Published by: California School for the Deaf, Fremont
California News Volume 124 • Number 17 • June 5, 2009
The 2009 Hoy Tournament softball champions: our CSD Eagles!!!
In this issue: • Hoy Tournament • Academic Bowl • Class of 2009 • International Studies Trip • Outreach Collaboration • Russian Deaf History Presentation • Pie-in-the-Face • Wacky Wednesday • Elementary Winners • Parent Lounge • Basketball Star • Classroom Interaction in ASL / English • 150th Celebration • Career Center News
Article by Kevin Kovacs
CSD hosts national tournament CSD was proud to host the ninth annual Hoy Baseball and Softball Tournament during the weekend of April 24-25. The tournament is named after William “Dummy” Hoy who was Deaf. Hoy was an accomplished professional baseball player who held records in the major leagues. There is currently a group of people fighting to have Hoy inducted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, N.Y. Almost 1,000 participants and spectators visited this year's Hoy Tournament where six schools from around the nation competed for the championship. The schools were: California School for the Deaf, Fremont; California School for the Deaf, Riverside; Indiana School for the Deaf; Maryland School for the Deaf; Model Secondary School for the Deaf; and Texas School for the Deaf. Five of the schools had a baseball team and a softball team; Texas only brought a softball team. Our CSD Eagles softball team won a nail biter in the semifinals, against last year’s runner-up Texas School for the Deaf, by a score of 2-1. CSD then played the defending champs, Mary-
land School for the Deaf and soared to a 14-4 victory and our first Hoy Softball Championship since 2003. Our baseball team, which was the defending champ, saw its bid to win a third consecutive championship come to a halt. Indiana School for the Deaf, featuring their star pitcher, was able to slow us, though our Eagles fought valiantly. We lost 5 to 3 in the championship game. Our Eagles baseball team earned the respectable runner-up award. All-Stas awards for the softball tournament went to Samantha Hyland, Rachelle Richardson, and Alicia Johnson (who won the Most Valuable Player award). All-star awards for baseball went to Brandon Dean, Steven Gosselin, and Zac Kohler. The tournament was a success because of help from CSD and the community. The athletics department is very thankful and appreciative of everyone who contributed. It would not have been the same without their support! The athletics department also wants to thank Gallaudet University, Purple, and Sorenson for sponsoring the event.
Hoy Tournament
Photo Gallery
Photographs by Alison Taggart-Barone
Number one Eagles fans!
Brandon Dean readies his fastball pitch.
Alexandria Brinkley-Green makes sure she is safe.
Coach Malcolm fires up our Eagles before the championship game.
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June 5, 2009 | California News
Samantha Hyland wheels in her powerful fastball.
Student volunteers work hard smiling!
2009 Hoy Baseball Tournament All Stars
Our T-ball team gives our Eagles a high five before the championship game. 2009 Hoy Softball Tournament All Stars California News | June 5, 2009
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CSD Smarties at the Nationals
Approximately 80 high school programs from around the nation competed to see who had the smartest deaf kids in the country. The "CSD Smarties" were one of the 16 teams to make it to the finals, this year, at Gallaudet University. My experience with being a part of the Academic Bowl team was exhilarating. I got the opportunity to jump ahead of my learning level and receive plenty of sneak previews of what I would learn in the next three years. I was very fortunate to have had this experience since I am only a freshman; however, I had the disadvantage of not knowing a lot of things that the other members on the team knew. —Brittany Farr
TOP ROW: Dr. Stephen Weiner
Gallaudet University Provost
David Call
Smarties Coach
Dylan Hinks CSD Smartie
Stacy Gough
Smarties Coach
Dr. Robert Davila
President of Gallaudet Univerisity
BOTTOM ROW: Valerie Farr CSD Smartie
Amelia Bernstein CSD Smartie
Brittany Farr CSD Smartie
CSD Smarties at Chapel Hall on Gallaudet campus
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June 5, 2009 | California News
California School for the Deaf’s Class of 2009: 80% will go to college Nageena Ahmadzai
Sarah Lui
Leopoldo Aguado Jr
Miranda Medugno
Angel Bender
Lakel Morgan
Chelsea Brown
Ross Nahinu
Emerald Brown
Shane Nevins
Kevin Carpenter
Noel Oseguera
Ronnie Cuartero
Nancy Palafox
Brandon Dean
Andrew Paratore
Cody Dike-Pedersen
Shea Rasmus
Hayward Tulare
San Francisco
With the confidence to move on in life, 41 students will march in the California School for the Deaf’s 137th commencement ceremony. The program will be held in the school gymnasium at 3:00 p.m., on June 12, at 39350 Gallaudet Drive, in Fremont. Colleges and Careers Eighty percent of the seniors—all of whom are deaf—will go on to attend either two-year or four-year colleges to continue their education. School superintendent Dr. Henry Klopping remarked, “We are proud to recognize such a high number of high school deaf students participating in the June 12 graduation ceremony who will be enrolling in college starting next fall. The California School for the Deaf graduates were fortunate to have received an education that has been challenging, rewarding, and enduring. CSD strives to maintain high standards in all subject areas including academics, vocational training, and career education.” Steve Orman, Career Center supervisor, commented, “What makes CSD a school with outstanding accomplishments is the tremendous school leadership and the exceptional collaboration among all of our staff who work together as an entity to ensure success in every Deaf graduate’s future.” “The remarkable support from the Career Center—which provides intensive transition support—has made a substantial difference in the students’ success with their after-graduation transition goals,” explained Rona Hunt, senior academic advisor. “With our new Work Readiness Program in place, some of our students will have an opportunity to return to CSD with a plan to attend a community college or vocational training program, or to engage in direct employment. In the evenings, those s tudents will take classes that focus primarily on the California High School Exit Exam.” California News | June 5, 2009
Pinole
Albany
Union City Daly City Newark Newark
Omar Estrada Dinuba
Sara Jane Fair Fremont
Lauren Flores Visalia
Christopher Flores-Scripps San Francisco
Steven Gosselin Hayward
Anthony Guido Vallejo
Dylan Hinks Santa Rosa
Tonique Hunter Antioch
Britnee Hursin Modesto
Alicia Johnson San Jose
Arica Jones Tracy
Yankee Hill Fremont
Emeryville
Mountain View Fresno
Modesto Delhi
Fremont Fremont
Alyssa Romano Modesto
Mirja Schabram Valley Springs
Janel Schmidt Fremont
Tyrell Scott Sacramento
Narinderpal Singh Fowler
Valerie Speir Hayward
Heather Smith Modesto
Cody Swails Santa Cruz
Rachel Tansier Union City
Eugenia Todd Sacramento
Karlee Williams Pacific Grove
Pavel Kanavalchuk Fair Oaks
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International studies students travel to the Land of the Incas Peru: Land of the Incas
“International studies” is an elective course in high school that studies the culture, language, history, and social and environmental issues of a country in preparation for a trip abroad during spring break. From April 9 to 19, the international studies students travelled to Peru to learn about the Inca Empire, Spanish colonialism, and the amazing biodiversity and environmental disasters of the Amazon Basin. Below are excerpts from blogs and journals students wrote documenting their trip.
Hotel Esperanza, in Miraflores. The rooms were very small. After lights out, we slept and dreamed about getting ready for Day 2.
Day 2 By: Minwook Cho & Shea Rasmus
Day 1 By: Minwook Cho & Shea Rasmus
Approximately 8 million people live in Lima. It is Peru's capitol and its largest city. In the morning, we woke up at 6:00 a.m. and rode on a tourist bus to visit the government palace. We also saw a 15th century church and several museums. It was Holy Friday. Since all of the stores were closed in celebration of this Peruvian religious holiday, we went to a Western shopping and food court to eat grilled chicken with French fries. We enjoyed eating that delicious food!
Day 3
By: Ronnie Cuartero & Angel Bender
We left CSD at 2:58 a.m. and arrived at San Francisco International Airport at almost 4 o’clock in the early morning. We flew with American Airlines to Lima, Peru via Miami, Fla. for our domestic-to-international connecting flight. Miami Airport had a beautiful display of the word “LOVE” made from flowers (see photo above). Our international studies classmates and teachers, along with our two interpreters, were excited about the trip. Finally, we arrived in Lima at 10:00 p.m. Our first hotel was called 6
We took an early morning flight from Lima to Cuzco. Cuzco is almost 12,000 feet above sea level, so we were feeling a little bit altitude sick. Finally, we got used to it and started touring. We visited the Inca palaces in Sacsayhuman. We saw a wall made of granite. It looked like a puzzle. It took a group of Inca people a long time to build the wall. Back then, they didn’t have good tools for building, so they had to use knifes to cut the granite. I can tell you that the Inca people were really intelligent. They did a good job engineering a wall of granite so it would not collapse during an earthquake.
Day 4
By: Ronnie Cuartero & Angel Bender
We went to the Sacred Valley near Cusco. One town was called Ollantaytambo. There, the Inca people had a large structure built. They built it by bringing big rocks to the top of a mountain. We hiked all the way to the top. Our tour guide gave us a presentation about the Spanish conquest of the Inca people and how the Spanish destroyed the Inca's buildings. Then, we went to a farm to pet llamas and alpacas. And...we got to see how the Peruvian people made their famous textiles.
June 5, 2009 | California News
Day 8 By: Juan Dillard & Amelia Bernstein
Day 5
Day 7
On April 16, we flew to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon rainforest. We rode a boat for an hour and half on the Madre de Dias River to the EcoAmazonia Lodge. From there, we rode a boat to Monkey Island. It took us about 10 minutes from the lodge. We saw many monkeys (including a lion monkey which was very rare). A spider monkey jumped on Minwook’s back . Later, we went on a night boat tour looking for caimans.
By: Myra Rubio & Nancy Palafox
By: Janel Schmidt
It was our “free day” in Cusco—the heart of the Inca Empire—in the Andes Mountains. In the morning, we toured a cathedral. When we entered the cathedral, we saw many different religious symbols and lots of people praying. About 98% of the Peruvian people are Roman Catholic. We got an audio tour; our interpreter Tracy listened to it while guiding us around the cathedral telling us what all of the paintings and sculptures were about. For the rest of the afternoon, we were on our own to shop and explore the city.
We visited San Francisco Del Asis Deaf School. The kids were really excited and friendly. They all wore the same clothes: brown pants and shirts. We provided them with books written in Spanish. We taught them our popular dances, jokes, and poems, and some ASL stories. They taught us Peruvian Sign Language. We filmed them reciting the national anthem and “Our Father” prayer in Peruvian Sign Language. We came in their classroom and helped their teachers. We even played volleyball with the nuns and students during the afternoon. We left with our hearts full from this golden experience. Day 9
Day 6 By: Myra Rubio & Nancy Palafox
We woke up early and went to Machu Picchu. We tried traveling by bus, but we had to go around many rocks and trees because the farmers were on strike and all of the roads were blocked. We ended up taking a train for the rest of the trip since there were no roads that went through. Machu Picchu is a hidden Inca retreat on the top of a peak in the Andes. It was only used by royalty and was hidden after the Spanish arrived. Later, scientists found it, and it became one of the Wonders of the World. The best thing of all was looking over the top where there was an amazingly beautiful view—just like the pictures we had seen on the Internet, except it is so real!
California News | June 5, 2009
By: Juan Dillard & Amelia Bernstein
Rising bright and early, we pulled on our galoshes and prepared for a long, long hike through the mud and grime of the rainforest floor. We were headed for Cocha Perdida, the Lost Lagoon. One kilometer of zigzagging through a muddy trail, we reached a canoe, and rowed across a swamp for another three kilometers, enjoying the peaceful waters and the abundance of parrots flying overhead in enamored pairs. Upon arriving on the other side, we hiked another 300 meters to a rest area, where we climbed up a tower for a breathtaking view of the Amazonian canopy. As we caught our breath, we took in the incredible ecodiversity of our environment before continuing on to a long, narrow plank bridge to our boat and Cocha Perdida! After a relaxing boat ride, we hiked all the way back to our lodge for a well-deserved rest and a dance party later that evening. 7
International studies trip continued our very last performance in Lima by dancing Salsa in front of some Peruvian people at a concert in the park! (We had learned some Salsa dancing from our international studies class.) The locals cheered and clapped their hands when we ended our performance. We left on a red-eye flight back to Miami and then on to San Francisco.
Students write about Russian deaf visitor
Day 10 By: Janel Schmidt & Nageena Ahmadzai
We enjoyed learning about so many environments and animals in the Amazon. Unfortunately, it was time for us to leave the rainforest. We got up around 5:00 a.m. and took our last breathtaking canoe ride all the way to the Puerto Maldonado airport. We flew from Puerto Maldonado to Lima. Upon arriving at our hotel, we took the opportunity to pack our things in preparation for the next leg of our journey. Some of us decided to give
Day 11
By: Janel Schmidt & Nageena Ahmadzai
No more South America. We arrived back in the United States of America. There were many nice houses, fast-food restaurants, and stores surrounding us again. Seeing bunches of stores left us thinking, “Wow, Americans are really spoiled! And, the trip was truly worth it.”
Mrs. Gough's American History Class
CSD-Fremont’s Outreach program staff hosted an all-day joint meeting with CSD-Riverside’s Outreach program staff to exchange ideas on how to serve deaf children and their families, school districts, and the general public. Pictured are: standing Ginny Malzkuhn, CSD Family Education Coordinator Cheryl Boyd, CSD Outreach Specialist Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, CSD Coordinator of Outreach Programs Sitting Ileana Doña, CSDR Family Education Coordinator Elizabeth Foronda, CSDR Community Relations Coordinator Barbara Morrison, CSD Community Education Coordinator Laurie Pietro, CSDR Public Information Coordinator
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June 5, 2009 | California News
Rachelle Richardson Dr. Victor Palenny came from Moscow, the capitol of Russia. He flew all the way over to the United States to share his deaf history with Americans. Isn’t it amazing to have someone volunteer to fly over 1,000 miles to spread the word about the deaf history of Russia! His presentation really inspired us. It meant a lot to the CSD students, and that goes to show how much we cherish deaf history. I learned a lot about the hidden history of Russia that I didn’t know before. Here are a couple of examples: • Deaf people were allowed to have a job during the communist rule in Russia. Then, after the communists were removed from power, deaf people had a hard time getting a job there. • Deaf Russians fought to be recognized by the people of Russia. They did not want the government to hide them away. Dr. Palenny asked the head of an organization if he could set up a program to support deaf and hard of hearing culture, but the man running the organization didn’t know what it was. When Dr. Palenny explained to them that it was similar to the Jewish situation, the man was willing to allow Dr. Palenny to have that opportunity. It was such an amazing experience talking with Dr. Palenny— communicating with him while trying to understand his language. He did a great presentation. It inspired me! I will never forget his visit to CSD. It was one of my best experiences— talking with a great man who came all the way from Russia to share his deaf history. Haznet Martinez We met a deaf man who came from Russia. I learned that American Sign Language and Russian Sign Language were different. Even though the man was deaf like me, I couldn’t understand his speech California News | June 5, 2009
because he mouthed with Russian words. I wonder if the Russian people would understand his speech even though he is deaf? I liked asking him many different questions. It was good to meet him. I enjoyed his presentation. Angel Bender Dr. Victor Palenny gave us a history presentation. He is from Russia. He’s deaf. We thought he would sign using American Sign Language, but he used gestures instead. His gestures were interesting to watch. I learned a lot from watching his presentation. I want to thank him and tell him that I was very interested in his stories. Ronnie Cuartero It was so exciting to hear from Dr. Palenny. Because of his lecture, I have started to become interested in Russia’s deaf history. Dr. Palenny explained about deaf people working in factories during the civil war. The government believed that deaf people wouldn’t be able to get an education because they couldn’t hear. After the government visited a deaf school and observed the deaf students there, they realized that deaf people could learn. Visiting the deaf school had an impact on the Russian government, big time! They decided to help deaf people with what they needed. If you want to hear more, you can see me. I will explain to you all about it. Don’t be shy, just come and see me. Brandon Dean I learned a lot of details about Russia’s history from watching Dr. Palenny’s presentation. One thing that was very interesting was that Russia had offerend Laurent Clerc a job to come and teach deaf kids in Russia, but Clerc decided to go to America with Gallaudet to found the American School for the Deaf, in Connecticut. The concept of having deaf schools then spread across America. What if
Clerc had chosen to teach the kids in Russia instead? What would it look like in America if it weren’t for Clerc? Think about it. Kayla Thomas What I learned during Dr. Palenny’s lecture was simply amazing! It was filled with stories about the rich history of the deaf Russian people. There are not enough words to explain how much history there is behind the great country of Russia. Many deaf people in Russia were oppressed during the 1900’s. They had a period of not working at all—some struggled to survive while others got work helping in the war. It was a hardship for them and I couldn’t imagine if it were me. They held secret meetings. The kids went through a period of having to wear a red scarf. They had to play music even though they couldn’t hear. Dr. Palenny’s lecutre was filled with information that I didn’t know. I definitely learned something that day when he visited our school. Chris Stubblefield I found Dr. Palenny’s lecutre fascinating because I realized America was not the only country where deaf people had experienced audism for hundreds of years. Russia’s deaf history went through similar times to what America’s deaf history has been through. Their experiences were different, but similar. Noel Oseguera I learned lots about Russian Sign Language, deaf culture, deaf rights, and deaf pride. I want to thank Dr. Palenny for being willing to come to CSD and explain to us about his background and about Russian deaf history. He is a wonderful man! And, I’d also like to thank the social studies department for asking him to come speak to us.
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These photos show how middle school staff rewarded their students for reading over 1,000 books...
in the Elementary School By Theresa Grushkin & Jennifer Hipskind
This year, April Fool’s Day fell on a Wednesday – Wacky Wednesday. It was the perfect opportunity for the elementary teachers to play the perfect prank on our students. With all teachers in agreement, we switched classrooms for one hour on the morning of April 1. Students were surprised and shocked when they walked into their classrooms and found their teachers gone and different ones in their place. All teachers ran a brief morning meeting and then did a story signing of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) “Wacky Wednesday” using the classroom SmartBoards. The students had such fun looking for all the things that had gone wacky in the pictures. After the storysigning, all the teachers went back to their normal classrooms. It was fun to have the entire elementary in on this prank! Jasmine Herrera, 5th grade: “I felt it was weird, strange, and crazy having the teachers all mixed up. Some things in the classroom were changed.” Malvana Ramborger, 4th grade: “When I walked into the classroom I felt like I was dreaming.” Adele Daniels, 5th grade: “I felt like I was in the wrong class!” Angel Lara, 4th grade: “I noticed many things in the classroom were wacky. The shoe on the ceiling, the homework on the floor, the different teachers. I knew something was different about that day.” Christopher Monroe-Hernandez, 5th grade: “I was confused because the classroom was wacky. Our rug was changed around and some posters were turned upside down. I enjoyed it. It was fun!” Omar Cisneros, 4th grade: “I noticed the ‘new teacher’ Francisca Rangel, couldn’t move her head because she was carrying her lunch on her head.” Vincent Gomez, 5th grade: “I was excited to have different teachers.” Ms. Onudeah Nicolarakis, 4th grade teacher: “I thought it was interesting to see how different classrooms are run and to see the dynamics of the students. It was definitely a wacky day!” Ms. Vanessa Sandez, 4th grade teacher: “I was so thrilled all the teachers in the department were up for the task of having a ‘Wacky Wednesday’. It was priceless to see the expressions on the 2nd graders.”
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Mrs. Theresa Grushkin, 2nd grade teacher: “It was such fun getting to play a trick on my former students. I enjoyed getting to spend time with them again. What a fun morning!”
June 5, 2009 | California News
Congratulations to the CSD elementary students who won the Marie Jean Philip ASL Storytelling, Poetry, Letter Art and Deaf Art Competition! This year marked the first year that the CSD elementary students participated in the Marie Jean Philip ASL Storytelling, Poetry, Letter Art and Deaf Art Competition. The CSD elementary teachers introduced students to the important role of Marie Jean Philip who was an early advocator and educator of ASL/English bilingual and bicultural education at the Learning Center School of the Deaf in Massachusetts. A competition bearing her name was established 12 years ago to honor the numerous contributions she made. Students from our first through fifth grade and special needs departments signed up to participate in the competition. There were four categories: letter art, ASL storytelling, ASL poetry, and Deaf art. The CSD Elementary Department hosted an in-house competition during the week of January 26-30 to determine first, second and third place finalists prior to submitting their work to the national competition in Boston, Mass. The co-coordinators of the competition were Francisca Rangel & Kelly Krzyska.
Mayte CeballosSantiago Letter Art 1st Place ages 9-12
California News | June 5, 2009
Jada Dawson Letter Art 1st Place
ages 8 and under
Brianna Dike Storytelling 2nd Place ages 9-12
Nicole Kimmerle Letter Art 1st Place
special needs
Juan LopezCastaneda Deaf Art 3rd Place
special needs
Phillip Ho Poetry 1st Place ages 9-12
Jenniferrose Jones Deaf Art 1st Place ages 9-12
Nancy Lopez-Rivera Storytelling 2nd Place
ages 8 and under
Sergio Ponce
Storytelling 1st Place special needs
.
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A Rite of Spring
Emerald Brown—a student worker in the new high school special needs “IEP Lounge”—shows off her art skills as she greets families and welcomes them to the lounge. We created the lounge as a place for families to have the opportunity to see what we do in the high school special needs department and be “wowed” by their children’s accomplishments.
James Sonabandhit and his parents speak with Joy SmithKyne, high school special needs case manager, about the services provided by the Regional Center of the East Bay. Families, interpreters, regional center case managers, LEA’s, staff, and students relaxed in the new IEP Lounge following their meetings. Photographs of students in class, in the community, and on the job were displayed throughout Portable #37, along with snacks and drinks, to let parents relish the fantastic things their children are doing at CSD.
Daysy Botello serves ice tea to Joy Smith-Kyne in the IEP Lounge. Daysy worked during IEP week in our lounge setting up and serving coffee, tea, and snacks to visiting families. 12
Each year, spring bursts forth with exciting energy. At CSD you're bound to see befuddled families trying to negotiate their way around campus, designated staff coordinators running by with armfuls of papers and blue pens, interpreters of many languages asking directions in many languages, and teachers reviewing goals and rehearsing the best ways to tell a family all the positive and challenging things happening about each student—in other words, CSD becomes a bit of a madhouse—it's called IEP Week. This year, the special needs high school department tried to soothe some of the annual craziness. In an effort to promote family communication and make things more comfortable, we morphed portable #37 into the ‘IEP Lounge.’ With large plates of brownies, muffins, fruits, and cheeses, along with thermoses of coffee, iced tea, and lemonade, student hostesses welcomed exhausted families to come in, sit down, and have a bite. Amidst the food and decorations, families were inundated by photographs of their children hard at work and school. Each special needs class was represented to show parents how we teach academic and functional concepts, using the community as our classroom, promoting independence and selfreliance. Parents saw evidence of their kids hard at work in our horticulture, auto detailing, and food preparation and food service courses. Our 15 special needs students who work offcampus were showcased on the ‘Wall of Fame.’ Photographs taken at job sites showed parents how their children interact with the world while developing successful work habits and practical job skills. Teachers and language interpreters, speaking Punjabi, Lao, ASL, and Spanish, were on hand to explain, interpret, and encourage each student as they told their parents about life at CSD. Teens commuting on public transportation, and using their ATM cards depositing paychecks at their Bank of the West accounts, teens attending Deaf Media events at the Oakland Museum, teens grocery shopping and preparing ethnic foods, teens landscaping at the Deaf Community Center, and winning awards for their work—each picture highlighted a story unique and special, and allowed parents to see pure potential hard at work. IEP Week was crazy and busy and wrought with nervous tension, but this year, the IEP Lounge provided positive respite. Special needs families left our campus relaxed, fed, and full of hope and pride. —Joy Smith-Kyne, Case Manager High School Special Needs June 5, 2009 | California News
CSD a part of a National Science Foundation Research effort
California School for the Deaf alumnus plays on NCAA team By Len Gonzales, PE Supervisor
Michael Lizarraga, California School for the Deaf alumnus, is believed to be the first deaf athlete to play in an NCAA tournament from a deaf school. He is currently on the California State University, Northridge Matadors basketball team, a member of NCAA Division 1. This year, CSUN is the Big West conference champion. The team played against one of the top-ranked teams, Memphis University. Michael's quote from San Jose Mercury Newspapers: "It's just like, 'Wow,' it's amazing I get to be here with the team and playing this tournament," Lizarraga, a sophomore forward from the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, said through an American Sign Language interpreter. "It's hard to put into words. It's the best feeling I could describe" "It's so much fun." His CSUN head coach Bobby Braswell said he's an important part of the squad. "He's really an inspiration to all of us. He does contribute. He may not contribute in games, although I would never hesitate to use him," Braswell said. "Our guys will tell you they hate to go against Mike in practice, because he goes after them. He's a necessary part of what we've done." Lizarraga, whose younger sister Natalie played this season on the CSD varsity girls basketball team, California News | June 5, 2009
said he's received lots of support from the deaf community through his page on Facebook. His sister, Natalie, was on the team who played in the NCS Division 6 girls basketball finals. Michael has improved tremendously and became stronger through hard work during the summer of 2008, according to head coach Bobby Braswell: Worked to lose weight and get in shape; has the ability to play a lot of minutes this year; is big and strong around the basket; is very tough and a bull around the basket; can score on the inside; is a solid defender; and, has an excellent chance to have a great career at Cal State Northridge. (Michael enrolled at CSUN because of the nationally renowned Deaf Studies program.) Michael was a super studentathlete at the California School for the Deaf. And, he was one of several players who only played four years of varsity at CSD. In addition to being a star on the basketball team, Michael also played football (tight end, wide receiver, quarterback) and baseball (pitcher, first baseman, outfielder). A three-time all-league player in basketball, he gained MVP league honors during his senior season in 2007, as well as gaining all-league honors (twice) in baseball!
During the week of March 9-13, a research team from Boston University came to the campus of California School for the Deaf to videotape the kindergarten classroom as part of their longitudal study on classroom interaction in ASL and English. They wanted to identify and examine the classroom interactions that they think have positive effects on language, literacy, and thinking skills. The team set up four camcorders in the classroom and filmed all day for five days. That much filming ensured that the team would be able to capture enough moments of dialogue between students and teachers to be available for analysis. Many thanks to the willing kindergarten classroom teachers, principal, staff, and student’s parents who made the research possible. The Boston University team is being led by Dr. Marlon “Lon” Kuntze along with his university students. It is a part of the larger Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2) effort: http://vl2.gallaudet.edu/. Gallaudet University received funding from the National Science Foundation then dispersed the funding to various universities throughout the country, including the University of CaliforniaDavids, Boston University, University of Illinois. The Boston University team chose California School for the Deaf as their primary research site. CSD has a college research protocol. All requests must go through the CSD research approval team. CSD has recently approved a research request from Boston University for the third grade classroom. What could be a better place to do language-related research than at CSD? —Bridgetta Bourne-Firl Supervisor of Outreach Programs 13
150th year and going strong!
Doing what's best for deaf and hard of hearing students California School for the Deaf: 1860-2010 Written by Ken Norton, Class of 1945 & Bridgetta Bourne-Firl
The California School for the Deaf (CSD) anticipates big festive celebrations for its 150th anniversary with ceremonies and events throughout the school year of 2009-2010. A Weekend of Celebrations in October 2009 Planning has begun with monthly committee meetings under the co-chairmanship of community education coordinator Barbara Morrison and alumni representative Kevin Bella. An inspiring schedule of events has already been planned for October 22–25. Alumni, current students and their parents, staff members, and friends are invited to join the weekend gala. Please note that anyone wishing to participate in the festivities needs to sign up for the events and pay registration fees. More information is available at: www.csdf. k12.ca.us The celebration will provide an opportunity for alumni to share about their school life and their collective experiences as students while celebrating 150 years of CSD’s rich history. The committee has mailed hundreds of attractive pamphlets that feature the agenda, price list for events, registration form, and Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley Hotel reservation information. If you would like a pamphlet mailed to you, please contact Barbara Morrison at: bmorrison@csdf-cde.ca.gov or call Outreach at (510) 794-3707. The weekend gala will kick off with a reception in the dining room at the school on Thursday. Then, on Friday, the Alumni Day part of the 14
event will include a school tour and museum visit. In the afternoon, participants can enjoy the student’s school-wide pep rally in the gym to inspire volleyball and football teams who will play in the traditional “Big Games” against California School for the Deaf, Riverside. In the evening, the Sports Hall of Fame Ceremony will be held in the gym to honor past outstanding athletes and coaches. The day will close with entertainment by a group of prominent actors who graduated from CSD, and a movie produced by ASLFilms (whose owner graduated from CSD). The “Big Games” will take place on Saturday. Former queens and kings, along with the current student court, will be featured in the track parade. The highlight of the weekend will be a formal banquet at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday evening. Class reunions will be arranged by the individual classes on Sunday (to be held on or off campus). Registration Updates and Hotel Information To date, we have over 600 registrants who have signed up for the early bird combo special which was sold out; however, there is still space to sign up for some of the individual events. The public is invited to attend the pre-celebration reception on Thursday evening; entertainment on Friday evening; and homecoming games on Saturday. Contact the Outreach Division at California School for the Deaf or visit the school online for a registration form.
The Foothill Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame banquet for Friday evening and the formal banquet on Saturday evening have sold out. There are no more seats available to the public. To reserve lodging at Fremont Marriott Silicon Valley, 46100 Landing Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538. You need go to: www.marriott.com/sjcfm There is a conference rate of $69. Our group code is CSDCSDA. A Historic Overview of California School for the Deaf On May 1,1860, a rented home in San Francisco became the first site for the California School for the Deaf campus, with Theophilus d’Estrella, the first of three students. In 1869,the school moved to the foothills of Berkeley. During a windstorm on January 17, 1875, the Berkeley school—only six years old at that time—was destroyed by fire. In 1885, Principal Warring Wilkinson published the Daily News, the school’s first newspaper that is now The California News. In 1980, the school was moved to Fremont due to an earthquake fault under the Berkeley campus. The Fremont campus has transformed into a beautiful environment for deaf children and their families. With 80% of CSD graduates transferring to colleges and universities, CSD proves to be one of the finest educational opportunities available to deaf and hard of hearing school-aged children in California. During the 2009-2010 school year, CSD will enter into its 150th year of existence! June 5, 2009 | California News
Anyone wanting to learn more about the school’s history, Ken Norton will be available for interviews. Please contact Barbara Morrison to make arrangements. American Sign Language In Use for 150 Years In spite of a myriad of educational philosophies and approaches over the years—including Oralism, Total Communication, the Rochester Method, Simulantenous Communication, and Signing Exact English—American Sign Language (ASL) has been at the heart of CSD since 1860 when the school was founded. The first teacher was deaf and used sign language to communicate with the first students. Principal Warring Wilkinson, who reined over CSD for 44 long years, was a proficient signer. According to Ken Norton’s historic book on CSD, “Dr. Wilkinson surpassed himself in the exhibition of his mastery of sign language while addressing the Association.” Interestingly enough, historically, the language used among deaf people did not have the name that we use today: American Sign Language (ASL); it used to be called “Ameslan.” Ken Norton explained, “In the 1900s, my parents used sign language all the time at CSD, but they also took lip reading and speech lessons at the school. The Rochester Method was never rigidly used, but the students, at that time, did fingerspell often as a part of their conversation.” About California School for the Deaf The California School for the Deaf has an international reputation for its high quality educational program. CSD is a fully accredited, statefunded school for deaf and hard of hearing students who live in Northern California. The school also provides services to families with deaf children. Please contact the school at (510) 794-3707 for further information or visit the student-produced website: www.csdf.k12.ca.us California News | June 5, 2009
Career Center News Transition Planning The Career Center’s primary focus is on getting our students planning for their transition after graduation. People often wonder what is meant by transition planning. Transition is about planning for life! It includes: • Planning for after-graduation training which can be either academic or vocational • Learning opportunities • Employment • Choices about where to live in the community • Long term career planning • What to do for fun and socialization • Knowing how and where to get help The Career Center’s program offers learning opportunities for our students through: • Career awareness classes • Career exploration class • Senior seminar • Work experience • Job placement • Work Readiness Program • Career counseling • Department of Rehabilitation The most important part in making sure that a successful transition plan takes place begins and ends with the involvement of parents, guardians, and families.
Career Center Information Highway
Our findings have shown students have a better chance of having a successful transition plan with parents, guardians, or families who have: • Been actively involved in their child’s transition planning from the beginning • A complete understanding of their child’s transition plan • A complete understanding of what is required for their child to achieve the plan • Knowledge of what resources are available to help them with the plan • Made a commitment to support and follow through with the plan It is never too early to start talking with your child about their ideas on what they want to do when they grow up. Talking about their likes, dislikes, different types of jobs, why working is important, giving them chores and responsibilities, and teaching them to do things independently are just a few of the many things you can do to get started. Talk with a career counselor at our school on how you can become more involved in the most important part of your child’s future, transition planning! Steve Orman, M.S. Career Center / Transition Supervisor
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www.csdf.k12.ca.us ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
California School for the Deaf 150th Anniversary Celebration
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Fremont, CA Permit No. 14
To:
October 22-25, 2009
“A school that teaches children to think” California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive Fremont, CA 94538
High School Graduation
June 12 3:00 PM Big Gym
You are invited!
Middle School Promotion June 11 1:00 PM Little Theatre
Elementary End of Year Ceremony June 11 10:30 AM Little Theatre
Early Childhood Education Children's Celebration June 11 8:30 AM ECE Playground
California School for the Deaf 39350 Gallaudet Drive Fremont, CA 94538