videos, “What TSB

Means to Me” and “How to Become a TVI,”

played during lunch.

As TSB looks forward this month to hosting the

Braille and Academic Challenges, I know the in-

vestment in the lives of our students will contin-

ue. Thanks to the staff and teachers of TSB for

being amazingly dedicated educators. Thanks

also for creating a special place where parents

from across Tennessee can entrust their chil-

dren to receive a unique and life changing edu-

cation!

Respectfully,

Nathan Travis, Ed.S., NCSP Interim Superintendent

The students and staff at Tennessee School for the Blind kicked off the celebration of Black History Month with an assembly on Thursday February 4th. The event was held at 12:30p.m. in the school auditorium. The program was very in-formative, inspiring and designed to allow partici-pation by many members of the student body. Mr. Lockhart ful-filled the role of Master of Cere-monies and be-gan with an intro-duction to Black History. Contributions to the program came from the following staff and presenters: Ms. Mandrell- Map 2 presentation by Levi

Dykes, Kevin Giron, Naijyana Hudgens, Alys-sa Meachen, Austin Rogers, Preston Taylor, and Donnie Sands

Mr. Lockhart- History, Marcus Johnson: W. E. B. Dubois and Andrew Young

Mrs. Leister- Art Classes, Students from vari-ous classes have placed their Art Work on the walls of the auditorium.

Mr. Gregory- Jazz Combo Mr. Humphrey- Pictures on the Hall Walls Mali-

yah Greene, Maya Angelou, Cody Grissom: Freedom Riders

Mr. Sain- Entertainers Letarian Smith: (Michael Jackson–Power Point) Lisa Salvato and Sarah Bradley assisted Lee with his presentation and power point.

Mr. James- Sports Tim Tanner: Jesse Owens Taylor Grenier: Wilma Rudolph

Mr. Gregory- Jazz Combo Ms. Williams- Science

Corgan Waters: Alexia Canady Carlos Medrano: Mark Dean Courtney Wilson: Jane Cooke Wright

Mr. Baker- MST-1: Pictures placed on the walls, Christian Herrera, Muriel Davis: Harriet

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Roar of the Tiger

Tubman, Sydney Little, Woovens Scruggs, Ethan Hall: Arthur Ashe, Danny White, Johnathon Grissom: Bessie Smith

Ms. Fridgant- Pictures placed on the walls, 15 pictures presented by Ms. Fridgant

Ms. Buntin- MAP-T: Pictures placed on the walls Collages of Entertainers, Politicians, Activists, and Leaders in Science and Medi-cine Jamerius Turner, Titus Sage, Brianna Swindall, Lathaniel Phipps, Junior Brooks

Ms. Johnston- Jr. Transition Class Presenta-tion, Barry Cannady, Kaleb Duke, Rachel Haynes and Andre Walker: Langston Hughes

Mrs. Days- Education & Inventor Mishon Breland: Benjamin Banneker, Alex-andria Williams: Mary McCloud Bethune

Mr. Gregory- Jazz Combo Mr. Cupid- Mathematics

Avery Mayberry: J. Ernest Wilkins Isis Noneman: Katherine Johnson

Dr. Dandy- TSB Graduates John Harris, (work for 23 yrs. at MTSU in the area of disability services. Fred Bailey, writer His Life History as a VI student and person; he started several educational programs for at risk students in Gallatin, TN and Nashville, TN (Children are People). Both Misters Har-ris and Bailey visit TSB from time to time, especially during Lion’s Club programs, graduation/alumni weekend. Misters Yusef Ali Dale and Kareem Ali Dale, brothers, practice various forms of law in the state of Illinois. Kareem Dale also worked for Presi-dent Obama, from 2009-2011in Washington DC in the area of disabilities. Many of you know several other students that graduated from TSB and are now back on campus working in various positions to assist you in the classroom/sports, cottages and in procurement. They are Mr. Joseph Gray, Mr. Lamont Bassham, Ms. Sheri Rob-inson and Mr. J. T. Bassham.

Closing remarks came from Ms. Benton and Dr. Segers. Mr. Gregory directed the Jazz Com-bo as the ceremony came to a close. The program coordinator was Miss Z. Ewing.

TSB Celebrates the History of Black Americans

Mr. Aaron Lockhart brings an intro-duction to Black History.

Page 5

Volume 4, Issue 7

From the Director’s Desk March 1, 2015 Hello All,

March, the third month of the year was named for the Roman god of war, Mars. The March birthstone, the aquamarine symbolizes courage. The flower for the month of March is the Daffodil also known as the jonquil or narcissus which symbolizes the onset of spring.

It has been said, that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, a simile that speaks to the volatility of the weather at the be-ginning of the month and the mildness of the weather at the end of March. March marks the change from winter to spring, and is host to St. Patrick’s Day, which commemorates the feast of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland. Ameri-cans honor St. Patrick’s Day as a celebration of Irish culture and herit-age. The annual Braille Challenge and Academic Challenge, will be held at TSB on March 1st. This is an opportunity for our stu-dents to showcase their skills in braille and/or their knowledge in academic subject areas. A big thank you to Julia Hedrick and Kari Harold for organizing these events which give our stu-dents the opportunity to showcase their skills in

braille and academics. Activities have been planned for parents during this event. Please come out and support our students!

TSB is implementing the Olweus Bullying Pre-vention Program this year. School staff have been trained and the kick-off for students will March 9th at 2:25 in the auditorium. Thank you Pauletta Frailey and the Olweus Committee for your hard work on this program. Thanks also goes out to Georgette Seay and her music stu-dents for their part in the kick-off event.

On the evening of March 16th, TSB will host the school talent show and silent auction. Proceeds of the Silent Auction go to support the junior class. Parents, friends, family and community members are encouraged to come out to sup-port our students. For this program, we thank members of our music department Judy Den-

ning, Georgette Seay, and Joe Gregory for pre-paring our students to participate in the talent show and for organizing this event.

While you are here, why not stay overnight to attend the TSB Transition Fair, March 17th? Service providers from across the region will of-fer information about career opportunities and services for our students after they graduate from TSB. There will also be classes available to attend. This is a wonderful opportunity for our parents and we welcome your participation. Thank you Debi Ponder for organizing this event.

Also on March 17th just after school, our annual Pee Wee Wrestling match will take place. We hope you will stay to end your day supporting our students in this fun event. This is a rare opportunity for family and friends to support our students at three consecu-tive occasions. We hope you will join us. Thank you Andy Joiner and Ann Frensley for working with our students to make this event possible.

This year, Easter falls in the month of March. TSB will be taking its spring break the week be-fore Easter, March 21-26. March 28th will be a self-selected teacher in-service day. Students will be bused back to campus on Monday, March 28th with classes resuming March 29th.

I will leave you with this final thought in the form of a poem by Lorie Hill:

In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

March roars in like a lion So fierce, The wind so cold, It seems to pierce.

The month rolls on And Spring draws near, And March goes out Like a lamb so dear.

Dr. Kathy Segers

Dr. Kathy Segers, Director of Instruction

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Roar of the Tiger

It’s difficult to make it through the month of Febru-

ary without being asked to be someone's valen-

tine, or at least to dance. And so was the case on

Thursday February 11th at the Kingdom of Hearts

Dance. The cold of Ol’ Man Winter had enact-

ed the inclement weather policy that day and kept

day students from being on campus to partici-

pate. Still the cold couldn't replace the

warmth in the smiles and on the

faces of those fortunate enough

to participate. Various genre of

music set the mood for all sorts

of dancing. From the youngest to

the oldest it was clear that Val-

entine’s Day would be a joy-

ous occasion and was not

far away. Congruent with

the Kingdom of Hearts

Dance, the Junior Class

conducted a search to

find a Royal Court for the

dance. Their search for a

King and Queen, Prince

and Princess took on

the form of a fund rais-

er, with money able

to be turned into

votes. Throughout the

days leading up to the

Kingdom of Hearts Gives Kids the Royal Treatment

dance numbers of students were nominated and

cast votes for the various positi-

ons. Proceeds from the voting were

divided between the Junior Class

and the American Heart

Association.

Tiger Spirit Seen at Pep Rally

If you missed the sendoff Pep Rally for the Cheer and Wrestling Teams on Feb. 5th, you missed seeing the true spirit of the Tigers in action! Here are a few of the moments captured in photos:

Above: Prince Kevin Giron

and Princess Naijyana Hudgens

Above: Queen Kalli Tucker Kinman and King Aaron Patrick

pose for their photos after being crowned as winners.

Pep Rally photos continued on pg. 16

Delta Gamma Girls put Heart in Valentine’s Day Dance

Welcome to Cottage Corner! Graduating seniors have officially settled into their apartments for the Semi-Independent Living Apartment Program! Students spent the first week unpacking and organizing their spaces to make it feel like home. Each week Mr. Everett James, our Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) instructor does a walk-though of each unit and grades them on cleanliness and organization. Pro-vided their grade is satisfactory, students have opportunities to cook on appliances they are cleared to use and earn other privi-leges in the apartments. Monday evenings the students go grocery shopping with the O&M staff and the Youth Service Workers, using shopping lists that adhere to their set budgets. So far, all of the seniors are doing fantastic! Keep up the great work guys! This month, the cottages will be participat-ing in a ‘Kite Contest’! Each cottage has been given a kite frame and materials, and as a group they need to decide upon a cot-tage ‘mascot’. Using this mascot as their

design, they are to create a kite that will be judged by a variety of staff from TSB! Two winners will be selected and will be rewarded with a pizza and movie night! The top two kites will be chosen based on scores in the following categories: Theme (mascot), Artistic Quality, Originality, Size, Use of supplied ma-terials and Student participation. You will find the completed kites on display in the Auditorium Lobby from March 15th - March 17th. Judging will be March 15th from 8am-9am. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! The Residential Department would like to welcome Ms. Frances Henry to the TSB fami-ly! Ms. Henry has been with us since mid-February, so if you see her please say hello! We welcome her to the TSB family! Don’t forget we have SPRING BREAK com-ing up! Students will bus home as usual on FRIDAY MARCH 18th, and will return on MONDAY MARCH 28th! Have a wonderful Easter holiday! Warmly,

Michelle Cormier Michelle Cormier, Director of Residential Services

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Volume 4, Issue 7

March 2016

The students continued in a festive mood on Thursday Feb. 11th as the Cottage and Recrea-tion staff hosted an evening Valentine's Day Dance. The excitement reached new heights as the gals from Tennessee Tech’s Delta Gam-ma joined to dance and enjoy the evening with the students. Refreshments were served consisting of Valentine cupcakes, red punch, festive trail mix made with pink marshmallows, red and pink M&Ms, chocolate cheerios and things too many to mention. Lots of chocolate candy and gummy treats provided by the ladies from C-1 and C-2. Mr. Tony Rippetoe was DJ for the evening providing great music for every-

one to dance to. A big shout-out goes to C-2 and C-10 boys who worked hard breaking down the tables and chairs when the event was over. Getting ready to an-nounce to the cot-tages the” Kite Creation Competition” that the cottages will be able to participate in the month of March. More information to follow.

Trenton Smith enjoys a

dance with one of the stu-

dents from Delta Gamma

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Roar of theTiger

Tanner Turns Piece of PIE into a Treat the play-ground. He spoke of how the coaches at TSB were able to identify his potential before even he knew it. Tim paid tribute to coaches Andy Joiner, Christina Von Reyn, and especially Joe Gray for the opportunities they afforded him in fine tuning his skills, taking their personal time beyond track practice to work with him, and how they introduced him to the Olympic Training Center and other Paralympic com-petitors. Tim attributed his continued success to his parents and everyone at TSB. He said, “The en-couragement and support I received from all members of the TSB family made it possible for me to keep up with my coursework and still com-pete. I can’t begin to thank them enough.” He continued by also thanking those local business-es who helped him financially in order to attend training camps in California and to compete in Doha, Qatar at the IPC Athletic World Cham-pionships.

When it comes to the summer Paralympic Games, I know that all of TSB will be watch-ing Tim go for the goal, but I am sure there will be 1,900 other people who attended the PIE Conference watching too. -Hilary Murtagh

On Wednesday February 10th, TSB Senior Tim Tanner was given the opportunity to address a gathering of Tennessee educators. The Part-ners in Educa-tion (PIE) an-nual meeting drew a crowd of nearly 2,000. Rising to the occasion, Tim delivered a well received “treat” for the confer-ence goers. Below is TSB’s Hilary Mur-tagh’s account of the event: All too often we, as adults, forget that it is the young who move the world forward. Here at TSB, we have many young adults who have the potential to make a difference in this world. One such indi-vidual is Tim Tanner. Tim is one of those fu-ture leaders for whom the TSB family is very proud. Last week, at the request of the department of Education, Tim was a keynote speaker at the annual PIE (Partners in Education) confer-ence at the Music City Center in Nashville. He was asked to talk about his journey to become one of the select few Paralympic champions rep-resenting the United States at the next Paralym-pic Games in Brazil. In a sixteen minute speech, Tim captured the attention of 1,900 educators, principals, superin-tendents, and other distinguished guests. All eyes were on Tim. As if a poised and seasoned speaker, Tim drew each individual into his speech through humor, charisma, and a tightly woven recitation of his journey. Tim began by talking about his childhood and how he had ra-ther run as a child than play with his friends on

Dr. Kathy Segers, Hilary Murtagh, Tim Tanner, Joey Hassell,

and Nathan Travis pose for a photo at the conference.

Above: Tim stands at the lectern ad-

dressing the crowd at PIE. Right: Tim’s

image is broadcast on the large video

screen at the Music City Center.

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Volume 4, Issue 7

Hello from RCVI! Among the daily duties and routines associated with processing requests for materials from local education agencies, the RCVI staff has worked on the annual project of Federal Quota Registra-tion. This is a primary step in preparation for the 2016/2017 RCVI Materials Delivery Cycle. The US Congress passed the “Act to Promote the Education of the Blind" in 1879. This Act set up a system to provide free school books and tangi-ble apparatus for blind students and named the American Printing House for the Blind as the na-tional central source of these educational materi-als.

A Federal Quota account is established for each educational agency, in this instance, the state departments of education. The Ex Officio Trus-tee is legally entrusted with the administration of the Federal Quota Program for students within his or her system. This includes determining the manner in which Federal Quota funds are spent, approving and processing all orders for Federal Quota materials, and conducting the registration of students.

In compliance with the Federal Act to Promote the Education of the Blind and in cooperation with the American Printing House for the Blind, as Ex Officio Trustee, Mrs. Carol McCarroll, su-pervisor of the RCVI, conducts the annual cen-sus of eligible students for the TN Department of Education. This Registration is an annual, na-tional count of legally blind pupils, eligible and enrolled on the first Monday of January in edu-cational programs of less than college level. Documents were mailed in January to the Su-pervisor of Special Education in each local pub-lic school system and directors of selected pri-vate, non-profit education agencies.

Congress makes an annual appropriation for the provision of the special Federal Quota materials. This appropriation is divided by the total number of eligible students in educational programs on the first Monday of the preceding January. This division results in a per capita amount of money that is then multiplied by the number of eligible students in each Federal Quota account. The

Riches from the Resource Center

Principal for the Day, Again! Enjoying the role of Principal for the Day the first time around, Kevin Fink returned to give it a sec-ond go-around. His opportunity to assist Dr. Segers on January 29th came through acquir-ing a multitude of Tiger Tickets. The tickets are given for good be-havior as part of the school’s good behavior incentive program. Pictured is Kevin conferring with Administrative Assistant Anne Kelley about his list of morning duties.

resulting total is credited to each respective ac-count, thus establishing each agency’s annual "quota" to be used for the purchase of APH ma-terials.

For more than a century, the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind has been affecting change in the lives of Americans who are visually im-paired. Through materials that range from acces-sible books to fine motor development materials, from braille writing equipment to talking comput-er products, and an outstanding network of Ex Officio Trustees, APH and the Act address the specific learning needs that a vision loss creates. It is the purpose of the Act and its Federal Quota Program to place the most appropriate educa-tional aids, tools, and supplies in the hands and lives of each person who is visually impaired.

For addition information contact:

email: Elaine.Brown@tsbtigers.org

Phone: 615-231-7301 or

615-231-7317

Fax: 615-231-7408

Elaine Brown,

Elaine Brown, Director of RCVI and LEA Support

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Roar of the Tiger

Norma Ambriz Norma Ambriz has been an educational assis-tant at TSB for 5 years, working primarily on the Life Skills wing. Like almost everyone at TSB, Ms. Ambriz said her favorite things about work-ing at the school are the students and the won-

derful staff. “I like knowing that we are here to help everyone – teachers, staff, and students. TSB is a wonderful place,” she said. When not at TSB, Ms. Am-briz loves to spend time with her family – her hus-band of 20 years, Anselmo, and three sons. With three boys, ages 12 – 19 years, life in the Ambriz house-hold is anything but static.

The family’s favorite activities include rafting, sledding, roller coasters, bungee jumping, and this summer, parachuting and scuba diving are on the vacation docket! “The boys and I love anything – as long as it’s extreme,” said Ms. Ambriz, who participated in bungee jumping. “The only thing that scared me was walking up to the point where you jump off – and looking back,” she said. But the freedom of the jump is exhilarating, she said. “Nothing is restraining you, the wind in your hair – it is such a release,” she said. “When it was over, I just wanted to go back and do it again!” Anselmo prefers to have his feet planted safely on the ground, but gladly accompanies his adventurous family to take pic-tures. However he is going to join them under-water this summer. On the tamer side, the Ambrizes also enjoy movies, vacationing to see different things – this summer they are going to Cancun and Mexico City. The family shares their home with Bucky, a three-year old cat and two dogs, two-year old Beagle/Dachshund, Snow, and 10-month old Chihuahua, Chiquis. When it’s just the two of them, Ms. Ambriz and her husband love to

March Spotlight on Staff dance. “I’ve been dancing since I was little,” she said. “I learned standing on my father’s feet.” Ms. Ambriz was born in the Windy City, Chicago, but grew up on Monterrey Mexico, where she also attended Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon. When her brother took a job in the Nash-ville area, he persuaded the entire family to move with him. They all live near LaVergne One thing you might not know about Ms. Ambriz is that she absolutely loves the beach, but… she will only go in the water up to her knees because she is too afraid of sharks!

Allen Huang Allen Huang, a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, in the TSB Outreach Department, began his ca-reer at the school a little over a year ago in cele-bratory style – his first day also happened to be his birthday. “My favorite thing about working at TSB is learning from all of the wonderful, extremely experienced staff and get-ting to apply the things I learn from them to my work with students across the state,” said Mr. Huang. As an outreach teacher, Mr. Huang travels to schools all over Tennessee to provide a variety of services to chil-dren with visual impair-ments, including vision as-sessments and direct educational services. When not at TSB, Mr. Huang enjoys woodwork-ing – a new hobby. His most recent project is a pallet bench that he made from scratch! He and his wife Catie, of almost two years, also enjoy hiking – they don’t have any particular favorites, said Mr. Huang. “It’s just all about being in the great outdoors!” They also enjoy going for rides on their scooter.

Norma Ambriz

Allen Huang

Originally from New Jersey up near the Big Ap-ple, Mr. Huang moved to Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University where he earned a degree in Special Education, specializing in vision and severe disabilities. Now, he and Catie live just up the road from TSB in Donelson Hills. One thing you might not know about Mr. Huang is that he has an adventurous spirit. He used his first camp paycheck to jump out of a plane, sky-diving! The question that remains to be asked is, has he ever done it again!

Michelle Cormier Michelle Cormier, Director of Residential Ser-vices has been at TSB for almost three years. “My favorite thing about TSB is the long and rich history that the school has,” she said. “One of my favorite things to do is look through old year-books and see how many former students and staff are still an active part of our TSB communi-ty.” As Residential Services Director, Ms. Cormier oversees the afterschool activities and pro-grams, supervises the night time youth services workers, tracks the arrivals and departures of students who stay on campus, and also super-vises the Security department which provides 24/7 monitoring of our campus. When not at TSB, Ms. Cormier enjoys her part time work at a running store! “I love to be active, and working there is a way for me to stay con-nected to the running and multi-sport community in Nashville,” said Ms. Cormier. She is currently training for her first Ironman, a triathlon that con-sists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and a 26.2 mile run. “This is very daunting and scary for me,” she said, “but it is a goal I have had for years, and I just have to try!” Ms. Cormier hales from Michigan, where she graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor’s in Visually Impaired Education. She taught for four years in Seattle Washington before moving

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Volume 4, Issue 7

March Spotlight on Staff (cont. from pg. 10) to San Francisco where she earned a master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility from San Francisco State University. After receiving her master’s, she worked for the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind in adult rehab, and for the VA Hospital in Cleve-land Ohio – where she met Jenny Luttrell. Ms. Cormier made her way to Nashville and TSB, “and I love it! I have enjoyed all of the experiences and living in other parts of the coun-try but, I plan to stick around Nashville for a long time,” she said. One thing you might not know about Ms. Cormi-er is that she was an accident prone kid. In grade school she broke her right arm on three separate occasions. As a result, for a few years, she was able to write really well with both hands. “But don’t challenge me to be ambidextrous now,” she said. “I don’t think I could!” -Ann Kelley

Michelle Cormier

TSB students are able to display and see the value others place on their works of art. Addi-tionally, they receive the satisfaction of knowing that because of their art work and expression, other children in the world don’t have to go to bed hungry. This indeed makes what they have created a very Soup-er bowl! Each year one bowl in particular is chose to re-ceive a special award. The award is given in honor of Ernie Fitzgerald, a lover of the stu-dents’ art work, who was instrumental in the events history. Congratulations to this year’s winner, Muriel Davis.

Soup-er Bowl (cont. from pg.12)

Muriel’s bowl, pictured

at right, begins

filling up with money.

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Roar of the Tiger

Soup-er Bowl Celebration Dishes it Out for Haiti This year fifteen TSB students created ceramic soup bowls for the Annual Soup-er Bowl. Now in its 6th year, the collection of pottery from the students not only seems to grow in numbers but also in creativity. The event is graciously spon-sored by VSA Tennessee in conjunction with Clay Lady Studios and Art Co-op Galleries at Mid-South Ceramics, 1416 Lebanon Pike, Nashville. The February 3rd event saw a room full of inter-est in the craftsmanship of the students and the corresponding fund raiser. Many from the TSB family attended. Refreshments and drinks were provided for the students and those attending. TSB students Marcus Johnson and Tim Tan-ner also provided musical entertainment for the evening. The way the program works is a great way of bringing benefit and exposure to both the artist and a local charitable organization. As the public views the student’s bowls on display they place in their favorite bowls monetary tokens. At the

Bullying Prevention Program Launched at TSB

end of the evening the students are able to see all the curren-cy placed in their bowl by the crowd. What’s inter-esting is that all of the bowls over-flow with one, five and ten dollar bills! The funds raised go to Trinity Hope, a Mount Ju-liet based organization providing feeding programs in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In Haiti, where 56% of the pop-ulation suffer from malnutrition, a nutritious meal can be provided for less than twenty-five cents. (cont. on pg.11)

positive place to learn and work. One change that many schools have noticed after using this program for a year or two is that students actual-ly like school better. It makes sense—it’s hard to learn if you are afraid or if other students are mean to you. Implementing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a long-term commitment to making the Tennessee School for the Blind a safer, more positive place to be. All school staff are currently in the process of being trained and the anticipated presentation and introduction to the students is slated for Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 2:25. For more information about the program and/or ways to become involved, contact Pauletta Frailey, Pupil Services Coordinator and Ol-weus Bullying Prevention Program Trainer and Consultant for the Tennessee School for the Blind, Pauletta.Frailey@tsbtigers.org, or 815-231-7328.

All schools deal with the issue of bullying. Ten-nessee School for the Blind is taking proac-tive steps to stop and prevent bullying by adopt-ing the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. This research-based schoolwide “systems-change” has been used successfully in schools all over the country and around the world with positive results. This program is not a curriculum that students participate in for only a few weeks. Rather, it is a coordinated effort by all the adults in the school to supervise and intervene when any bullying happens. As part of the program, students par-ticipate in weekly class meetings to learn about the effects of bullying, what they can do about it, and how they can work with adults at school to put a stop to it even as bystanders. Parents will have meetings, too, so they can support the messages the students are getting in school. This type of program is about changing the whole school climate to make it a safer, more

Muriel Davis is elated to be the winner of

the 2016 Ernie Fitzgerald Award after her

bowl was chosen. Pictured with Muriel is

Mrs. Fitzgerald

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Volume 4, Issue 7

nervous because Taylor Grenier had been nurs-ing a strained wrist for a couple of weeks. After icing it down by the nurse, she felt much better but everyone was holding their breath as she based Corgan for her extension! After practice, Mrs. Buntin and Mr. Hector went to the coaches meeting where numbers were drawn to decide the order of competition. Unfor-tunately, Tennessee drew #1 out of 8 teams, the worst possible position. For Outstanding, Tim was drawn to go 3

rd out of 3 teams with Out-

standing Cheerleaders. At 8:00 p.m. the competition started with a warm welcome from Kentucky and singing of the Star Spangled Banner. Afterward the 3 competi-tors for Outstanding started. Wisconsin started, followed by Kentucky, then Tennessee repre-sented with Tim Tanner. Tim did a fantastic job! Immediately after the Outstanding Competition, the team competition started with Tennessee! Tennessee took the mat and cheered, danced, and ended the routine with an extension- the only extension of the night! They got all stunts up without flaws! As usual, there was a gasp from the crowd as they did their Swedish Falls stunt! Tennessee cheered off the mat knowing that they had given it all and it was a fantastic job! Anticipation started as both cheer competition results would not be announced until the next day. On Saturday morning, the team had breakfast and headed back to Kentucky School for the Blind. The cheerleaders cheered on the wres-tlers and anticipated the results from the compe-tition. At last, the announcers called all cheer-leaders to the mats to award winners! Everyone was excited and very nervous! After cheering on all of the teams, finally it was announced that the Tennessee School for the Blind had won 1

st

place... the 7th consecutive year!!! Immediately

the team went up for their trophy and medals. Before the excitement stopped, they announced the Outstanding routines- Tim Tanner won 1

st

place--- so the excitement continued!!! The coaches could not have been more proud of the great performances and the sportsmanlike atti-tudes by the team! (cont. on pg.15)

1st, Indiana scored 93 at 2nd, and Ohio scored 86 at 3rd. It was an exciting and successful sea-son for the TSB Tigers. They are a young team with only a few upper classmen. The TSB Tigers began the wrestling season with a strong performance at the Mississippi Invita-tional in Jackson Mississippi in mid-November. They won eight matches against the Louisiana and Mississippi Schools for the Blind. Our regular season matches began December 1st against Page High School and Forrest with Miguel Jose winning by pin at home. December 3rd TSB traveled to East Nash-ville where Avery Mayberry got a pin against White House. The TSB Invitational marked a big day in the season with seven schools making their way to Donelson Christian Academy for the tournament. We were excited to host Texas School for the Blind this year along with Ken-tucky, Indiana, Missouri, Grace Christian Academy, and DCA. Indiana placed first, GCA second, and TSB third. Carlos Medrano won 1st in the 126lb weight class and Miguel Jo-se won 1st at 145lb. Garret Meeks placed 2nd at 220lb. December 15th Pearl Cohn came to TSB where Savannah Copithorne, Carlos Medrano, Avery Mayberry, and Garret Meeks got wins that contributed to TSB’s first team victory of the season. DCA hosted the December 17th match with GCA and Creekwood where Avery Mayberry and Carlos Medrano secured two more pins for TSB. January 5th TSB courageously accept-ed an invitation to wrestle against Franklin Road Academy which proved to be a rough night, but provided valuable experience for the young team. January 7th TSB traveled to Lipscomb academy joined by Martin Luther King for a cru-cial regional match. Miguel Jose won a tough fought match that went all three periods while Tori Harrison got a pin in 21 seconds. Janu-ary 12th Greenbrier High School came to TSB for the final home match of the season where Avery Mayberry got a pin. January 14th TSB traveled to Fairview High School joined by Hume Fogg. Miguel Jose and Tori Harrison won by pin securing TSB’s second team win of the sea-son TSB 36 – Hume Fogg 24. (cont. on pg.15)

Cheerleading Champs! (cont. from p.1) Wrestling Champs! (cont. from p.1)

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Roar of the Tiger

Page 15

Volume 4, Issue 7

Cheerleaders & Wrestling Place 1st at NCASB Conference (cont. from p.13)

Cheerleading Championship

The results: Cheerleading Competition

- Teresa Buntin

1st

Tennessee

Tie for 2nd

/3rd

Missouri and Illinois

Tie for 4th/ 5

th Kentucky and Arkansas

6th and

7th

Wisconsin and Ohio

8th

Indiana

“Life Skills Loop” Life Skills Literacy! Life Skills teachers are working to develop communication and literacy skills through the use of core vocabulary. Core vocabulary is a group of words that have been determined to be highly useful for communicating in both social and aca-demic contexts (www.med.unc.edu). Core vo-cabulary makes up about 75-80% of the words we use every day. Some examples of core vo-cabulary words are: like, don’t, go, want, who. Teachers are providing these words to students in various formats, including: braille, print, tangi-ble symbols, or any combination necessary! Stu-dents are given an opportunity to interact with these words in their preferred format to complete

activities that include commenting, voting, and creating sentences. As these activities continue to expand, more core vocabulary words are intro-duced along with what are called fringe vocabu-lary words. Fringe vocabulary are the words that make up about 20-25% of our every day commu-nication. Example, we talk about pumpkins a lot during October, but not so much in April. Pump-kin is a great fringe vocabulary word, but not

Wrestling Championship TSB finished the regular season with a hard loss against Stratford on January 27th. So it made things much better to be able to come back and win the NCASB Championship with such a young team. We look forward to develop-ing even a stronger team for the 2016-17 sea-son. - Jay Humphreys

something we would focus on teaching year round. Another component some of our teachers are us-ing is the MEville to WEville Early Literacy and Communication Program. This curriculum was specifically developed for students K-12 with mod-erate to severe disabilities to succeed in all areas of literacy including reading, writing, and commu-nication. The program is based on research and is aligned with the TNCore Standards. It is also de-signed to provide students meaningful, useful, generalizable literacy skills that will enable them to fully participate in life within and beyond school (ablenetinc.com). During a typical “Me2We” les-son, students will discuss what makes them spe-cial, create books about their favorite topics, and be introduced to new vocabulary. By bringing together core and fringe vocabulary and the MEVille to WEVille curriculum, life skills teachers are taking meaningful communication and literacy to a whole new level! -Deedra Finch For more information: https://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds/resources/core-vocabulary https://www.ablenetinc.com/meville-to-weville-complete-collection#Research

Tennessee School for the Blind is a state special

school established in 1844 to meet the unique needs of

visually impaired students living in the state of Tennes-

see. The school provides academic and professional

services tailored to benefit students placed in its care

through the Local Education Agencies across the state.

Beyond a tradition of academics, TSB specializes in the

instruction of expanded core-curricular areas such as

Braille, Mobility, Technology, Career Education, and In-

dependent Living Skills. Students at the school also enjoy

the opportunity to participate in team sports, campus

clubs, organizations and many leisure-time activities. In

addition the school provides outreach services to visually

challenged students, their parents, teachers, schools and

other agencies assisting the visually challenged.

115 Stewarts Ferry Pike

Nashville, TN 37214

Phone: 615-231-7300

Creating Contributing Participating Members of Society

T E N N E S S E E S C H O O L F O R T H E B L I N D

Tiger Spirit Seen at Pep Rally

(cont. from pg.6)

Upcoming Events Calendar

All Mth March Art Exhibit Green Hills Library GH Library

Th Mar. 3 Forensic Special Event II TBA

W Mar. 9 Day Talent Show TSB

W Mar. 16 Silent Auction/Bake Sale TSB

F March 11 End of 3rd Nine Weeks TSB

F-Su Mar. 11-13 Swimming/Forensics TSB

W Mar. 16 Student Talent Show TSB (Evening)

Th Mar.17 Transition Fair TSB

M-F Mar. 21-25 Spring Break (no classes) TSB

M Mar. 28 Monday Busing/Teacher In-service TSB

M Apr.18 No Classes/Monday Busing TSB

Tu Apr.19 Classes Resume TSB

M-F Apr.25-29 TN Ready Grades Math and Science TSB

Th Apr.28 Pep Rally for Swimming/Forensics TSB

Fr-Su Apr.29-May1 Swimming/Forensics Conference Meet TBD

Th May 5 Prom TBD