Volume 109 / Issue 1 / Summer/Fall 2018-2019
DREAM! EXPLORE! ACHIEVE!
COMMUNICATION
THE CORNERSTONE FOR LEARNING AND LIFE
VOLUME 109 ISSUE 1 SUMMER/FALL 2018-2019
Dream! Explore! Achieve!
FEATURE
Beliefs
Children and students in New Mexico who are deaf/hard of hearing will become lifelong learners and contributing, well-rounded successful individuals in an increasingly global society.
In an environment of respect, trust, and safety, we believe in…
Mission The mission of the New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD), New Mexico’s first public school, is to provide for the unique needs of children and students who are deaf/hard of hearing, their families, and professional partners by providing a comprehensive array of school and statewide programs. As a school, NMSD provides an American Sign Language and English bilingual learning environment that includes direct, ongoing access to language and communication in and out of the classroom with a wide range of peers and adults. The students are interactive learners who receive dynamic high quality standardsbased instruction in a variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities. As a statewide service agency, NMSD collaborates with families, school districts, agencies and communities throughout the state to meet the critical language, communication, and learning needs of children and students in New Mexico who are deaf/hard of hearing, birth through high school.
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viewing people who are deaf/hard of hearing from a cultural and linguistic perspective
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having high expectations that positively affect self-esteem, identity and whole person development
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providing early, ongoing, and fluid access to communication through natural language models
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developing proficiency in American Sign Language and English which is critical for fluent communication, literacy and academic achievement
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supporting the development of auditory skills and spoken language as appropriate to the strengths and needs of the individual child/student
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providing high quality early intervention and involvement services designed to help families give their children the earliest possible on-going opportunities for language, learning and meaningful relationships
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fostering strong partnerships with families through learning and social opportunities
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identifying each student’s unique strengths and using them as the foundation for learning and development
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ensuring the child/student is a consistent and active participant in planned and incidental learning experiences in and out of the classroom
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embracing ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity
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developing competence in the use of advanced technology
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having high quality and committed staff who possess and maintain expertise in their respective area
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supporting all students in the pursuit of their personal and professional aspirations
May 2018
4 COMMUNICATION THE CORNERSTONE FOR LEARNING AND LIFE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vision
DREAM! EXPLORE! ACHIEVE!
2 3 4 8 9 14 19 20 22 23 25 26 27
Superintendent’s Letter New Students & Staff Feature Early Intervention & Involvement Early Childhood Education - Preschools Main Campus Transition Multicultural Education Founder's Day Student Life - Athletics Center for Educational Consultation & Training Alumni Community Relations
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NEW STUDENTS AND STAFF
SUPERINTENDENT’S LETTER
DEAR NMSD COMMUNITY & FRIENDS, In 2004, the New Mexico Legislature highlighted how profoundly critical communication is to children who are deaf or hard of hearing and passed the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Educational Bill of Rights. It found that “hearing loss affects the most basic human need, communication. Without quality communication a child is isolated from other human beings and from the exchange of knowledge essential for educational growth and, therefore, cannot develop the skills required to become a productive, capable adult and a fully participatory member of society” (NM Stat 28-11C-2).
WELCOME TO NMSD! NEW STUDENTS ALBUQUERQUE PRESCHOOL
Athena Gonzales
Julio Gonzales
FARMINGTON PRESCHOOL
SANTA FE CAMPUS
Annalyse Vega-Macias
LAS CRUCES PRESCHOOL
The law reminds us that deaf and hard of hearing children have the same capabilities as any other child and that like any other child they deserve to have quality, on-going communication access in all parts of their educational experience. How that is accomplished is through providing our students with highly qualified staff who are trained in deaf education and who can communicate directly and expertly with them. In addition, students should have deaf and hard of hearing role models, have services that are based on their unique communication, language and educational needs and have enough age-appropriate peers and adults with whom they can spontaneously and meaningfully communicate. The articles in this edition of the New Mexico Progress provide examples of how NMSD works toward the goals of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children’s Educational Bill of Rights. You will see how students at NMSD are full members of their educational community. They are engaged in their learning because they have full access to language and communication with their peers and staff. Their instructional teams, and all support personnel like their coaches, have high expectations for them. No child in our school programs are on the outside looking in like a visitor wondering what their teachers and peers are saying and feeling alone. Students at NMSD are fully included and know their teachers expect them to learn and excel. Students know they belong and have many opportunities to develop social competence, which is necessary for school success.
Caisen Smith
Asher Molinar Not pictured: Aliaah Munoz
Front row from left: Jesse Martinez, Adam Hamimi, Jac Carwell and Calvin St. Clair. Middle row from left: Rianza Ercolino, Gabriel Ibarra, Anthony Ibarra and Pisces Luna-Smith. Back row from left: Efrim Rodarte-Estrada, Nthabeleng MacDonald, Monica Chavez, Chayakorn Sakornsatian and Martina Rodarte-Estrada. Not pictured: Ruben Apodaca.
NEW STAFF
NMSD services also reach out to all corners of the state with an emphasis on communication by serving babies and their families. When I was an Early Interventionist in 1986, it was typical that families were not aware that their young child was deaf or hard of hearing until two years old and they wondered why their toddler was not talking. Now with newborn hearing screening and the fine work of our specialists who look high and low in our rural communities for families whose babies referred on a screening, we start providing services to children before 6 months of age. In fact, recently we saw a baby who started services with us at 3 days old. That is astounding progress. That family was immediately provided the information to begin the important process of connecting with their baby through early communication.
Leopold Rosalsa
These are exciting times in our state with the available resources for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, we have to continue to get the word out that there are places and services where deaf and hard of hearing children can grow and excel. We need to continue emphasizing that deaf and hard of hearing children, like all children, deserve to have full access to communication and an education where they are members not visitors.
Angela Dakan
Yours in education and communication access,
Front row from left: Hannah Lowndes, Ashleigh Turek, Lisa Vigil, Taylor Moser, Manuel Griego, and Brad Schanz. Second row from left: Meena Mann, Lanora Wade, Jodi Stumbo, Joanne DeBee, Mary Moretti, and Tania Delgadillo- Perez. Third row from left: Karol McGregor, Rebecca Funk, Erick Rodriguez, Sara Collins, and Phillip Encinias. Back row from left: Maureen Nash, Connie Pierett, Candace Varela, Lamont Spelling, Alessandra Serda, and Taras Dykstra.
Martin Tarango
Rosemary J. Gallegos
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Front row from left: Sara Miller and Gina Montalbano. Back row from left: Trish Rich, Kris Gathings, Michael Mann, Brandon Padilla, and Heidi Miranda.
From left: Keisuke Murata, Man Lun Cing, Matt Lujan, Dalton Etkie, Johanna Scherling and Isabella “Izzy” Natalie.
From left: Deborah Monacelli and Jennifer Drouillard.
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FEATURE
COMMUNICATION: THE CORNERSTONE FOR LEARNING AND LIFE BY DR. ROSEMARY GALLEGOS Good communication is the foundation for all learning and for what makes us feel connected. Communication helps us know we belong. When babies are first born they do not have formal language but soon their parents respond to their eye gaze, their movements, or vocalizations and before you know it, communication has started. Everyone remembers fun first communication games with babies such as “peek-a-boo” and in our communities here in New Mexico, “topes” (gentle head bumps). As children grow, they develop more and more sophisticated ways to communicate, for example through play, imagination, language, vocabulary, reading and writing, the arts, science, and technology. Communication is the “why” of NMSD. We are here to ensure that students have the tools necessary to communicate throughout their school years and upon graduation are prepared with a tool kit of communication strategies that they will build on throughout their lives. We do this by always looking for opportunities to communicate, to discuss what is happening in a student’s environment both in and out of the classroom. We do this by following a student’s lead and having conversations about their interests. What are they fascinated by? What makes them want to continue to have a conversation? What makes them want to think and explore? We do this by having many people in their environment who can provide an accessible language through ASL and also by supporting their spoken language. NMSD is where students are immersed in language and communication all day long and in after-school programs. We do this by providing many teachers and support staff who are highly skilled users of ASL. We do this by teaching communication strategies in different settings, academic and social. We do this by directly facilitating and teaching language and how to read and write. We do this by helping students become good listeners and observers, so that their own communication can be helpful if a person is struggling or if they want to reach out and make a friend. The list goes on and on. We have so many opportunities during the day to foster communication in our educational setting and we know that our students can become skilled communicators. At NMSD, we know that one of the important factors in developing communication is relationship and there is no greater bond than between a parent and their child. Parents know their child the best, their preferences, their moods, their habits. We support families in communicating with their child through ASL classes, community events, with our ASL Service Corp Tutors, IEP meetings, and regular communication from the teacher. Our Parent Infant Child Program
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Top right: River Quintana exhibiting early communication skills by making strong eye contact with his mother, Kristin. Middle right: From left: Zachary Nichols, Adrien Ercolino, Ben Hernandez, and Kieran Vollmar communicating their observations about an experiment they conducted with their teacher, Rebecca Funk. Bottom right: ASL Tutor Jordan Ramser and ASL Service Corp Co-Coordinator, Dean Krohn, reviewing the manual alphabet during a mini-ASL Immersion event for families and school personnel in Silver City, New Mexico.
FEATURE and Deaf Mentor Programs help families identify their many daily routines where communication naturally happens, through ASL, through spoken language, through gestures, through pictures, through play-acting, through reading and writing, through cooking together, through sharing a book, or pointing out a beautiful sunset. Whatever it takes, staying connected through communication is what provides deaf and hard of hearing children the necessary foundation for all learning and a successful and fulfilling life. Key communication concepts guide NMSD programs. • Language learning begins at birth • Families are vital to a child’s success • For students to develop communication, they need to be engaged in their learning • Direct, quality and fluid communication is essential for accessing the curriculum and all parts of the educational process
Language Begins at Birth Early access to language and communication is critical for healthy brain development and future educational success. Our goal is to begin services to babies no later than six months of age. How does NMSD do this? • Anywhere in the state, home visits from specially trained developmental specialists when a child is determined to have a hearing loss to start language and communication immediately • Also anywhere in the state, home visits from professionals who are deaf themselves (deaf mentors) help families in seeing that with early and ongoing access to language and communication being deaf is a difference, not a disability • Preschool programs in Albuquerque, Farmington, Gallup, Las Cruces, and Santa Fe where a child can have fun, learn, and be immersed in language and communication with adults who are fluent sign language communicators and other deaf and hard of hearing peers and adults in a preschool setting “The staff from the Parent Infant Child and Deaf Mentor Programs have helped me better understand my daughter’s hearing loss and how to support her language development and communication skills. I have seen a huge difference in her speech and American Sign Language (ASL) skills. Also, my family has exposure now to Deaf adults and Deaf Culture and we are learning a lot by participating in trainings and workshops provided by NMSD.” ~ Family of a toddler from Twin Lakes (Tohlakai), NM
Top right: Staff communicating educational and social goals to a parent during an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting. 2nd from top: During a weekly home visit, Deaf Mentor Emilie Wilding supporting Paul Van Gunten and his mom Martha’s language development through play-acting. 3rd from top: Bettie Petersen, Early Developmentalist from NMSD’s Parent Infant Child Program, modeling for mom how to read a book to Lucas Lujan during a home visit. Bottom right: Fiona Pedersen and Frederick Zefferer having a lively chat with each other during snack time.
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FEATURE Families NMSD knows that good communication with families is a priority to the success of students and that among other characteristics it must be frequent, culturally responsive, and accessible. NMSD also knows that the more families communicate with their child, the better their educational outcomes will be. How does NMSD communicate with families? How does NMSD provide families with support in communicating with their child? • Regular communication through video phones, text messaging, and e-mail with families of students who live in the cottages during the week
• Students involved in a plethora of leadership and team membership organizations such as football, basketball, track, and volleyball, Student Body Government, Robotics Club, Youth of Color, LGBT Club, Battle of the Books Team, Academic Bowl Team, Spanish Club, and International Studies “Our students learn about life experiences and world knowledge by being able to fully access conversations among students and staff while exploring and learning. This makes them curious to learn more and to initiate their own conversations”. ~ Scott Mohan – ECE and Elementary Principal
• ASL evening classes in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, ASL Immersion Week in the summer, ASL Tutors in various areas of the state
Direct, Quality and Fluid Communication
• In-depth conversations during IEP meetings with their child’s instructional and support team
At NMSD, we know that a sufficient number of language proficient adults who share the same language and communication mode in the deaf or hard of hearing child’s educational environment is necessary to social, emotional, and academic achievement. Also vital are a sufficient number of age and cognitive peers who can communicate directly (not through an interpreter) and fluidly (with language facility) with the child. What does communication look like at NMSD?
• A fully licensed professional interpreter team providing interpretation in ASL, English, and Spanish, and other languages if needed, written materials in Spanish at family request and interpreters available to support families during sporting events • Special events where families can enjoy their child’s accomplishments, communicate and connect with staff and other families such as Feast for the Eyes, Sporting Events, Winter Variety Show, Mexican Independence Day Family Gathering, Family Holiday Gatherings, Mother’s Day Tea Party, Family to Family Regional Events “Providing interpreting access to families at every turn makes them feel welcome and encourages relationship building. It is our privilege to be a part of a school that makes it a priority to provide all families with full access to their child’s deaf community, their peers, and teachers.” ~ Julie Nagle – NMSD Interpreter and Translation Services Coordinator
Engaged Learning Communication opportunities abound in learning environments where students are engaged in their learning process. Where will you see students developing their communication skills at NMSD? • Preschool and Kindergarten children in classrooms inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach using words (signs), movement, dramatic play, painting, constructing, sculpture, collage, and drawing to communicate, share their knowledge, and deepen their skills and interests • Elementary students participating in not only their core courses but also in physical education, fine arts, culinary arts, technology class, industrial arts, photography, and team building • Middle and high school students reviewing their transition goals, identifying what they need to do to succeed and communicating their findings to their IEP teams
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FEATURE
Top right: A member of NMSD’s Interpreting team facilitating communication between a teacher and two of her new students and their parents during Student Registration Day. 2nd from top: From left: Julio Portillo and Vergena Chee display their confidence and strong communication and acting skills during a scene from last year’s play, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”. 3rd from top: Middle school students Angelique Quinonez and Adrian Fernandez conversing about a classroom research project the two are working on together. Bottom right: Students interacting with staff and volunteers at the Santa Fe Humane Society and Animal Shelter during the dogs' feeding time.
• Students communicating with teachers and support staff who are highly skilled users of ASL. Thirty-two out of 36 teachers and educational specialists are deaf and all are fluent in ASL • Students on NMSD campus using and refining their written English, ASL, and spoken language in a bilingual (ASL and English) approach to education • ASL Tutors who are Deaf themselves working directly with families and educational teams all across New Mexico to help foster ASL skills and an appreciation for high expectations for the potential for deaf and hard of hearing children • Opportunities for incidental language learning outside of the classroom. For example students receiving an explanation in ASL about the heating and cooling systems from a member of the maintenance team • NMSD Academic Bowl and Sports Teams participating in tournaments with other schools for the Deaf across the Nation “We recognized our daughter needed to be at NMSD in Santa Fe… we wanted our daughter to be educated with her deaf and hard of hearing peers and if we stayed in Vado, she would be going to the local public school and would have only an interpreter. Our daughter would have been isolated and we felt her self-esteem would suffer. At NMSD, she belongs, has friends, is learning and is happy”. ~ Family of a NMSD elementary student
Top right: NMSD’s Student Body Government members sharing the importance of the Alice Cogswell Act with staff from Representative Lujan’s office in Washington, DC. Middle right: Direct and fluid communication takes place for students throughout the school day and in our Student Life Residential Program. Bottom right: The Galindo family is happy they were part of NMSD’s Family Housing Program so that their daughter, Arlene, could be educated with deaf and hard of hearing peers. Smiles say it all!
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EARLY INTERVENTION & INVOLVEMENT
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - ALBUQUERQUE PRESCHOOL
FAMILIES CAN!!
CHATTING IT UP!
BY BETTIE PETERSEN
BY SALLY ANDERSON
In March, I presented a poster at the National Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Conference in Denver, Colorado. The title of the poster is “Hearing Parents CAN: Being a Sign Language Model for Your Child.” The poster reports information gathered for a research project supported by a University of New Mexico Women in STEM Award.
The NMSD Albuquerque Preschool offers a Spoken Language and Listening (SLL) class for 45-90 minutes, Monday through Thursday, for preschoolers aged 18 months to 6 years. This is provided they have access to sound via Cochlear Implant/s and/or hearing aids. Our children rotate through the SLL class on a set schedule and typically attend with peers with similar abilities and needs in terms of spoken language and listening skills.
The goal of the research project is to study how deaf children with exposure to American Sign Language (ASL) learn to establish joint attention using demonstratives (ASL signs meaning “this” or “that”). One of the youngest participants of the study caught my eye. He was a 3-year old with age-appropriate sign language skills. His parents are hearing, had no knowledge of sign language prior to the birth of their son, and yet decided to communicate with their child in ASL. The parents agreed to allow me to complete a case study focusing on their son.
This class begins with a circle time of greetings, songs, movement activities, and stories. This is followed by tabletop activities like arts and crafts, and a free play block often centered on a storybook. Whenever possible all of these activities are connected to child-interests culled through our Reggio Emilia curriculum practice.
I have worked in the Early Intervention Department at NMSD for 11 years. The one thing I find repeatedly with hearing families is their apprehension and doubt that they can sign well enough to be a good language model for their child. One way to assuage these fears is to describe how other families have approached this situation. A case study is just one example, but to a parent, that can make success a possibility. In sharing this one story at EHDI, it has the possibility of helping families across the country to see their child’s potential. While at the EHDI Conference, The American Society of Deaf Children (ASDC) met with me and asked me to write up a short article about my poster for their magazine, The Endeavor. It was a feature article in their Spring-Summer 2018 publication. Now more and more families have access to the information that with time, effort, dedication, and support, hearing families CAN be a good sign language model for their Deaf/Hard of Hearing child. Hearing Parents CAN: Being a Sign Language Model for Your Child Research Question Can hearing parents be a good enough model of ASL to their Deaf/Hard of Hearing child when their own ASL skills are limited?
Background How much language input is enough for Deaf/ Hard of Hearing children learning a signed language? Prior studies focus on Deaf parents modeling language for their Deaf/ Hard of Hearing child (Bailes, Erting, Erting, & Thumann-Prezioso, 2009; Lu, Jones, & Morgan, 2016). However, most Deaf/ Hard of Hearing children have hearing parents. Can hearing parents be a successful language model for their child? In this study, we look at one such example. When was the child identified? When did the family start signing? How much did/do they sign? What support services did they receive? Answers to these questions may help us provide guidance to hearing families with Deaf/Hard of Hearing children who use sign language.
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Family Language Background
This family was chosen from the pool of participants for the case study because they met certain criteria. The child is profoundly deaf with average language ability (97 on the PPVT) at 3 years old who uses only ASL and has hearing parents. How did the parents support his language acquisition? What is their sign language background? What can parents and early intervention providers learn from this family’s experience that will guide their own efforts?
Child’s Age
3.3 years
Age of Identification
16 months
EI services started
10 months
Family Started Learning American Sign Language Child Started Preschool
10 months
Years using ASL PPVT4 Standard Score School language
The SLL class is more than a decade old at the Albuquerque Preschool, and was launched as a result of many Albuquerque-based parents asking for a program combining spoken language and ASL. At the time, the two primary programs serving young Deaf and Hard of Hearing children were either oral-based or sign-based. We have seen great success with this program throughout the years, and several of our students have transitioned from our program with age-appropriate skills in both languages. If you are curious to see our SLL class in action, please contact our Assistant Principal Sally Anderson at the preschool.
Bettie T. Petersen, University of New Mexico
Participants
Hearing Level
Ms. Heather and Ms. Evelyn, our SLL class facilitators, use spoken English as the primary language in the classroom, encouraging natural, holistic conversation in a nurturing, child-centered way. If a child requires ASL support there is an attempt to separate the languages by “sandwiching” spoken English is offered first, then ASL, then the message is repeated a second time in spoken English making an “ASL sandwich.” The SLL class facilitators wear an FM microphone around their necks, and the classroom is wired for optimal sound. This raises their voices above any background noise, enhancing the listening environment for our preschoolers. In addition, our Speech Language Pathologist and Audiologist make frequent visits to the classroom, supporting students and our SLL Facilitators in a variety of ways.
18 months Profound 2 97 Mostly ASL
o Mother is 26 years old and has an Associates degree. o Both parents are hearing with no sign language experience prior to their child’s birth. o Family communicates directly with the child in ASL o Communication among family members is half English, half ASL o Bilingual Language Profile: o English 201 o ASL 105 o English dominance 95 o EI services (including Deaf Mentor) received weekly
Conclusions
Hearing parents CAN be a good enough sign language model to their Deaf/Hard of Hearing child.
Top right: Hector Aguirre, Jr. and his mom, Virginia, speaking the language of love! 2nd from top: Edwin and Rachel Lujan modeling the sign "yeah!" with their son Lucas as he places shapes into the correct puzzle slots. 3rd from top: Mom and Ryleigh reading together. Bottom right: Mom, dad, and Tahliah having fun and learning new signs while playing a card game. Bottom left: Bettie Petersen’s poster from the EDHI Conference.
Top right: What sound does a paintbrush make…? Swish, swish. Middle right: Mia Vargas works on her hot air balloon that will go UP, UP, UP when it’s all done! Bottom right: Felipe Gonzalez gives the verbal and gestural “OK” indicating his tower is finished. Bottom left: The bear is inside the big box!
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - GALLUP PRESCHOOL
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - FARMINGTON PRESCHOOL
THE 100 LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN
ANIMALS EVERYWHERE!
BY MARY HELEN PEREZ
BY ANNA CHAVEZ
The Reggio Emilia philosophy is founded on an innovative concept called the 100 Languages of Children. This is the understanding that children have many languages to communicate with beyond ASL and spoken English. Their facial expressions, dramatic performances, and art creations tell us what they are thinking, how they plan, and what is important to them. Communication is paramount at our Farmington NMSD Preschool. Each school day, our NMSD preschool staff are honored to witness new expressions of the 100 Languages of Children. Here are some classroom examples:
This year our main project study, via the Reggio Emilia approach, focuses on animals. First, we pretended we were bears in the forest. We gathered and "ate" food to get ready to hibernate for the winter. We used a large box as our den and curled up in it to hibernate. We woke up "hungry as bears" looking for more food to eat!
After several lessons on the human form and drawing, these photos highlight student understanding.
Next, we focused on fish, pigs, and horses. We’ve enjoyed stories like The Three Bears, Fish Out of Water, and The Three Little Pigs. Students enjoyed retelling the stories during story time. Instructional aide Jennifer Enreka also told the story of the Three Little Pigs using straw, sticks of wood, and a fan to make it come to life for the children! We read many non-fiction books about animals as well!
Demonstrations of friendship and caring.
The students enjoyed making animal art projects, including painting, gluing, and glitter. We also built farms from blocks, Legos, and magnetic shapes at the light table, adding farm animals such as pigs, horses, cows, sheep, and goats, to the pens and barns. We look forward to studying more animals of the land, sea, and sky and are adding animals to our mural of sea and sky as we progress through our project study. It is so interesting to learn about all the unique varieties of animals in our world!
In this series of photos, Bryson Atencio, architect and storyteller, builds a complicated tower and uses his hands to tell a story of a bird climbing a tower, carrying a heavy object away, and coming back home to go to sleep.
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Top left: Antarious Natoni’s self-portrait in pencil. Top middle: Rya Dick’s self-portrait in Playdough and metal loose parts. Top right: Bryson Atencio and Drake Benallie’s group project face with glass pebbles and seashells on sand. Middle left, 3 picture progression: Antarious Natoni helps Bryson Atencio on the swing. Middle 2nd from right: Rya Dick cares for a baby in dramatic play. Note how she folds the blanket around the baby. Middle right: Drake Benallie embraces the role of teacher as he leads the direction game at circle time while Antarious Natoni follows the directions to clap with delight! Bottom left: Bryson shows a bird climbing on a tower. Bottom middle: Bryson Atencio demonstrates a bird carrying an object away. Bottom right: Bryson Atencio turns off the light table and lays his head down to show the bird asleep.
Top right: Tahliah Joe and Caden Lee in front of the sky, land, and ocean board where our studied animals live. Middle right: Caden Lee and Tahliah Joe create pigs. Bottom right: Caden Lee and Tahliah Joe happily pose in front of their artwork. Bottom left: Tahliah Joe and Caden Lee on the farm made with blocks.
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - LAS CRUCES PRESCHOOL
GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES! BY KIM BOYKIN The Las Cruces preschool decided to investigate three classic tales involving the number three. We read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs, counting and studying the number three. We also practiced retelling stories with flannel board props, cardboard character boards, and created objects. Goldilocks and the Three Bears gave us the opportunity to talk about safety, boundaries and only entering other people’s homes by invitation. We discussed the difference between storybook bears and real bears, comparing and contrasting their habitats, food preferences, and sleeping arrangements. We decided the storybook bears had it pretty good with houses, chairs, beds, and porridge!
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION - SANTA FE PRESCHOOL
READING BETWEEN THE LINES BY KIM HAND This year, we’re exploring where lines can lead us! We know that urging young children to focus and stay inside the lines actually helps them develop and expand important concepts. It also helps hone their fine motor skills (shapes, pincer grasp, and colorings), assists with focus, promotes following step-by-step directions, supports the pre-planning process, and aids observation and attention to detail. First, we asked students to focus on a single object. They observed and discussed what they noticed. Then we drew pictures using a pencil. Finally, we used colored pencils to stay within the lines, and staff traced over the students’ lines using a black marker. Teaching these skills will lead to better reading and organization as they move forward in life!
The troll was the highlight of The Three Billy Goats Gruff. The thought of a scary person that lives under a bridge and eats goats was so much fun! We made trolls out of felt and clay, bridges with blocks and craft sticks, and acted out the trials of the three goats trying to eat grass on the greener side of the bridge.
IT’S A MIX-UP!
We also read The Three Little Pigs. We wanted to explore which houses would withstand the force of the wolf’s huffing and puffing, so we went on a walking field trip throughout Mesilla to find houses made of different building materials. We found fences made of sticks, adobe houses, and several brick buildings. We then made houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. The wolf was our favorite character, and we all took turns trying to blow our houses down!
Hand-mixing color is a fun way to introduce basic science, encourage student participation and creativity, and practice predictions, observation, comparison, reasoning, experimentation, and resultgathering. Students experimented rubbing a single color on their hands and then mixing other colors to observe how colors change. Students guessed what color red and blue would make, and experimented on their own.
This unit was a great opportunity to become familiar with three classic old tales. We all enjoyed the intricacies of each story and really liked acting out all the characters - as well as completing many literature response activities.
The end result of the project was an increased curiosity and understanding of color names, how colors work, and complex concepts in general. Just “picture” how much fun we had with our colorful experiments!
Top right: Aubrey Kessel and Brezziana Zapata using the flannel board pieces to tell the story of The Three Little Pigs. Middle right: Jojo Lopez reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff to Samuel Romero, Bear Gerard, Brezzi Zapata, and Aubrey Kessel. Botton right: Bear Gerard and Brezzi Zapata examining the bricks on the church in Mesilla on our Three Little Pigs building materials hunt. Bottom left: From left: Bear Gerard, Brezzi Zapata, Aubrey Kessel, Samuel Romero, and Aliaah Munoz posing in front of an adobe building (made with straw) on our building material field trip.
BY KIM HAND
Top right: Students’ drawings of trees on display. Middle right: Emmanuel Fuentes (left) and Diego Romero-Rivera (right) sharing their observations about an apple with Vanessa Salazar, Instructional Aide. Bottom right: Our Art Gallery showing the results of students’ color mix. Bottom left: Paul Van Gunten and Diego Romero-Rivera having fun watching the red and yellow paint on their hands change to orange. Bottom middle: RJ Nava is in awe as he discovers that mixing red and blue paint turns his hands to purple!
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ELEMENTARY
ANIMALS ON PARADE!
IT’S EXPERIMENTAL!
BY BRIANNE CATRON
BY REBECCA FUNK
This fall, our 2nd grade class enjoyed a three-week unit on Animals & Science. Students learned all about the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates, and the five classifications within this category: mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. They not only learned the characteristics for each classification - bodies, limbs, birth, habitat, and more - but also chose one animal to study in depth. These were exotic animals such as the narwhal, ostrich, crocodile, poison dart frog, tortoise, kangaroo, penguin, stingray, tiger salamander, and oarfish. The animal unit was a Project-Based Learning (PBL) unit where students learned new skills as they worked on their projects. They studied animal skeletons and created a ‘replica’ of the skeletons using cotton swabs on black paper. They also created dioramas to demonstrate animal habitats. Students watched short videos and had class discussions about their animals. Parents also participated by helping with a side project of creating a costume portraying their animals! As a wrap-up to the animal unit, we opened an "Animal Wax Museum" in the Hester Hall hallway. Parents, staff, and other students came by to see the projects we made and to talk about the animals. The students said they were happy with the results of the event. Mateo Perez eagerly exclaimed: “I want to do it again! Can we?” with yellow paint all over his happy face!
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MIDDLE SCHOOL
Top right: Rianza Ercolino studied penguins. 2nd from top: Lupe Lucero and students learned about alligators from Gabriel Ibarra. 3rd from top: Tavian Plonski and Mateo Perez enjoy learning about, and being, a tortoise and a tiger salamander. 4th from top: Fiona Pedersen questions Neeva Goff about poison dart frogs. Bottom left: A bunch of “Animals”! Front row from left: Tavian Plonski, Neeva Goff and Henrick Catron. Standing from left: Kyra King-Morgan, Brenna Gonzalez, Mateo Perez, Gabriel Ibarra, Anthony Ibarra, Greyson Lobato, and Rianza Ercolino (penguin).
Can you make ice cream in 30 minutes without electricity and a freezer? My middle school science students had the opportunity recently to discover that you can, indeed! Students paired up and began by measuring their ice cream ingredients. They poured sugar, milk, and vanilla into small plastic Ziploc bags. Then they placed the ice cream solution into a gallon-sized Ziploc, half-filled with ice. Students noted that the temperature of the ice bags was between 0˚ C and 5˚ C. They also noted that the rock salt box said “Not For Human Consumption,” and realized after adding rock salt to the outer Ziploc bag, that it made their ice even colder. They checked the temperature again to find it was now between -5˚ C to -18˚ C. The students enjoyed shaking, tossing, and massaging their bags for at least five minutes, observing when the ice cream mixture hardened into soft ice cream. Everyone thought the ice cream was delicious and were amazed they were able to make it within the classroom. Angelique Quinonez commented, “I learned that when I added salt to the ice bag it brought the temperature down enough to freeze my ice cream.” Adrian Fernandez enthused, “The ice cream Ruben and I made was liquidy but it was good!” Ruben Apodaca learned “that you need to add rock salt to ice so that it is cold enough to make ice cream.” Grace Sandoval shared, “I learned that ice cream freezes faster if it shook hard. It was really cool to make ice cream the old-fashioned way.” Jovi Melendez realized that “It’s important to write down the data gathered during experiments…and that my ice cream was delicious!” Bria Vigil shared, “During this experiment, I learn about physical and chemical changes.” And Phenix Hastings, Julian Aranda-Sotelo and Alex Wilding added what everyone was thinking, “We LOVE ice cream!”
Top right: Grace Sandoval pouring milk into the Ziploc while her partner Zachary Nichols holds steady. Middle right: Ben Hernandez and Bria Vigil checking the temperature of the ice. Bottom right: Alex Wilding LOVES his ice cream!! Bottom left: From left: Alex Wilding, Stacy Vargas, and Adrien Ercolino waiting for their ice cream to be ready to eat.
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HIGH SCHOOL
COMMUNITY BASED INSTRUCTION
WHAT’S COOKING?
PUTTING STUDENTS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT
BY LAURIE ANDERSON
BY ELIZABETH FRY
Our newly established High School Elective Cooking Class has been savoring sweet success! Students research recipes, choose one, shop for the recipe’s ingredients, and prepare the dish in a team setting. The goal of the class is to help students learn how to prepare and enjoy simple, healthy meals for future independence. It also encourages teamwork, shared responsibilities and effective communication in the kitchen and beyond.
NMSD offers ASL-based Driver Education to students 15 years old and older, teaching them the rules of the road, road signs, signals, roadway markings, traffic rules, basic maneuvers, and basic driving skills. When students pass their MVD written exam, they are able to get a learner’s permit and begin practicing with a licensed adult.
One of the greatest challenges for the class has been time management. As the class is often less than an hour, students must prepare, eat, and clean up within that time. They are quickly acquiring that skill and learning the importance of budgeting as well. Students often discuss ingredient prices and strategizing to make the most cost-efficient decision to support their interests, class goals and budget. After grocery outings, students document what they spent and record their current balance. This type of record keeping - in addition to deciding how to use leftover ingredients for future meals - has served to build students’ awareness about the importance of planning.
New Mexico Driver Education includes a Graduated License Program. First students receive a six month permit, which becomes a year long Provisional License before turning into an unrestricted license. This encourages students to work on their necessary skills and practice driving while using the IPDE Process (Identify, Predict, Decision making, and Execute) to focus on making safe decisions. The class also covers DWI/DUI, how New Mexico addresses DWI offenders, and how it impacts driving skills. Students learn to identify distractions inside and outside the vehicle as well as driver inattention and distractions. After students have a permit, they are able to practice parallel parking, city driving, and freeway driving. We’re always excited to put our students in the driver’s seat!
We have already prepared fruit smoothies, fettuccine alfredo, homemade vegetable soup, Spicy Thai noodles, and Puerto Rican Chicken Noodle Soup. We look forward to trying many delicious recipes in the future! If you happen to be strolling down the first-floor hallway of Dillon Hall on a class day, and you smell something delectable, feel free to stop by and perhaps enjoy a small sample. Bon Appetit!
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Top right: Everyone enjoying a steaming bowl of soup – YUM!! 2nd from top: From left: Martina Rodarte-Estrada, Marlin Toledo, Sophia Martinez, Victoria Baca with teacher, Elizabeth Fry shopping for fresh ingredients at Whole Foods. Bottom right: Victoria Baca cutting up the chicken while Sophia Martinez chops carrots. Bottom left: From left: Sherrena Bob, Marina Rodarte-Estrada, Victoria Baca, Marlin Toledo and Sophia Martinez working together to find a great soup recipe. Bottom middle: Martina Rodarte-Estrada stirring the soup.
Top right: Andrea Leyba at the Smartboard explaining how to safely change lanes. Middle right: Elizabeth Fry, Student Driving Instructor, putting the “Student Driver” sign on the car in preparation to take students driving. Bottom right: Victoria Baca’s first time at the wheel. Antonio Lopez and Justin Bryant eagerly await their turn from the back seat. Top left: Antonio Lopez and Justin Bryant learning about the road sign “slippery when wet.” Bottom left: Driver’s Education class from left: Elizabeth Fry, Antonio Lopez, Victoria Baca, and Justin Bryant. Not pictured: Andrea Leyba.
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HARVEST DAY
TRANSITION
APPLE OF OUR EYES!
ALL ABOARD RAILYARD PARK!
BY KERI-LYNN MCBRIDE
BY DANIEL TIMLEN
The NMSD orchard produced a fortuitous spring and summer, the trees bursting with cherries, peaches, pears, and many varieties of apples. That means only one thing - Harvest Day was approaching!
This fall semester, NMSD’s Job Preparation Program and the Santa Fe Railyard Park Conservancy collaborated with the Univerity of New Mexico's (UNM) Interpreter program to help students perform community work at the park. By doing so, they helped instill the value of teamwork, skills, patience, self-confidence, leadership, and strategies in communicating with non-signers. Students also learned about environmental issues and how to be an active “protector”- building and maintaining compost while understanding how wildlife is affected by environmental climate changes.
Harvest Day morning was sunny and beautiful. Our toddlers, preschoolers, elementary students, staff and parents were out in full force to pick and gather apples to press into apple cider. We also had great support and assistance from a very motivated group of middle school students and the Harvest Day Committee. A number of hands-on exploration centers were set up around the orchard to allow students to read, draw, or create sculptures with apples. Our elementary students were a big help as they cranked the press that turned apples into deliciously tart cider! Our students savored every moment of the yearly experience!
Shannon Palermo from the Railyard Park enthused: “The Railyard Park Conservancy is the small non-profit that cares for the Railyard Park, located across the street from NMSD. The organization relies solely on volunteers to care for the over 28 gardens in the 10-acre park. Students from NMSD, alongside UNM student interpreters, visited the park five days a week to help. The contribution that NMSD students made in the park are quite significant. They kept the park litter-free and the gardens looking great! They created nutrient-rich soil, which benefited plants while also creating more permeable soil for water retention. Students also collected data on the trash they gathered in order to observe any trends in the problem of litter! They have inspired City Park staff, Conservancy staff, and even homeless people to sign in ASL. Everyone at the park knows the sign for "thank you"! With the support of interpreters, NMSD is reaching beyond the school's campus to engage in the Railyard Park and, as a result, the whole community benefits!” Amanda Luján of the UNM Signed Language Interpreting Program adds: “During the final year of UNM’s Signed Language Interpreting Program, students are required to earn 300 hours through their practicum experience, which involves hands-on interpreting opportunities in a variety of settings under the mentorship of deaf consumers and certified interpreters. [This collaboration] has been the perfect opportunity for our students to put into practice what they have learned at UNM." One student said it best, “We are learning in ways that may not be learned in a classroom, but encountered in the real world.” During this process, students are immersed in various interpreting environments where they have the chance to apply the interpreting theory methods they’ve studied in the classroom. As another student emphasized, “We get to learn in an encouraging and realistic environment, while also feeling good about what we can contribute as student interpreters.” The work at the Railyard is an example of how members and agencies of a community converge to provide all participants with experiences to grow from in their respective domains. It certainly supports the old saying “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” - Helen Keller
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Top right: From left: Grace Sandoval, Bria Vigil, and Efrim Rodarte-Estrada help gather apples during Harvest Day. 2nd from top: From left: Jodie Haley, Jesse Crespin, Ulises Aranda-Sotelo and Kimora Vollmar pick apples. 3rd from top: From left: Calvin St. Clair, Roman Cope, and Elijah Larson-Sisneros wash the apples (and themselves!!). Bottom right: From left: Twilah Joe, Alex Garcia-Lopez, and Celeste Robles-Perez enjoy a cup of delicious apple cider! Top left: Marisa Soboleski, reads the book Little Apple Goat, in the read-a-loud center in the orchard. Bottom left: Liam Mohan-Litchfield and his grandmother gives Martin Gutierrez a hand with pressing apples into cider.
Top right: Taking temperature measurements of the Railyard Community Farm’s compost. 2nd from top: Middle school students get in on the action by pulling out the invasive Alfalfa plant. 3rd from top: High school students cleaning out the garden beds in preparation for planting. Bottom right: Zachery Reed collecting items for the Community Farm Compost from a vendor at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market.
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MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION
LITERARY ARTS
DRUMBEATS OF CULTURE
A FEAST FOR THE EYES
BY CLAUDIA MANSILLA
BY SCOTT VOLLMAR
On September 13, 2018, NMSD invited Santa Fe Aspen Folklórico to perform in a celebration of Mexico Independence Day. The evening began with the traditional Matachines dance, and the group’s choreography and colorful costumes mesmerized our students, families, and staff. The dancers led a procession from the soccer field to the beautifully decorated RAC space, which smelled deliciously of the traditional dishes prepared by our Mexican families and staff. Mateo Perez’s mole and Orlando Obeso’s flan were by far the favorites this year!
ASL’s organic beauty and natural rhythms were on display throughout the enjoyable performances by our talented students and staff during our recent “A Feast for the Eyes.” The evening of storytelling and performing was truly an artistic and linguistic display of ASL, and was something to behold. Everyone did an outstanding job and all who attended had a marvelous time.
Corina Gutiérrez, the president of the NMSD Alumni Association and the New Mexico Hispanic Council of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and NMSD senior Jonathan Garcia-Vallandarez, shared their experiences as Deaf-Latinos and asked parents to share their thoughts on how to educate our students about their Mexican heritage and cultural values. Their comments and ideas go hand in hand with Dr. Gallegos’ words: “It was a great example of how we are living up to our belief statements of embracing ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity and fostering strong partnerships with families through learning and social opportunities.” We were all delighted to witness the proud parents sharing their culture and traditions, and teaching our community more about their heritage. And while not all of our students are of Mexican heritage, they all enjoyed learning about Mexican history, spending time with their families and friends, dancing to the beat of the music, and breaking the Piñata on this special day!
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Top right: From left: Scott Mohan, Claudia Hernandez, Claudia Mansilla and Emma Lozada getting ready to serve delicious traditional cuisine. 2nd from top: Students were all in a blur trying to break the piñata! 3rd from top: Corina Gutierrez and Jonathan Garcia-Valladarez welcoming everyone to festivities! Bottom right: Parents teaching our community about their culture and traditions. Top left: Folklórico members performing the traditional Matachines dance for a large crowd. Bottom left: Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Flamenco dancers entertaining students, staff and family members.
Top right: Donovan Etheridge presenting his humorous piece “Haunted Deaf House”. 2nd from top right: Jesse Jimenez during his narrative entitled "Monsters". 3rd from top right: Neeva Goff and Kyra King-Morgan performing their ASL number story entitled "A Human Survived!". Bottom right: Arthur White performing his story about a cat using ASL classifiers. Top left: Front row from left: Jordan Ramser, Celeste Robles-Perez, Aspen Mohan-Litchfield, Fiona Pedersen, Frederik Zefferer, and Jesse Jimenez. Second row from left: Shira Grabelsky, Adrian Fernandez, Alex Gonzalez-Lopez, Arthur White, Neeva Goff, Kyra King-Morgan, and Levi Anderson. Third row from left: Dalton Etkie, Scott Vollmar, Alex Wilding, Adrien Ercolino, Kieran Ercolino, Serenity Adams, Donovan Etheridge, Jimmy Litchfield III, and Lana Pedersen. Back row from left: Chayakorn Sakornsatian, Bruce Brewer, Jr., Jesus Rios-Pena, Sophia Martinez, Martina Rodarte-Estrada, and Dustin Hand. Not pictured: Pisces Luna-Smith, Daniel Mendoza, Adam Rylee, Andres Vigil, and Kieran Vollmar. Middle left: From left: Chayakorn Sakornsatian, Martina Rodarte-Estrada, Dustin Hand, Bruce Brewer, Jr. and Sophia Martinez during their improvisational ASL game. Bottom left: Serenity Adams doing a fantastic job demonstrating Deaf Humor in "ASL Bing" as Scott Vollmar looks on.
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FOUNDER'S DAY
THANK YOU LARS & BELLE LARSON BY KERI-LYNN MCBRIDE It was deaf-education pioneer Lars M. Larson who first planted the school's historic roots in 1885. Using their own funds, Lars and his wife Belle began teaching deaf students in a small adobe house in Santa Fe on November 10, 1885. The deaf couple dreamed of establishing a permanent place where deaf and hard of hearing children could receive a quality education. In the 134 years since, NMSD has been making a difference in the lives of deaf children and their families. To honor Lars and Belle for Founder’s Day, students and staff researched Norway, where Lars’s parents emigrated. The day began with everyone viewing the “Good Morning NMSD” video which featured students using Norwegian Sign Language and included the cutest movie about Lars and Belle’s journey to New Mexico and opening NMSD. The movie was made for Founder’s Day by elementary students back in 2010. The day continued with students playing a Norwegian game called Kubb, baking Fyrstekake (Norwegian cardamom-almond tart), creating a banner using historic photos, visiting the NMSD Museum to view many artifacts from the time when Lars was superintendent, and paying respects at the grave site of Belle Larson in Fairview Cemetery. Our Founder’s Day celebration ended with a delicious Norwegian lunch that included lefse (flatbread) and Jarlsberg cheese, kjottkaker (meatballs), umla (potato dumplings, gronnertestuing (creamed peas), rye bread, and kanelboller (cinnamon buns). We are all so grateful to Lars and Belle for opening NMSD and for the difference they made in so many people's lives.
STUDENT LIFE - ATHLETICS - TEAM PHOTOS
FALL SEASON VARISTY FOOTBALL
VARSITY VOLLEYBALL
From left: Head Coach James Litchfield III, John “LJ” Hernandez, Chayakorn Sakornsatian, Dustin Hand, Antonio Lopez, Luis Villalobos, Deven Thompson, Jacob Stevens, Bruce Brewer, Jr., Jesus Rios-Pena, Jeremy Baldonado, Manager Johnathan Ludwigs, and Assistant Coach Abe Martinez. Not pictured: Daniel Guerra and Ben Hernandez.
Kneeling from left: Waylon Lopez and Sherrena Bob. Standing from left: Head Coach Letty Perez, Victoria Baca, Martina Estrada-Rodarte, Lindsay Hand, Sophia Martinez, Mya Malone, Stacy Vargas, Andrea Leyba, Nthabeleng MacDonald, and Assistant Coach Cheyenna Wilding.
MIDDLE SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
From left: Precious Jones, Jovi Mitchell, Bria Vigil, Zavia Burton, Angelique Quinonez, Serenity Adams, Phenix Hastings, and Head Coach Briean Burton. Not pictured: Assistant Coach Lisa Craig.
ACADEMIC BOWL
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Top right: Analise Zimmerman and Erick Rodriguez creating a banner to honor Lars and Belle Larson that was hung in the dining hall for the special luncheon. 2nd from top: Levi James and Claire Stephens having a great time playing Kubb. 3rd from top: Sophia Martinez, in a traditional Norwegian outfit, serving cheese during the luncheon. Bottom right: Kim Hand showing a PowerPoint slide show about Lars Larson to her preschool students. Top left: Laurie Anderson leading a discussion with students about the meaning of “Founder” as they begin to brainstorm ideas for poems about Lars Larson. Top middle: NMSD’s Center for Educational Consultation and Training team brought flowers and a Norwegian flag to Belle Larson’s grave site at Fairview Cemetery which is located next door to NMSD. Bottom left: From left: Daniel Mendoza, Fiona Pedersen, Pisces Luna-Smith, Andres Vigil, Frederik Zefferer, and Aspen Mohan-Litchfield visiting the museum to learn more about Lars and Belle Larson. Bottom middle: Soniya Vigil showing off the beautiful Fyrstekake she and fellow students made with teacher Jen Dent.
Front row from left: Bruce Brewer, Jr., Monica Chavez, Nthabeleng MacDonald, Mya Malone, and and Jacob Stevens. Back row from left: Head Coach Carrie Nichols, Lindsay Hand, Jacob Lopez, Dustin Hand, and Assistant Coach Scott Vollmar.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL
From left: Assistant Coach Emilio Garcia, Julian Aranda-Sotelo, Adrien Ercolino, Alex Wilding, Ben Hernandez, Kieran Vollmar, Efrim Rodarte-Estrada, Kieran Ercolino, Deangelo Frank, Zachary Reed, Adrian Fernandez, and Head Coach Dalton Etkie.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
Green Division from left: Assistant Chaperone Shira Grabelsky, Adrian Fernandez, Bria Vigil, Stacy Vargas, and Head Chaperone John Jarrett.
Buff Division front row from left: Adrien Ercolino, Alex Wilding, Jovi Melendez, and Kieran Ercolino. Back row from left: Assistant Chaperone Shira Grabelsky, Head Chaperone John Jarrett, and Kieran Vollmar.
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STUDENT LIFE - ATHLETICS
CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL CONSULTATION & TRAINING
HOMECOMING
SUPPORTING EDUCATIONAL INTERPRETERS BY LENA STAVELY AND CINDY HUFF Educational Interpreting is a critical and complex profession. As the conduit of a student’s holistic school experience, educational interpreters in New Mexico are often the only interpreter in a school or district, making it challenging to interface with each other. This professional seclusion often leads to frustration and potential burnout. Supporting these interpreters is critical in NMSD’s endeavor to raise the bar for statewide deaf education. The Center for Educational Consultation and Training (CECT) and NMSD’s Interpreting Department are working together to provide growth opportunities and support for educational interpreters around the state.
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Pathways to Partnership, a personalized mentoring program, is geared toward educational interpreters striving to meet state licensure standards. The program was inspired by NMSD’s interpreting team’s well-established mentoring structure that supports newly hired team members. In Pathways to Partnership, NMSD’s more seasoned interpreters act as mentors to interpreters from around the state, offering regular meetings focused on skill building, professional growth, and targeted conversations about responsibilities, roles, and ethical dilemmas in educational settings. Mentorships occur during the school year, with twice monthly virtual meetups. Mentees have access to a community of interpreters with opportunities to network, visit, and observe working interpreters in a Deaf-centric educational setting (NMSD-Santa Fe). The program also provides a visit from assigned mentors to observe mentees at work within their districts. The cross-departmental collaboration also plans in-service training and workshops, including skill-building activities, as well as interpreting theory. Our K-12 Interpreter Intensive gave seven participants a new outlook on their skills and ethical practices, as well as the chance to network with one another. As a result of the school district’s challenges in filling interpreter vacancies, NMSD is piloting an interpreter placement program in a rural district during the 2018-2019 school year. A full-time interpreter has been placed in this location and has benefited from all layers of our wraparound services: Pathways to Partnership, in-service supports, observations (in the district and at NMSD), and K-12 Interpreter Intensive. This year will determine the potential and viability of further placements. We hope that more educational interpreters can be reached this year so that supports can be leveraged in every corner of the state. Top right: Lena Stavely conducting a long-distance virtual mentoring meet-up with an educational interpreter based in the Four Corners. Middle right: Orlando Obeso during a site visit with interpreter based in rural eastern NM, where observation, mentoring, and constructive feedback take place. Bottom right: Lena Stavely and Orlando Obeso, interpreter mentors, and Cindy Huff, Director of CECT, discuss rural interpreters to be served within Pathways to Partnership.
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ALUMNI
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
CHEERING THE “HOLE” WAY!
EYE ON VISION
BY HOLLIE FLEMING
BY KERI-LYNN MCBRIDE
We were proud to cheer on NMSD alumni Robert Huizar ’93 at the United States Disc Golf Championship (USDGC) in Rock Hill, South Carolina on October 3 - 6. Robert, a professional disc golfer, qualified by winning the Deaf National Disc Golf Championship in Allentown, PA last summer.
While NMSD is blessed to have so many amazing civic and community groups as partners, the Santa Fe Capital City Lions Club is one of our greatest supporters. Our local club hosted another "KidSight" screening at NMSD this past fall. Lions Club members, Connie and Arvin Balram and Rose and Tom Himrod, joined us for a full day of screening our students.
Since the USDGC is one of the most esteemed disc golf tournaments of the year, qualifying alone is an amazing accomplishment. Robert had the honor of playing alongside some of the top players in the world, including Female World Disc Golf Champion Paige Bierkaas, and the USDGC Champion and Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) World Ranking Disc Golfer, Paul McBeth. Robert was pleased to discover that Paul also knows ASL!
Eighty percent of all visual impairments can be prevented or cured. The first step is awareness, and the second step is early detection through vision screening. It is incredibly valuable to have the Lions conduct annual screenings for our students, as it provides the opportunity to identify those who might need further professional evaluation and treatment.
The four-course tournament takes place over four days. Each course is 18 holes but over 10,000 feet long. After the first day, Robert shared, “My arm was so sore, it took a couple of holes for my arm to finally warm up. This is not your typical disc golf course, that is for sure!” The 11th hole was difficult, as some of the best players in the world shot a seven or a nine. Robert scored a nine. This allowed him to follow the top four players, a good run even in unfamiliar weather conditions. “It was so humid,” Robert explained, “and my hands got wet and sticky. This ruined the grip holds on my discs! I never felt that at home in dry New Mexico. Good thing I brought a chalk bag as it dried my hands and made the discs feel like they do when I’m in New Mexico.” Robert represented New Mexico and the Deaf disc golf community well, placing 118th out of 130 players in the U.S. Disc Golf Championship!
THE BEAT GOES ON BY KERI-LYNN MCBRIDE The NMSD Alumni Association (NMSDAA) surprised students and staff during the Homecoming Rally in late September, with a shiny new red drum! Mary Lynn Bransford proposed the idea to the NMSDAA upon learning that their current drum was broken beyond repair.
The NMSD Community sends their sincere appreciation to our good friends at the Lions Club!
BONDING TOGETHER BY KERI-LYNN MCBRIDE Throughout the fall, Dr. Gallegos worked tirelessly to spread awareness and gain support for the General Obligation Education Bond D. She reached out to our community of stakeholders, including staff, families, friends, civic and community groups, legislators and state leaders, and the greater Santa Fe and New Mexico community. In addition to spreading the good word about the importance of Bond D through staff orientation, student/family registration day and on NMSD’s social media platforms, Dr. Gallegos spoke at several civic group meetings as well as an interview, along with Dr. Cervantes, Interim President of Santa Fe Community College (SFCC), on KSFR, KTRC and KSWV. Our constituents rallied around our state’s specialty schools, NMSD, the New Mexico Military Academy, and New Mexico’s colleges and universities. Bond D passed on November 6, 2018, and NMSD’s goal of further renovating the Lars M. Larson Student Activity Center and Gym will be realized! We send our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to all corners of our great state. On behalf of every one of our students and their families, we say THANK YOU!
The drum will be used for pep rallies, sporting events and leading the Roadrunner Fight song. NMSDAA President Corina Gutierrez shared, “It’s great that the NMSDAA bought a new drum for the Athletic Department. Our organization believes it is very important to have a strong connection and relationship between NMSD and NMSDAA.” Thanks, NMSDAA for ensuring the beat goes on!
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Top right: Robert Huizar, the lone New Mexican at the USDGC Tournament. 2nd from top: Robert Huizar with Paul McBeth, who is the world's best disc golfer, won the event. 3rd from top: The NMSDAA Board proudly pose with the donated drum. Front from left: Roy DeHaven '85, Corina Gutierrez '88, Susan Haley '82, and Ted Dressler. Back row from left: Amy Lucero '07, Margarita Garcia '85, and Matt Lujan '85. Not pictured: Roger Robb '86 and Richard Pearson '76. Bottom right: Margarita Garcia, Mary Lynn Bransford '85, and Matt Lujan present the drum during the Homecoming Pep Rally.
Top right: Tom and Rose Himrod with Jesse Haley, Soniya Vigil, and Jayden Vacher. 2nd from top: Lions Club members conducting vision screening on Pamela Kayonnie. From left: Tom Himrod, Arvin Balram, Rose Himrod and Connie Balram. 3rd from top: Dr. Gallegos and Dr. Cervantes sharing the importance of Bond D’s for NMSD and SFCC during an interview with KSFR’s Tom Trowbridge. Bottom right: Members of the Santa Fe’s Rotary Centro learning about NMSD and Bond D. Bottom left: Manuel Griego hanging a Bond D banner on NMSD’s fence at the corner of Cerrillos Road.
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CONSTRUCTION UPDATE - CARTWRIGHT HALL
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE - DELGADO HALL
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1: The backside of Cartwright Hall. The gray portion surrounded by scaffolding is the future elevator that will make Cartwright Hall ADA compliant. 2: An inside view of some of the metal framing going up. 3: Construction crew doing a great job as they stucco the front of Cartwright Hall. 4: New sidewalks and entrance into the future parking lot that will be located directly behind Cartwright Hall. 5: Some of the new equipment in the future Family Housing Program’s playground. 6: Cartwright Hall’s new stucco job is almost finished!
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1: Delgado Hall’s new windows being installed. 2: An inside view of the metal framing going up to partition off various office spaces. 3: A view of the second floor of Delgado Hall. 4: The future reception area in Delgado Hall’s main entrance. 5: The outside of Delgado Hall is prepared and ready for the final color coat of stucco. 6: Delgado Hall’s beautiful new stucco!
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Presorted Marketing US Postage Paid Permit 1893 Albuq.NM
1060 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 www.nmsd.k12.nm.us
NEW MEXICO'S FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL
THE NEW MEXICO PROGRESS since 1909 USPS #381-500 / ISSN #0896-6478 Vol. 109 / Issue 1 / Summer/Fall 2018-19
Published twice during the school year at the New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505. POSTMASTER: Send address change to THE NEW MEXICO PROGRESS, 1060 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505. Editor Keri-Lynn McBride; Associate Editor Bay Anapol. Designed by Hollie Fleming.