California News www.csdeagles.com California School for the Deaf Fall 2015
CAL NEWS FALL 2015 03
STUDENTS VISIT INDIA
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FALL ATHLETICS
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KINDERGARTEN CLASS STUDIES BATS
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HISPANIC HERITAGE
Learn. Experience. Thrive. California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 videophone: 510-344-6044 phone: 510-794-3666 fax: 510-794-2409
Production Team Coeditors: Meta Metal & Jennifer Ann Cook (JAC) School Superintendent: Dr. Sean M. Virnig Cover photograph: Clare Cassidy Photography: Brian Morris photography class; Ray Gier; yearbook; Tawny Holmes, Lisa Nunez, Sandy Corey, Jr. NAD Facebook page California Department of Education: Tom Torlakson, Dr. William Ellerbee, Scott Kerby
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We Parents
By Tawny Holmes, Esq. Visiting Scholar Education Policy Counsel National Association of the Deaf
At the center of every successful school, we see students and teachers working together; but we must remember a group of important people who has a daily impact on the school— the parents. Often, what makes it possible for a child to attend a school for the Deaf is when parents make a clear request at the team meeting for either their Individualized Family Service Plan or Individualized Education Program in the district where they live. When parents make their request, they need to be armed with knowledge about the benefits of a school for the Deaf, because in this day and age, it is not a popular option to send a child far away from home. Parents rely on their own instincts, along with information they get from other parents or family members, books and the Internet, doctors and educational professionals working with their child. There is so much confusion and frustration for parents. Over 90% of Deaf children are born into hearing families who often do not have any idea what to do for their Deaf child, including not knowing about the importance of learning American Sign Language. In addition, the advice parents get often sways them to decide not to sign with their child, but instead focus on speaking skills. Sadly, the statistics shown by the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association shows that 85% of families with Deaf children opt for oral-only methods. Hearing parents need to be supported and told the truth about what happens when a Deaf child grows up without access to sign language, Deaf role models or a critical mass of Deaf peers. Otherwise, they will face consequences impacting their child including language deprivation, lack of employment options, and low self-confidence. “How can we help hearing parents with Deaf children learn the truth?” was the question one parent, Rachel Chong, asked me after my recent community-
wide presentation on the perils and pros of Deaf schools. Rachel wanted to help. Know why? She was one of the fortunate few parents who learned about American Sign Language and was guided to California School for the Deaf early on in her journey. As you can see from her story on page 4, she and her husband are extremely grateful for that fact; I bet that her amazing daughter Chang-May is, as well! My answer to Rachel was, “Tell your story.” Right now, we see difficult times facing schools for the Deaf due to an increase in misleading information about the success of cochlear implants, along with intentional isolation of Deaf students in the public education system. We must prevail and show the world the truth. With access to ASL and English early on, the Deaf child can learn, experience and thrive! Starting with Rachel’s story, let’s commit ourselves to sharing more stories of how you found CSD, and how ASL supported your child’s life. Share your video, story or pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Just use the hashtag #whycsdrocks and tag @csdthat. Or even better, send your story to your local legislators and ask them to support CSD. Here’s to sharing the truth! California News 3
A Rewarding Journey Tears rolled down my cheeks while I was driving on Mission Boulevard, after picking up Chang-May’s $5000 hearing aids. It was not the cost that bothered me the most; it was the doubt and the uncertainty of having a hard-ofhearing twin girl who would use hearing aids from now on. And she was only 5 months old! When Chang-May and her sister were born, we were happy parents of twin girls. Chang-May was a healthy baby, just like her twin sister, Chang-Lynn, without a hearing loss. Then after learning that Chang-May’s potentially progressive hearing loss would affect her for the rest of her life, Stan and I were devastated. The meningitis robbed her of her hearing, probably due to the intake of antibiotics.
Signing at an Early Age I grieved briefly, then decided to grow with Chang-May and move on; while Stan, on the other hand, took almost five years to meander through the denial and acceptance process. During those early years, our home visit specialist, Michele Tompkins, provided tremendous support in guiding us to make tough decisions. We ultimately decided that language acquisition using ASL was more important than speech. Since then, both of us have worked to learn ASL, beginning with Signing Time as our foundation course. When Chang-May was 18 months old, we enrolled her in California School for the Deaf’s early childhood education (ECE) program, along with Chang-Lynn as a guest student. She thrived in those early years. We observed that she was seldom fussy or cranky when she started using ASL to communicate with us. Today, we communicate with Chang-May in ASL and English; with Chang-Lynn in Mandarin and Cantonese: while Chang-Lynn signs with her twin sister who uses a combination of sign and voice (in English). It seems chaotic but it works. We just have to make sure that we involve Chang-May in our conversations.
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Thriving Environment at California School for the Deaf Chang-May transitioned smoothly into elementary school from ECE. She was glad to have her friends from ECE joining her. Having peers who were hard of hearing and Deaf in her class made her very comfortable and natural. With Chang-May attending CSD and ChangLynn attending public school, we have noticed huge differences between the school facilities and support systems. Chang-Lynn’s classroom size has had a ratio of up to 30 students per teacher with an occasional teaching assistant, whereas Chang-May’s class size has consistently remained at the student-teacher ratio of 8:1, with teaching assistants and volunteers helping out. CSD has state-of-theart equipment, like smart boards, while ChangLynn’s class uses a low resolution LCD projector with an inexpensive document camera. Individual laptops are slowly being introduced into Chang-Lynn’s class, whereas Chang-May has been using one since first grade.
Chang-May chats with fifth grade teachers Julie Bristol and Keila Simos.
CSD offers many enrichment programs and after-school activities. Chang-May has participated in cheerleading, the youth basketball league, flag football, swimming, an art club, a modeling show and the Girl Scouts. On the academic side, Chang-May is an avid reader and enjoys taking the Accelerated Reader (AR) test in class and at the CSD library. She has also participated in the spelling bee contest and in different national research programs related to ASL, including a trip to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology research study last summer. She even had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a “meet and greet” with Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin (see photo on page 6).
Getting Involved with the School In addition to sending Chang-May to a top-ofthe-line school with a low student-teacher ratio, another way I have encouraged her to succeed in school has been to volunteer in her class ever since she was in the first grade. Not only do I know how she is doing in the class, but I get to know her teachers well. I believe in developing a healthy partnership with her teachers and the school staff. I also believe we are our child’s advocates. I seek advice frequently from teachers and the principal— even from the superintendent for concerns or doubts I have. I also attend the Association of Families, Teachers and Counselors meetings regularly to meet other parents and receive updates on the school.
HOME VISITS THROUGH CALIFORNIA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF Chang-May and Chang Lynn enjoy some quality time with early childhood education specialist Michele Tompkins. California News 5
Learning ASL
Meeting the Doctors
A side benefit of getting involved with the school is immersing myself in a signing environment. My ASL skills have improved significantly from interacting with teachers, staff and parents. Stan and I, along with our twin girls, make it a top priority to attend the family ASL class on Thursday nights, every semester. It is a good way for us to reach out to other hearing parents, exchange experiences, and most importantly, learn the mistakes we make in signing together. According to Chang-May, Stan is still ranked a “3” out of 10 on ASL skill; I have improved to an “8”; and Chang-Lynn to a “7”. I believe the formal ASL classes that I took at Ohlone College helped to enriched my awareness of Deaf culture, as well.
We are fortunate to have Dr. Sharon Goodson at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) as Chang-May’s audiologist. Unlike other doctors and audiologists, Dr. Goodson is neutral on whether to use a signing versus an auditoryoral approach. She is familiar with CSD and has visited the school. Her professionalism and knowledge of the field has helped us make better decisions for Chang-May. She was dumbfounded when we told her that a renowned Stanford surgeon advised us that if Chang-May was going to have a cochlear implant, she would have to give up ASL altogether. It is true that many medical professionals do not recommend the full range of language and communication choices to families. Through a presentation I watched recently, I learned about the medical professional’s statement: “It is the law that I need to tell you about cochlear implants.” I wonder when the law will require medical professionals to say, “It is the law that I need to tell you about ASL.”
We are very grateful that CSD staff, Deaf parents and other Deaf adults are patient and helpful in accustoming us to the Deaf community and culture. They sign slower, spell slower, and don’t mind when hearing people ask them to repeat.
When Chang-May turned 8, PAMF started providing an ASL interpreter for her during her appointments. This has helped us in making sure that she has access to all the necessary medical information from the doctor.
Posing with Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin. 6 California News
Just a Few Tips Our journey with our twin daughters—one Deaf and one hearing—has been unbelievably amazing. Like other parents, we have wonderful times and challenging times. But we understand that the path of life consists of different phases, and it will not stop for anyone. We are basically reliving our lives again through our daughters. Some of my words of wisdom • Be positive. Deaf people have taught me over and over about having a positive attitude. This approach has definitely helped me in tackling any issue with an open and constructive mindset. • Educate yourself about acquiring language skill. Again, language acquisition is completely different from speech. • “I wish my parents would sign to me.” Many high school kids from hearing families made this same statement to us during new family orientation at CSD. We listened to them. Don’t let this be a regret; grow and sign with your child. • Parental involvement with the school is the key to your child’s success at school. This will increase your child’s confidence, as well. • Learn what CSD offers. We have benefited greatly from the resources available at CSD. • Demonstrate to your child that reading is fun. Developing a good reading routine early on will convert them into independent readers sooner. • Support your child with open communication. We gradually feel the fruitful outcome with Chang-May as we are able to have two-way communication with her frequently and give her support, be it academically or socially. Fast forward, Chang-May turned 10 recently. This is her last year in elementary school. I would not be surprised if tears roll down my cheeks, again, when I see her on the stage at the elementary end-of-the-year ceremony. But this time, it will be tears of joy and tears of pride! I will make sure I bring enough handkerchiefs to the ceremony!
Generous Donations CSD was fortunate to receive donations from the Indian community this year. Donations such as these make it possible for the school to offer enrichment activities to students. Special thanks to: Nandalala Mission Enthusiastic volunteers delivered large boxes of school supplies for the second year in a row. Shia Association of the Bay Area This organization used our facilities to host their annual Eid prayer event. They expressed their appreciation with a very nice certificate and a generous donation. Shivani & Naresh Kumar Kancharla Shivani, pictured above with her son Aditya and school superintendent Dr. Virnig. This is her third year donating to the school. Uma Raju & Prabhu Hariharan Gave a donation in recognition of their child Vishwa Karthik’s second birthday.
California News 7
Kindergarten Studies Bats At the beginning of the school year, kindergarten teacher Joann Ikeda and the long term sub teacher Linda Cox-Kuntze asked their class what areas of study interested them. Since the students were interested in animals, the teachers decided to make that the topic for their lessons. The teachers explained that animals who are active during the day are called diurnal, whilst animals who are active during the night are called nocturnal. The class made a bulletin board with pictures to show which animals were diurnal and which animals were nocturnal.
Then the students learned the different classes of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They discovered that some animals give birth to babies, while others lay eggs. They learned that animals have different types of coats, such as scales, feathers, fur, and skin.
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Because the students showed a particular interest in bats, the class visited the library to gather more information about them. Librarian Kathy Greene showed the students how to locate books about bats using a computer. The students brought their books back to class where they divided into two groups to research what bats eat; where they live; what they have; and how they move. They found out many interesting facts about bats, such as the variety of their sizes. The students shared their findings with the teacher who made a chart with their information.
After studying pictures of bats and other animals, the class took a trip to the Sulfer Creek Nature Center where they were able to see live bats of all sizes, as well as other animals such as opossums, foxes, and coyotes. The trip was exciting. When the students returned to class, they each wrote a book about their trip.
The next step was for the students to make their own individual movie about bats. Each student received a bat made of black paper on which they wrote three bat facts (for example: bats hang; they fly; and they are nocturnal). Next, they signed their ‘bat facts’ onto their Photo Booth. They watched their videos and figured out how to improve their signing and their information. After that, they recorded a final version of their video with Photo Booth.
Fox bats are the largest bats, with a wingspan of 5 feet. To illustrate just how big those bats are, the teachers cut out a life-size brown paper Fox Bat. Each student measured his or her arm span and compared it to the wings of a Fox Bat.
It was perfect that the class studied bats just before Halloween approached. One yummy activity they did was to make Chocolate Covered Pretzel Bats. It was fun to make them and fun to eat them, too.
The students learned a lot about bats and other animals while having fun following up on their area of interest. For a follow-up project, the students worked on making individual posters about a nocturnal animal of their choice, such as an opossum, raccoon, owl, fox or coyote. After going to the library to get non-fiction books about nocturnal animals, they then collected facts about their chosen nocturnal animal to put down on their posters.
California News 9
Football & Volleyball 2015 Highlights
Homecoming Champs Fremont Eagles beat the Riverside Cubs in both volleyball and football. In volleyball, the score was 3-0 and in football, the score was 65-0. Eagles visit Texas CSD Eagles traveled to Texas School for the Deaf to take on the Texas Rangers.
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Spike Out XVII CSD hosted the 2015 Spikeout Tournament on October 2 and 3. Student athletes from around the country flocked to CSD for the tournament. Congratulations to Brianna Dike and Farrah Harmount from CSD Fremont for making the all-tournament player list! Tournament Standings 1st place: Maryland Orioles (champions) 2nd place: Indiana Hoosiers 3rd place: Texas Rangers 4th place: Fremont Eagles 5th place: Minnesota Trojans 6th place: Rochester Wildcats Did not place: Riverside Cubs & Model Eagles
BCL Volleyball Championship Game Congratulations Eagles volleyball team for being the runners up. California News 11
Levi’s Stadium Volunteers Please join us in congratulating the students listed below for their amazing accomplishments working as volunteers at Levi’s Stadium for the FEAST program. The managers at Levi’s Stadium said that California School for the Deaf was the best group they'd ever had. Levi’s Stadium invited CSD to come back and work on the seventh floor! Iliana Cerna Cassandra Cisneros-Caballero Eli Lizbeth Delgado Nunez Yasmin Dimas Lopez Ashley Duarte Justina Gallego Alex Garcia Diadra Halaweh Jasmine Herrera Pavel Kireyev Teija Kishna Brianna McCarthy Jacqueline Mendoza Andre Deshawn Nathaniel Emma Ortega-West Miguel Rodriguez Sanchez Uziel Saldinas Vazquez Scott Stadnisky Soliyana Tesfasilasie Mar Angelica Valdez A very special thank you to our other volunteers who came to help us make this fund-raising event so successful... Michelle Aguilar Julie Bella Kevin Bella Holly Benedict Adeline Call Debbie Call Amy Eshelman Charles Farr Matthew Gilsbach Juddie Lamberton Catherine Licht Hildy Licht Bob Morrsion Taylor Nix James O’Brien Trish Thomas 12 California News
Introduction to ASL ASL Conversation Sibling Class SPRING 2016 SESSION January 21, 28 February 4, 18, 25 March 10, 17, 24 April 7, 14
California School for the Deaf Alumni Association
ELECTION 2015 President – JULIE BELLA
Vice-President – CINDY MARTIN Treasurer – MARGIE BELLA Secretary – JUDY CATRON California News 13
Kids Cook With Heart Two years ago, while CSD’s special needs principal, Ryan Souza, was shopping at Whole Foods Market, she happened to notice a flyer encouraging schools to apply for the American Heart Association’s Kids Cook With Heart Program, funded by the Whole Foods 5% Day. Kids Cook With Heart teaches children of all ages to cook healthy foods from scratch, and to increase their knowledge and appreciation for fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This program integrates hands-on healthy cooking and nutrition with cardiovascular health education. CSD’s Eagle Café teacher, Frank Lester, applied for his students to participate. The following year, he received notification that California School for the Deaf had been accepted into the program. It took yet another year to of planning to schedule the course and make it become a reality. September 2015, Chef Shane Valentine of the American Heart Association started lessons with Mr. Lester’s culinary students every other Thursday. During their first lesson, the students learned to make salsa. They loved it! The second week, they learned to make smoothies with two Blendtec blenders that were donated to Mr. Lester’s class. The students realized how easy it was to make smoothies and started making them at home! The third week, they made salad dressings from scratch. The fourth week they made whole wheat pancakes and waffles from scratch. From there, they learned to make heart healthy versions of chili, stir-fry, Fajita’s, plus an added surprise from Chef Valentine. For their final lesson of the year, Chef Valentine will bring a sealed bag of groceries; without a 14 California News
recipe to follow. The students will have to figure out the ingredients needed to prepare the dish—similar to Master Chef or Chopped. Even Mr. Lester and the interpreters learned new techniques for safely and efficiently chopping vegetables from Chef Valentine. Chef Valentine travels to several schools throughout the Bay Area with the Kids Cook With Heart program. He has been so impressed with the culinary students at California School for the Deaf that he offered to assist in securing another grant so that the program would be able to continue next year. Chef Valentine had this to say about teaching Mr. Lester’s class: “Coming in and being able to teach these life skills to the students in Mr. Lester’s class has been a deeply rewarding and moving experience for me. I always knew that food was the great translator and these classes prove that. Food is not just fuel for our bodies; its social, emotional and multi-sensory. Food allows me to communicate with students in ways I did not know were possible. Because of this, I am able to not only teach them the skills and techniques of how to cook, but also to show them that heart healthy food can taste great, too.” “I already know I will be sad when the series ends in December. I am emotionally attached to these students and this school. I am determined to find additional funding sources so we can bring the program back for the next school year.”
LEAP After-School Fun
The Student Life department offers a Little Eagles After School Program (LEAP) for elementary day students to play together after school. The program runs Mondays to Thursdays, from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. Activities vary between social time, play time on the playground, arts and crafts, cooking, and intramural sports. Parents sign students up via a permission slip or an email sent to the program facilitator. Students sign in after school, but parents must sign students out at the end of each day. Students have the option of coming full-time, part-time, or on a drop-in basis. Communication between parents and the LEAP team is crucial for its success. The goal of the LEAP program is to create a positive social environment for students. There is no fee to attend LEAP, but we may occasionally ask for money or supplies in order to support a craft or cooking activity, or to pay for an entry fee to an off-campus event. An activity calendar will be available showing each month’s activities. Questions regarding our program can be directed to: LeeAnn Dreffs at ldreffs@csdf-cde.ca.gov, (510) 344-6086 videophone, (510) 761-8873 Spanish videophone, or (510) 794-3792 voice. Sevan: I like LEAP because it offers different fun activities and games.
Jovianna: I like LEAP because I like to play "It" with friends and high school volunteers. California News 15
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage >>Interviewing
Latino Adults
By: Chang-May Tan, Miguel Sombrerero, Viktoria Finnstrom, and Bodhi Amann Our group interviewed Latino educators about their cultural experiences. In this article, we will talk about all the behind-the-scenes work we did and how we prepared for our presentation. First, we typed emails requesting interviews with Lorraine Flores, Susie Acosta, Len Gonzales, Theresa Grushkin, Onudeah Nickolarakis, and Reyes Ribera. When they responded, we arranged what time they would arrive so we could interview them and record the interview on our laptop. The four main questions we asked were: 1. What were your religious experiences growing up? 2. How can we support Hispanic people and be allies? 3. What is your favorite cultural holiday? 4. What is your favorite memory from your home country? Once our interviews were done, we began editing the footage and asked Tivon LeMaster to help us. He made it much easier, but editing still took a long time. Before presenting, we watched the video and practiced our lines for introducing our presentation to the other students in the elementary department. Finally, the presentation day arrived. We felt excited and nervous at the same time. Once we started, we felt less nervous and more brave. We enjoyed this important project!
Photographs by Juddie Lamberton & Brian Morris 16 California News
Written by CSD Fifth Graders >>Latino
Foods
By: Dion Herrera, Ashley Anderson, Jaxon Dingel, and Zenaida Berry-Berlinski Our fifth grade class hosted a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month. Our group made pan dulce (conchas) and horchata which we passed out to students in elementary. We made pan dulce and horchata because we voted that they were easy to make; would taste good to eat in the morning; and could be left overnight after baking yet still taste good the next day. To bake pan dulce, we first measured flour, sugar, butter, yeast, and water. We used a standing mixer to mix our ingredients. We transferred the dough to a warm bowl for about three hours to rise. We cut parchment paper for the baking trays. Once the dough was done rising, we measured out dough balls, and rolled them between our buttered hands. We put topping on the conchas – that part was hard! After they had time to rise again, we baked the conchas. We used oven mitts to take the hot trays out of the oven, and stuck a thermometer inside to make sure they were between 200 and 210 degrees. We used a blender to make a drink called horchata. We needed rice, milk, sugar, water and cinnamon. We put 5 cups of water, 1 cup of rice, 1½ cups of milk, 1½ cups of sugar, and one cinnamon stick in the VitaMix blender. Once it was all mixed and soaked overnight, we strained it. It was delicious! We also researched Latino foods. We researched many foods like cheese quesadillas, flautas, salsa, burritos, and flan. We made a poster about the foods that we decorated. We used the poster for our presentation to the students in Elementary. When it was time to pass out our pan dulce and horchata to the students, they thought it was delicious and felt good eating it!
California News 17
>>Famous
People & Events Presentations By: Shaelyn Johnson, Landen Gonzales, Daniel Fuentes, Eitan Kulchinsky, and Angeni Sloan We presented our PowerPoint about famous people and events in Latino culture and history. We showed the first graders a slide about Cesar Chavez who worked on a farm. He didn’t like seeing his people to suffer. He led a protest for his people because they had low pay, no medical care, poor housing, and no breaks. The person we picked for our presentation to the second graders was Erastus “Deaf” Smith. He is a very famous person in Texas. A long time ago, “Deaf” Smith’s face was on five dollar bills! He was a spy for the U.S. military against Mexico. He stole information from the Mexican military and helped Texas become a state in the United States. Unfortunately, this made him a traitor to his own Mexican people. For the third graders, we presented about Salma Hayez. She was born in Mexico and moved to Los Angeles. She was a voice actor for the famous movie Puss in Boots. We shared our slide with the fourth grade about the Chaitén volcano. The Chaitén volcano is located in Chile, South America. The volcano was very famous because it did not erupt for 9,000 years until May 2, 2008. When that happened, Chilean villages were destroyed by the eruption. At that time, many people’s homes were gone. Many families still remember; they will never forget that day.
18 California News
>>Sombrero
Dance Game
By: Shaila Sams, Adrian Ruiz, Isaac Lee, and Devan Vierra We want to teach you how to play the Sombrero Dance game which our group taught the elementary students during our assembly. First, you put a hat on one of the group members. Then, that person snaps their fingers and passes the hat to the next person. The people continue doing this until the leader flashes a flashlight. When you have the hat and the flashlight hits you, you are out and must eat a hot chili pepper! These are the rules for the sombrero dance!
High School Clubs
Gay Straight Alliance
Ebony
Latin@
Asian
President – Andrea Amezola Vice President – Brock Hendrix Student Advisor – Megan Booth Secretary – Miranda Kutsov Sponsors – Allison Gibbons & Ruth Lummer
President – Nelson Palacios Vice President – Justina Gallego Secretary – Tyler Harmount Treasurer – Vincent Gomez, Jr. Sponsor – Susana Acosta
President – Teija Kishna Vice President – Biverly Huff Secretary – Daijuhnae “DJ” Williams Treasurer – Andre Nathaniel Sponsors – Liann Osborne & Colin Piotrowski
Alicia Patron Raymond Rivers Teresa Truong Thuy Vo Sponsor – Sulghi Hong
Student Body Government
President – Hannah Haldeman Vice President – Brianna Dike Secretary – Shelby MacDonald Treasurer – Mayte Ceballos Santiago Sponsor – Sheila Korolev California News 19
New Family Orientation Welcomes New Families
Parents attend workshops to learn more about the school.
20 California News
Welcome New Students
Anastasia Mena Vergara 8th grade San Pablo
Sharbel Alhaj 4th grade South San Francisco
Ulises Gonzalez Arellano 9th grade special needs Watsonville
Braxton Mignone preschool Livermore
Marlee Aloe work readiness program Oakland
Lena Gough 1st grade Union City
Giovanni Navarrete Gutierrez pre-kindergarten Bay Point
Anabel Amador 7th grade Fairfield
Lionel Gough 4th grade Union City
Brayden Neil 6th grade Antioch
Gael Aldahir Barajas 9th grade Yuba City
Lucas Gough 2nd grade Union City
Marco Nicolas Eugenio 11th grade special needs Madera
Angelica Briseno Lopez 4th grade special needs Watsonville
Melanie Gregory 6th grade Red Bluff
Aiden Olea 4th grade Fremont
Courtney Bronson 7th grade Clovis
Ivan Guzman Lopez 11th grade special needs Sacramento
Natalee Olea kindergarten Fremont
Jose Carrizales Castillo 8th grade special needs Modesto
Craig Hall 9th grade Pleasanton
Monica Pilarte Garcia 11th grade San Francisco
Phillip Castaneda 6th grade Modesto
Leonardo Hatch 2th grade Fremont
Adrian Quintero 6th grade Merced
Jose Castillo 12th grade Sacramento
Damien Hernandez 6th grade Fresno
Shaila Sams 5th grade Fremont
Carley Izabelle Contreras 6th grade Vallejo
Jasmine Herrera 12th grade Watsonville
Maricela Sanchez 7th grade Fairfield
Marisa Cruz-Cruz 4th grade special needs Watsonville
Angel Ibarra Raymundo kindergarten Union City
Jesus Santacruz-Navarro 8th grade special needs Watsonville
Noe Dominguez 10th grade special needs Avenal
Brady Kunze preschool Fremont
Harmony Stafford pre-kindergarten Fremont
Ana Garcia Rabago 7th grade Salinas
Zayden MacMonagle kindergarten Carmichael
Deven Thornton 4th grade Antelope
Ana Garcia Rodriguez 10th grade San Francisco
Roxy Mader preschool Fremont
Ashley Vaca Avila 4th grade special needs Oakland
Savalyn Germundson preschool Dublin
Marcio Maldonado Vega 10th grade San Francisco
Jasper Wood 9th grade Pleasanton
Nate Goff 6th grade Pleasanton
Claude Martinez-Krohn 11th grade Porterville
Jose Zamarripa 9th grade Greenfield California News 21
Middle School News Congratulations to Hall of Fame reader Ashley Locatelli for reading the most pages in Spring of 2015 during the individual reading competition. Students were required to read 1,000 pages, but Ashley read a whopping 12,245 pages. Ashley has read the most pages of any student since the competition started in 2011. The top 6 students who read the most pages last spring were:
been invited to participate in the playoff round which will be held January 11-22 via videophone. The top eight teams from the Buff and the top four teams from the Green and Blue teams will earn an all-expense paid trip to Gallaudet University where they will compete against other middle school teams from around the nation. Students will be required to read four books to prepare for the national competition held April 2-5.
1. Ashley Locatelli 12,245 pages
This will be the first year that CSD will participate in the Math Competition at National Technical Institute for the Deaf, in Rochester, New York. The competition will be held April 8-10. Some of the highlights will be their Team Problem Solving Challenge; Amazing Math Race; Individual Countdown; and Team Championship Countdown. In addition to the math competition, there will be an ice cream social, campus tour, and awards ceremony.
2. Jarrod Burns 7,383 pages 3. Elizabeth Andersen 6,194 pages 4. Luke Bella 4,283 pages 5. Amy Ngo 3,429 pages 6. Reza Mosher 3,228 pages Battle of the Books commences again this year with three divisions of competition: Buff, Blue, and Green. Each division offers books at specific reading levels. This allows students of all reading abilities to participate in the competition. CSD will have a team for each division, with six spots for each team in the preliminary competition which started on December 2. Students were required to read three books in preparation for the competition. All three CSD teams won in the preliminary round, and have 22 California News
Middle school principal Alan Davary thanks the eight students who served on his Principal’s Advisory Counsel for the 2014-2015 school year representing and supporting their fellow students. Those eight students were: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Sam Brown Chloe Harmount Tiffany Kutsov Lauro Martinez Jordan Tennison Mahlia Thornton Kaitlyn Tietje Leonardo Vergara
Middle School Principal’s Honor Roll 3.5 GPA 2 Semester 2015 nd
Reza Mosher Amy Ngo Mahlia Thornton Talia Boren Naomi Brock Jasmine Jimenez Lara Liliana Ortiz Jordan Tennison Justine Locatelli Alexis Bravo Calvillo Jose Garcia Kaitlyn Tietje Zola MacAulay Jaden Reader Kenasia Brown Nancy Lopez Rivera Qixia Tang Raul Quintero Chloe Harmount Donovan Holmes Tiffany Kutsov Jaylen Johnson Lauro Martinez Christopher Lopez Elizarraraz
Deaf Lawyer Challenges Visiting scholar Students to visits middle Become the Best school Tawny Holmes began her presentation to the middle school career class by asking the students what careers they were interested in for their future. She explained that they actually started preparing for their career choice from the moment they were born. She emphasized the importance of being a good student if they wanted a successful career when they got older.
Tawny told the class that she was a lawyer and explained what a lawyer’s job was like. She drew a diagram of a courtroom and described the various jobs required, including judge, lawyer and jury. Tawny asked how many of the students in the audience had transferred from another school and how many had always attended California
School for the Deaf. She explained that part of her job was advocating for students who wanted to attend a Deaf school, but were told they couldn’t. She mentioned that she did a lot of presentations to empower Deaf people and teach them about their rights. Tawny’s presentation was interactive and motivated the students to become involved.
Second graders meet Tawny Holmes
California News 23
CSD’s
INTERNATIONAL VISITORS INTERNATIONAL VISITORS FROM POLAND
Hello! My name is Maciek Gryko, but my friends call me Magic. My graffiti tag is Scara due to a small scar on the right side of my face. I was born on 14 April 1979, in a small Polish town called Morag. I was born healthy and full of energy, enough to live life to the ultimate. When I was 10, I became sick. They declared me close to death. I lost my hearing as my health declined. It is a long story, but today I’m alive and enjoy my life. One of my passions is painting. I started in 1995. I incorporate different techniques such as spray-painting, brush work, airbrushing, and rollers. I have had the opportunity to work on giant projects like the FC Barcelona flag in Poland (pictured below). I have also gained valuable experience doing maintenance projects where I worked with dry wall, wallpaper, and plaster. Recently, I worked for six months as a handyman in the United
24 California News
Kingdom. For the past two years, I have been working as a graphic designer for a clothing company using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign gaining experience with printing on textiles. My other passion is basketball. I have been playing since 1990. In recent years, I was a reserve player for the Polish National Team. I love traveling and meeting new people. Despite the fact that I don’t hear, it is still a beautiful journey. I am truly a person with a positive attitude toward all.
When I met my American Deaf friends, I felt happy. I need to be around my American Deaf friends and hope to see them often. My newest dream is to learn American Sign Language. I want to become fluent.
FROM BRAZIL
Iraê Cardoso looks to California School for the Deaf as a model for Deaf education in Brazil. (Full story on page 26.)
FROM GERMANY
Kevin Rohwedder and friends
California News 25
Deaf Rights in Brazil Iraê Cardoso Visits CSD
Introduction
Iraê Cardoso is leading an effort to have states in Brazil recognize Deaf Brazilians as a cultural and linguistic minority with the same rights as other minority groups.
The New Idea
Iraê Cardoso understands that if Deaf people are to escape isolation and illiteracy, they have to take control of their own destinies, including their rights as citizens. To this end, Iraê has created the Deafness Reference and Training Center. The organization’s mission is to work with state governments in Brazil to ensure ongoing state resources for training in sign language, teachers for the Deaf, leadership and job training skills for the Deaf, and public education (especially the education of employers) about Deaf culture. 26 California News
The Problem
A critical part of a human being's ability to interpret and navigate the world we live in is linked to language acquisition and the ability to communicate with each other. The World Health Organization estimates that four million Brazilians are Deaf, and that 95 percent of Deaf Brazilians are illiterate. Even if they manage to make it to school, few learn to read and write. When Iraê began working in the state of Alagoas, which has the highest rate of illiteracy of any state in Brazil, she found that most Deaf school children could neither read nor write. Those who entered school often dropped out, within a few years, because they could not understand what the teacher was saying, and could not associate the written word with visual concepts which is a particularly important element in early childhood learning and language acquisition. Directly related to this, less than one percent of Deaf people in Alagoas had a job.
Limited contact with the hearing public has other implications. Deaf Brazilians almost never voted. The few Deaf community organizations that existed were run and staffed by well-meaning parents and hearing people, but not by Deaf people, and the organizations offered a very limited range of activities. Although sign language is a means to bridge the gap, the reality is that interpreters are few and far between in Brazil; only one university, located in Rio de Janeiro, teaches “LIBRAS” Brazilian sign language.
The Strategy
Iraê has targeted three separate institutions that need to work together in order to change the experience of Deaf citizens in Brazil: state government agencies, organizations whose primary clients are Deaf, and education and support services, which cut across institutional lines and directly involve local communities. In 1994, in the state of Alagoas, Iraê began by getting Deaf people put on the board of the Deaf Association of Alagoas. In 1997, she succeeded in getting management of the operation transferred to a Deaf person at the first meeting to which all Deaf people in the state of Alagoas were invited. With this additional visibility, Iraê approached the governor of the state about a law that would make LIBRAS an official state language. After intense lobbying, the law was adopted, making Alagoas only the second state in Brazil to adopt LIBRAS. Once LIBRAS was recognized as an official language, Iraê followed this up immediately with proposals to federal institutions to support training LIBRAS interpreters for all government agencies in Alagoas. Her proposal was adopted, and is to be carried out throughout federal and state agencies across Brazil through the Institute of Social Services, with Alagoas as the first pilot project. She has also made a series of requests for the schools to bring in interpreters, as well as to overhaul Deaf training programs, moving them away from a traditional crafts approach to accounting and computer-related kinds of job training.
Job training through the Deafness Reference and Training Center teaches Deaf people of working age not only basic job skills but also how to acculturate to an employment setting: appropriate behaviors, schedules, and inter-personal relationship skills. In order to acquaint the business sector with some of the issues that Deaf people face, Iraê brought a group of her young adult students to a meeting of the local business association. The students explained, in sign, about their desire to find employment. The potential employers present responded that they had never considered hiring a Deaf person, but that their minds had been changed. Iraê is spreading her work through government agencies and with Deaf organizations.
The Person
Iraê helped her single mom in bringing up her five younger siblings, including one of her brothers who was born deaf. As an adolescent, Iraê worked for a group of nuns as a maid in their convent. The nuns introduced Iraê to political philosophy, encouraged her to work in the community, and promoted her leadership abilities. She later worked in a bank, starting as a data entry clerk and moving her way up to a higher position. One day, as Iraê’s Deaf brother was riding his bicycle, he was hit by a car and killed. Iraê began working with people with disabilities, handling the administration of existing organizations and successfully turning around an organization that was faced with bankruptcy. She then invested her efforts full time into a comprehensive effort to improve the well-being of the Deaf community in Brazil.
California News 27
Scholastic Book Fair
open house 2015 photos by Ray Gier
AFTC Basket Raffle
Deaf Services Faire
28 California News
Student Vendors
(Below) CSD high school panel representing the Student Body Government, Gay Straight Alliance, Latin@ Club and Ebony Club CSD Student Panelists: • Brianna Dike (Emcee) • Hannah Haldeman (Emcee) • Megan Booth • Nelson Palacios • Soliyana Tesfasilasie • Miranda Kutsov • Justina Gallego • Teija Kishna • Vincent Gomez, Jr. • Tyler Harmount (not pictured)
California News 29
Instructional Leadership Academy California School for the Deaf in Fremont, in collaboration with its sister school in Riverside, is offering a comprehensive program of training and development called the Instructional Leadership Academy (ILA). Topics of training include decision making, change and improvement, instructional leadership, and implementing innovative instructional programs. The ILA program is being run by the director of State Special Schools and Services division, Scott Kerby. Its purpose is to impact change agents who are effective in reducing the achievement gap; advocating for students; and are strategic, courageous leaders. The program is unique in that it is dedicated to improving the school, and it requires an authentic, unwavering commitment to the school and community. Leaders attending the program will: Be visionary change agents Create collaborative learning communities Engage in reflective practice Ensure diversity and equity Implement research-based practices and site-based best practices Build capacity through leadership development
30 California News
The ILA has recruited applicants for the 2015-16 cohort who have a vision for student achievement. The program is not for everyone; a high level of commitment is required. Graduates will have a strong foundation in strategic planning, understand organizational change dynamics, gain knowledge of practitioner skills for administration, and develop a vibrant network of other instructional leaders. The 2015-16 cohort includes six professionals from CSD, Fremont and six professionals from CSD, Riverside.
Students represent CSD Junior National Association of the Deaf Convention The Jr. NAD offers Deaf students in 7th through 12th grade opportunities to develop leadership skills, learn and demonstrate citizenship, and meet and interact with students from other schools and states.
Orlando, Florida November 17-22, 2015
Nelson Palacios, Megan Booth, Lemuel LeMaster, Emily Anthony, Sheila Korolev (sponsor)
The Rosa Lee Show.
Megan Booth participates in the Leadership Academy session.
Special projects at the convention. California News 31
CSD Alumna Interns with the Information Technology department The computer technicians at California School for the Deaf got some added help over the summer with their intern, Kelsey Slocum. Kelsey is a proud CSD alumna, class of 2012. Back when she was attending CSD, her favorite subject was history. She had three history teachers whom she adored: Stacey Eilbert (Gough), Molly Christensen, and Susana Acosta. For her career technical education classes, Kelsey took graphic design with Stuart Ikeda and business office technology with Nathan Montoya. She later transferred to the Rochester Institute of Technology, and majored in applied computer technology. She is very close to completing her AOS degree. For 10 weeks over the summer, Kelsey and the entire information technology team were busy doing a long list of projects including cloning all the Macs and PCs on campus, installing memory and hard drives into iMac and PC workstations, upgrading MacBooks, replacing old computers with new ones, troubleshooting broken computers, checking the lighting on SMART boards, and installing printers.
photos by Sandy Corey
32 California News
Kelsey enjoyed her internship with the information technology team at California School for the Deaf. She had the opportunity to learn more about computers. She said that all four of the guys she worked with gave her advice about her future in the world of work and in working with the public.
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Kelsey’s long-term goal is to become a network administrator. She plans to start with computer tech support and work her way up. She wants to work with a good team where everyone teaches each other about computers and troubleshooting techniques. Kelsey wants everyone to ‘Follow your dream!’ Kelsey is hard working and smart. She’s not afraid to take on the daunting IT tasks.” —David Martin
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I have enjoyed working with Kelsey. I hope she finds a good job in the IT field because she is very motivated. It’s what she really wants to do and she’d be good at it.” —Sandy Corey Kelsey is a hard and dedicated worker. She is a patient person who is willing to take on challenges. She has a strong desire to work in the information technology field.” —Nick Horn Kelsey was a godsend! She was very active in helping us with our summer projects. She dove right in with the projects with the team. She was assertive with asking questions—not only about the projects, but also about her path in the world of work, such as interviews. Usually you don’t see people asking those kinds of questions at such a young age (since they are so focused on parties); but Kelsey wants to make the right decisions about her career. She never complained when we asked her to do a tedious task; she just did it. One cool experience our team had with her was when she showed us athletics pictures that were over in the library and told us stories about when she was a student here.” —Peter St. John Kelsey has wonderful information technology skills and she understands the tech vocabulary. I could quickly give her instructions; she instantly knew what I wanted and got to work on the project. I really enjoyed having her here. Good luck, Kelsey, with your future career in the information technology field!” —Bruce Price
Julianna Fjeld Donates Her Emmy The Klopping Theater lobby has a new acquisition. California School for the Deaf alumna Julianna Fjeld, class of 1965, donated the Emmy Award she won for being the co-executive producer of the Hallmark Hall of Fame production Love Is Never Silent, which was the first TV movie to feature Deaf actors in lead roles. Julianna Fjeld has been an accomplished Deaf actress, director and producer. She is a former member and co-artistic director of the National Theatre of the Deaf. She served as a consultant to the production of Children of A Lesser God at the Taper and on Broadway, where she also understudied and performed the lead role of Sarah Norman. She has been featured in numerous stage and television productions including Dallas, CBS and NBC Movie of the Week, The Trojan Women, A Christmas Carol, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. She also directed an impressive production of Romeo and Juliet at California School for the Deaf starring Shoshannah Stern as Juliet and Jay Baldridge as Romeo. Fjeld has a bachelor’s degree in English from Gallaudet University. California News 33
Steve Orman Retires - 40 Years of Service Director of Pupil Personnel Services
Steve Orman poses with Maggie Hatch who created the bulletin board for Steve’s retirement party.
Derek Johnson insists that Steve should stay and continue working at CSD. (Steve supported Derek when he began his career as a cottage counselor at CSD many years ago.)
Dr. Virnig introduces Steve Orman and presents the opening remarks at Steve’s retirement ceremony.
Patty Albee presents a mock assessment of Steve’s time at CSD (with assistance from Nancy Moser).
Amy Eshelman
Stanley Matsumoto shares how Steve changed his life forever. Steve was like a second father to Stanley during his growing up years.
34 California News
remembers Steve’s time working in the Career Center (with assistance from Bev Patterson).
Around Campus
Legislative Analyst's Office visits Early Childhood Education as a part of their tour of CSD.
Dr. Virnig teaches high school STEM students with an inspiring presentation.
Officer Watkins serves elementary students their Thanksgiving meal.
California News 35
Learn. Experience. Thrive. California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive, Fremont, CA 94538 videophone: 510-344-6044 phone: 510-794-3666 fax: 510-794-2409
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