WI Times Summer 2009 Vol. CXXX No. 4

Page 1


The

Wisconsin Times

Editorial Staff Consultant: Alex H. Slappey Coeditors: Bill Wilson and Karen DeFalco Sports Editor: Chris Woodfill Circulation Manager: Therese Pohl-Markowitz Photographer: Rebecca Epple Reporters: , Maryann Barnett, Peg Stachowiak, and Jennifer VanDerMolen Volunteer Copy Editor: Eleanor Wilson Cover Design: Bill Wilson

Wisconsin School for the Deaf The school is part of the Department of Public Instruction, Division for Learning Services: Equity and Advocacy. As such, its goals are the same as those set forth by the department for all youth in the state. The school serves as a first-line alternative placement option for parents and school systems seeking appropriate programming for children and youth that are deaf or hard of hearing. The students are provided a comprehensive academic, vocational, and social education learning environment, uniquely programmed for a personalized education in both a day school and residential setting. As a part of the free public school system of the state, no charge is made for room, board, tuition, and concomitant activities. Admission criteria are established by law (s. 115.52, WI Stats.) and require local district referral. Such local district referrals are then evaluated by the school for appropriateness, leading to acceptance or alternative recommendations. In recognition of individual integrity, the mission of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf is to provide an American Sign Language environment to promote excellence in the development of deaf and hard of hearing children in all areas of life through the use of ASL and English. The mission is accomplished with the belief that, for most deaf children, ASL is the accessible, dominant language used for communication and thinking, while English, a spoken and written language, is learned as a second language. For some deaf and hard of hearing students who have previously acquired English, ASL is learned as a second language. The Wisconsin School for the Deaf strives to foster competencies in these two languages as well as to develop cross-cultural sensitivity among the entire student body. Preschool programs are offered for local children under the age of six on a day-school basis. Regular academics provide normal and unique curricula from grades one through 12. An extensive pre- and vocational training program is provided as part of the total grade 7-12 curriculum. The social education program for residential students is a continuous informal and formal program developing self-management and social living skills through child care counselors, facilities and numerous school related organizations and activities. For further information, write to: Director, Wisconsin School for the Deaf, 309 W. Walworth Avenue, Delavan, WI 53115.

Nick Johnson, physical therapy assistant Tonyia Fulton, and Agel Aslani enjoy the fun and games at the OT/PT picnic. Full story on page 8.

The State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Evers, State Superintendent Michael Thompson, Deputy State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor, Assistant State Superintendent Division of Learning Support: Equity and Advocacy Dr. Stephanie Petska, Director, Special Education

Wisconsin School for the Deaf Alex Slappey, Director The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and WSD are equal opportunity employers functioning under an Affirmative Action Plan.

- The Wisconsin Times


So Many Good Memories by Brandon McCarty, Salutatorian

Welcome to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf. Thanks for coming here to watch us graduate. Thanks to our honored guests Stephanie Petska, Carolyn Stanford-Taylor, Dr. Glenn Anderson, Alex Slappey, Marla Walsh, and Connie Gartner. Also, I want to thank my parents, Anthony and Leann McCarty, and my sister Nicole for helping me celebrate graduation. My family has really helped me and taught me to become successful. I feel ready to step into the real world. It is really hard to choose a best memory or funniest story to share with you today. I have so many good memories of my school years. My classmates have been very important in making this moment special, because they positively influenced me as friends, and our friendships will always continue. I feel that we are brothers and sisters. I have enjoyed great times socializing with my friends and teachers. One of my classmates, Denton Mallas, helped me a lot with educational things. We really respect each other and have become very close friends. Our entire class has become very close friends. I am really happy and so proud to be recognized as the WSD Class of 2009 Salutatorian. I really thank the WSD staff for awarding me this honor. WSD staff dedication to students has been shown through their years of support. Dorm staff provided a nurturing family environment; school staff provided education that prepared us for the future.Our health, hunger, and campus facilities have all been cared for by various school staff. I personally give special thanks to Leslie Eldred, because she has helped me with college planning and real life knowledge. Leslie has been a great deaf role model for me. I also thank my family, especially my mother, because she learned sign language to communicate with me and to help me. She always shows me her love. My sister has always been a real support, too! She interprets for me with her friends or other hearing people so I am socially included in other environments. I truly love my family. I can’t believe we are graduating today. The time has passed very quickly! I remember being freshmen, and suddenly today we are seniors and graduating from WSD. Each of us in the Class of 2009 has future plans, and I will be going to NTID [National Technical Institute for the Deaf] to major in architecture for four years. I hope all members of the Class of 2009 will achieve their goals and experience great success. We must all keep in touch with each other after graduation. Again, I welcome all of you to our graduation today. Thank you for supporting and teaching us through all these years and for being with us today as we step into the future.

Summer 2009 - 3


Elementary School News by Peg Stachowiak

Elementary Graduation 2009 Elementary principal Connie Gartner welcomed parents, staff, and students to the annual Elementary Awards and fifth grade graduation ceremony on Thursday morning, June 11, in the Round Room. This year no student had perfect attendance. Only one student, Malia Christenson, was on the Honor Roll all four quarters. However, there were students who received the BUG (bringing up grades) Award: Ben Beyer, Alex Kronforst, Katelyn Miller, Daniel Orizaba, and Briana Robertson. Students were thanked by program assistant Patty Gustafson for helping her every morning by bringing the attendance forms. Gym teacher Mike Eldred was proud of his students and presented Physical Fitness Awards to deserving athletes. Dorm child care counselor Dan Natalie gave

fourth grader Alex Kronforst the Most Improved Award. Fifth grader Katelyn Miller received the Most Outstanding Award for her friendly, cooperative attitude. In place of art teacher Susan Dupor, who is on maternity leave, Kathryn Harbison presented third grader Dakota Kangas with a plaque and backpack. He won first place in the nation for the Marie Jean Philip Art Contest. The Walworth Count Arts Council picked a student from each grade for outstanding art work. The chosen students were kindergartener T. J. Carroll, first grader Maddie Bongard, second grader Anthony Boles, third grader Skyla Meyer, fourth grader Briana Robertson, fifth grader Katelyn Miller, and AED student Andy Coppola.

Dianne Armato presented Marie Jean Philip ASL contest awards to deserving students for their poetry, storytelling, and ABC stories. Teacher assistant Pam Filak gave the Green Vegetable Award to T. J. Carrol for being the most improved student willing to try new vegetables at lunch. - The Wisconsin Times


WSD guidance counselor Leslie Eldred was the graduation speaker. She encouraged the students to do their best and make middle school a good learning experience. Finally, fifth graders received their diplomas from proud staff.

Elementary Scrappers Upper elementary students have recently had a crash course in scrapbooking. Teacher Amber Havers had attended a card-making session with some fellow WSD staff members. She was instantly hooked and brought the ideas back to her classroom. Media services coordinator Merryann Wen made a 20-page blank book for each student when they came to the media room to watch the binding and laminating processes. Ms. Wen showed the students the many die-cuts made in the media room, including images of sports balls and holiday shapes. Many of these die-cuts were later seen throughout the students’ scrapbooks. Back in the classroom, students enjoyed going through the hundreds of photos Ms. Havers had taken over the course of this past school year. Each one chose and printed those photos they wanted to use in their scrapbooks. Ms. Havers provided many stickers and background papers. Students used markers to journal photos. Teacher Mike Coates commented, “This has really been a huge language lesson as the students remembered each of the events in the photos and wrote about them.” The students did not realize that this was schoolwork and were so enthralled that many had hoped to opt out of a ceremony or two and scrapbook instead! Ms. Havers allowed them to work on this project throughout the entire block time, plus additional time during the last days of school. Daniel Orizaba said that this project was fun, and his favorite photo was taken during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Classmate Rose (Halina) Kangas’s favorite was the recent graduation pictures taken as her class advanced into middle school. Katie Miller could not decide on one favorite, as she proudly displayed pictures from Halloween, Christmas, and the St. Valentines Day dance. She added that she plans to make another book on her own next year. Ben Beyer’s favorite photo was from the last week in school, during the OT/PT Reward Day. The photo shows Ben covered in shaving cream. Ben says he will share the book with his mom. Alex Kronforst will also show his mom. His favorite photo was during a tug-ofwar game at an Old World Wisconsin field trip. Ms. Havers has also had the class working on a group/class book for the school year to be kept in the classroom. What a fun way to end the school year, remembering the many activities and events that occurred and writing about them.

Summer 2009 -


The Red Carpet is Out for Something Worth Sharing and Celebrating! A Red Carpet Event was held on June 15 for a DVD that WSD developed with grant funds. The DVD is about how to provide appropriate interpreting services and the importance of doing so. Actually, WSD wrote a workshop for service providers, for example, those who work in law enforcement, human services, and the medical field. The DVD is the main part of the workshop and is designed to help providers think about and discuss important issues related to providing equal access. The workshop is called Culturally Affirmative Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals. Most of the individuals who acted in the DVD were WSD staff and students, or interpreters from Professional Interpreting Enterprise or Interpreting Solutions, Inc. The content of the film was developed by the WSD Pupil Service Team, WSD interpreters, and professionals in the state who work with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. WSD worked with Kurt Denissen Productions, Inc. for the filming and production of the DVD. The filming of the DVD took place in Huff Hall in 2006. The purpose of the Red Carpet Event was to share the DVD with those who participated, as well as with WSD staff, and to celebrate its completion. The event was well attended and the audience enjoyed watching the film, watching the bloopers, and hearing about the workshop. One WSD staff member wrote afterward: “I am going to be honest with you. At first I did not want to come to the ‘red carpet event’ because I had so much work to do in my area, but I went thinking I would only stay a short time. I ended up staying for the entire presentation. The end result of all your work was so good! I think this DVD, and your trainings that go with it, will enlighten so many people with appropriate accessibility for the deaf. Very educational and enlightening. I just thought it was a great job! I am impressed! It only takes a spark to get a fire going. Congratulations you spark plugs on a job well done!”

6 - The Wisconsin Times


Funding for this DVD was made possible, in part, by a Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and funding was made available by the Wisconsin Department of Health And Family Services and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction through a grant to the Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County (MHA). Professional Interpreting Enterprise (PIE) and ISI Interpreting Solutions, Inc. (ISI) both provided very generous amounts of donated interpreting services for both on-screen and behind-the-scenes interpreting.

There is a reason why WSD chose to use part of the suicide prevention grant it received to develop a workshop DVD and presenters’ guide for training service providers about getting interpreters. This is because barriers to health-care services and barriers to mental health-care services put individuals at more of a risk for suicide. Access to these services gives individuals additional protection against suicide. WSD will share these workshop materials with other professionals that work with deaf and hard of hearing individuals, so that this training can reach providers from various communities across the nation.

WSD is currently in the process of filming a suicide prevention film specifically for deaf and hard of hearing youth, which will teach them how to recognize warning signs of suicide in themselves and others, and what to do. This DVD will be used by many schools that have deaf and hard of hearing students as well as at WSD. Once this second DVD is edited and produced, another exciting Red Carpet Event will be held. Summer 2009- 7


OT/PT Picnic and Play Day Tuesday, June 9, began cloudy and overcast. Preparations had been made for an all-day picnic outside of Kastner Hall. Luckily for this group, the clouds moved and the sun came out—sun block needed to be applied! The WSD Occupational and Physical Therapy Departments had planned for this day for weeks. Original plans included using the Kastner Hall pool, which the departments utilize every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday throughout the school year. However, the pool was drained at the end of May, forcing a change in plans. Physical therapists include Anne Lenichek, and Tonyia Fulton. Occupational therapists include Julia McKagan, Tricia Rasch, and Tammie DeMicco. All students who participate in the aquatics classes were invited. This included Ginger Aleksinski, Rene Ambrose, and Deb Bones’s classes plus staff. Then when an upper elementary trip was canceled, the rest of Amber Havers, Mike Coates’s, and Peg Stachowiak’s classes were invited. This made a lot of students. These four therapists (Tammie was out on leave) planned for an entire day of fun for all. The morning began with the large group understanding only one rule for the day—cooperation. That was it. Next, the students were grouped into four teams. One team went with Anne Lenichek to make paint bubbles and to create either a bookmark or greeting card with the paint bubbles. This is one of those messy projects most moms and teachers avoid. It was colorful and indeed messy with many beautiful items left to dry until dismissal. Tonyia Fulton had another team on the basketball court. Not only did the students practice dribbling and free throws, but they used a parachute and Nerf balls to play a variety of games. Julia McKagan had a craft table under the covered porch of Kastner. She had plastic lacing that students beaded and knotted to make bracelets. There were also hand shapes made of foam that students decorated using glue and puff paints. Most chose an “ILY” (I love you) shape to take home. Tricia Rasch had the fourth group hold hands and use hula hoops to encourage movement and cooperation. Students also tried to keep the hula hoops on their hips. At this station, students also made themselves a snack bag for morning break. Choices included Skittles and raisins, peanuts, cheese crackers, candies, pretzels, and popcorn. The four groups rotated at each therapist every 30 minutes. By 11:00 a.m. all were ready for their snack and a break. Rene Ambrose, Mike Coates, and Tonyia Fulton fired up the barbeque grills while Tricia and Anne led the students in a series of obstacles involving therapy skills and relay activities. There were scooters and balls and Frisbees, and hopping and lots of cheering. The net on a pole used to catch large Nerf balls was a favorite relay. Just as most could smell the hamburgers and hot dogs, two visitors from Janesville arrived to join the group for lunch and the afternoon. Rene Ambrose and Anne Lenichek, as well as Tammie DeMicco, work with two boys from the Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI) at the WSD campus. The boys were invited to participate in this end-of-the-year party. One, in particular, loved the food, and the other was very attached to Rene, who signed in his hand and guided him in the afternoon activities. Following a huge meal including watermelon, grapes, salads, veggies, chips, lemonade, and the barbeque, one would think a rest or nap would be in order—but not with these therapists! The afternoon included a picnic table covered in plastic and shaving cream. It also included an egg toss, lemon race, water balloon toss, limbo, more obstacle relays, and a “Slip and Slide.” The sun cooperated and warmed the air. The students were ready for a wet activity or two, and Tonyia connected with the Power House to ensure water and a hose. - The Wisconsin Times


Middle/High School News by Maryann Barnett and Jennifer VanDerMolen

Middle School Graduation

Summer 2009 -


Graduation of the

Class of 2009

10 - The Wisconsin Times


Summer 2009 - 11




To conclude the unit on World Cooking, Karen Defalco’s foods class went out for a traditional Japanese meal on Monday, June 8, 2009. Four students and the teacher traveled to Yoshi in Delavan for lunch. Students Cody Gannon, Ruth James, Jose Castillo, and Christopher Sweeney sat around the hibachi and watched as Simon prepared their meal. Simon began by juggling the tools. He added oil to the grill, and a huge amount of rice was set to the side. Next he broke an egg, dropped the yolk to the grill, and tossed the eggshell upward, catching it inside his chef hat. He mixed the egg with the rice then placed a portion

on each plate. Vegetables were cooked next, followed by the chicken. Because Mrs. Defalco asked, Simon made an “onion volcano” by separating the onion rings to making the cone shape, placed oil on the inside, and used a flame to start the volcano effect. In addition, the group enjoyed a tossed salad with traditional ginger dressing or mushroom soup with pieces of tempura. Chris Sweeney asked about the soup ingredients, while Jose and Ruth both enjoyed the salads. Mrs. Defalco offered tea to anyone who wanted to try it, but the students only tasted the tea and chose water as their beverage. The students engaged in a conversation with Simon, who comes from China but is trained in Japanese cooking. Simon asked many questions about deafness and WSD, and the students answered all of them.

Happy Anniversary Milton and Joy Lee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on June 14 at the Evergreen Golf and Country Club in Elkhorn, WI. Family and many friends including former WSD teacher John Kaleta, who flew in from Florida for the day, celebrated with the Lees. Both Milton and Joy were graduates of WSD. They were long-time employees at the school where Milton worked as a physical education teacher and Joy worked as a teacher assistant.

14 - The Wisconsin Times


Muse’s Corner

The Changing Clouds By Jon Foreman

The Passion of the Sky The Clouds feel a tragic sorrow Because of their rivalry with the sun The wind makes scathing comments upon the clouds Changing them into dull drab wisps

The clouds were dark and dull. I walked outside. The wind blew me hard. The clouds were mad at me. I ran. But then the clouds changed to gray and blue. I saw a sponge cloud very gray. I saw a cloud smile and then it was gone to become blue sky. I was happy. Until today the clouds changed And it rained again.

Without the passion of the sun

By: Ruth James

The Feral Beast By Brandon Edquist

A Pencil By: Bethany Miles

In field of thousands men Where they lay motionless There stood a feral beast All Powerful No instrument of war can penetrate his flesh Nor of this world can destroy him

Lying there on the table With blunt end The lead waiting to be used It blackness writing on white Making the language alive Summer Summer2009 2009- 15 - 15


The Midwest Regional Academic Bowl at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf On February 26–March 1, 2009, the Wisconsin School for the Deaf (WSD) hosted the Midwest Regional Academic Bowl at its campus. Sixteen teams of deaf and hard of hearing students, 12 teams from deaf residential schools and 4 teams from mainstreamed schools from all over the Midwest, were involved in competing with each other. Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. sponsors this academic competition. The purpose of this competition is to promote academic excellence among deaf and hard of hearing students. Another important part of Academic Bowl life for deaf and hard of hearing students is to spend together, seeing old friends and making new ones. This wonderful academic and social event happens annually, in five regional Academic Bowls at various hosting schools across the country, with a final competition held in Washington, D.C. at Gallaudet University. Students and their coaches always look forward to the competition.

of the final matches, but they did a great job with several competitive matches. All 16 teams were winners in the sense of participation. For more information on the Academic Bowl visit this Web site, http://ab.gallaudet.edu/. The entertainment and social opportunities for players and coaches outside of the actual matches included meals together, a magic show, and a disc-jockey dance. Both Gallaudet University and the visiting schools complimented WSD for our hospitality and told us how at home they felt.

Many WSD staff, who had never seen what an Academic Bowl is like, found that it is a truly enlightening event. The Academic This year’s Midwest competition, held at WSD, had two pools, a blue and a buff Bowl is also an important part of students’ pool, consisting of 8 teams each for a total of 16 teams. The teams within each pool school career and social life. competed among themselves for seven matches. The second-place teams from each pool competed in an additional match for the honor of third place. The last match of the Midwest competition is the championship match and determines which of the first-place teams from each pool compete for first place overall, the loser taking second place. First place went to Indiana School for the Deaf; second place, Minnesota North Star High School; third place, Michigan School for the Deaf; and fourth place, Ohio School for the Deaf. Our Wisconsin School for the Deaf players did not make it into either

16 - The Wisconsin Times


WSD’s 2009 Academic Bowl Team: Brandon Edquist of Twin Lakes (junior) Patrick Jennison of Lake Geneva (junior) Denton Mallas of South Milwaukee (senior) Brandon McCarty of Lake Geneva (senior) Paul Silvasi of Racine (senior) Coach: Kathryn Harbison

Summer 2009 - 17


FIREBIRD SPORTS by Chris Woodfill

Spring Sports Boys Track JV Indoor Meet During this meet, WSD boys performed well. The WSD 3200 relay finished first with the time of 10:40.15. Carlos Desarden got first in the 200-meter dash with the time of 25.84. Justin Toles finished first in the 3200 run with the time of 13:23.11.

Stefan Jaeger finished first in the 110 high hurdles with the time of 20.84. Carlos Desarden finished first in the 100-meter dash with the time of 12.46. Paul Drymalski finished first in the 1600meter run with the time of 5:47.64 and in the 3200-meter run with the time of 12:55.98. Jose Castillo finished first in triple jump with the distance of 31’11”.

Fort Atkinson Meet WSD finished behind Fort Atkinson and Edgerton. The WSD 3200 relay team consisting of Dylan Laux, Travis Waala, Justin Toles, and Paul Drymalski finished first with the time of 10:21.20. Stefan Jaeger placed second in the 300 intermediate hurdles with the time of 52.00. Carlos Desarden placed second in the 200-meter dash with the time of 26.4.

Cambridge Blue Jay Invitatinal WSD had a challenging experience in this invite with only one boy finishing in the top three in any event. Tony Davis finished second in shot put with the distance of 38 feet. This achievement alone accounted for eight of WSD’s 17 points earned in this meet.

WSD Meet WSD finished behind Alden Hebron but ahead of Norris in this meet. WSD finished first in the 3200 relay with the time of 10:36.00 and the 800 relay with the time of 1:47.90. 18 - The Wisconsin Times

Berg/Seeger Classic WSD placed fourth behind California-Fremont, Texas Deaf, and Maryland Deaf ,but ahead of Model Deaf and California-Riverside, in that order. Stefan Jaeger earned second in the 110-meter hurdles with the time of 18.46 and third in the 300-meter hurdles


with the time of 46.74. Patrick Jennison finished second in shot put with the distance of 39’1”. Brandon McCarty finished second in discus throw with the distance of 102’9”. Jose Castillo placed third in the 110-meter hurdles with the time of 19.52. Denton Mallas earned third place in the 400-meter dash with the time of 56.78. Paul Drymalski finished third in the 800-meter run with the time of 2:14.99 and in the 3200-meter run with the time of 11:37.20.

WSD vs. DDHS WSD finished behind DDHS by only four points. Jose Castillo finished first in the 110 hurdles with the time of 19.03. Carlos Desarden finished first in the 100-meter dash with the time of 11.78 and in the 400-meter dash with the time of 1:01.30. Patrick Jennison finished first in shot put with the distance of 40’7” and in discus with the distance of 106’7”. Travis Waala finished first in the 3200-meter run with the time of 12:43.43.

GPSD Tournament: First Place Out of 7 Teams WSD dominated this tournament, far outpacing the second-place finisher, Missouri Deaf, by about 40 points. Carlos Desarden finished first in long jump with the distance of 18’41/2”. Patrick Jennison finished first in discus with the distance of 107’3/4” and in shot put with the distance of 42’8”. Stefan Jaeger finished first in 110-meter hurdles with the time of 18.28. Paul Drymalski finished first in the 800-meter run with the time of 2:17.63.

Deerfield Mini-Invitational WSD struggled in this mini-invite. Patrick Jennison was the only player on the WSD team to finish in the top three. He earned third place in shot put with the distance of 39’1”.

ITC Tournament WSD struggled somewhat in this tournament, finishing in the middle of the pack. Stefan Jaeger finished first in 110-meter hurdles with the time of 17.92. Justin Toles earned third in the 3200-meter run with the time of 12:11.27. Patrick Jennison earned second place in discus with the distance of 109’4” and in shot put with the distance of 39’6”. Brandon McCarty placed third in discus with the distance of 104’71/2”. Elkhorn Mini-Invitational: Fourth Out of 4 Teams WSD closed out the season with a last-place finish. Carlos Desarden earned second place in the 100-meter dash with the time of 11.80 and third in the 200-meter dash with the time of 25.50. Paul Drymalski placed second in the 800-meter run with the time of 2:19.50. Travis Waala finished third in the 3200-meter run with the time of 12:49.20. Patrick Jennison finished third in shot put with the distance of 38’7”. Summer 2009 - 19


WIAA Division 3 Regional Patrick Jennison and Brandon McCarty advanced to the sectionals. Patrick finished second in shot put with the distance of 39’101/2”. Brandon finished third in discus with the distance of 118’5”. WIAA Sectional WSD boys ended their track season with both Patrick Jennison and Brandon McCarty placing 15th in their respective events. Patrick threw for 38’113/4” in shot put. Brandon threw for 105’10” in discus.

Girls Track

Deerfield Mini-Invitational WSD struggled in this mini-invite. Shaniquia Felton finished first in long jump with the distance of 12’4”. Ashley Wagner earned third place in 100-meter hurdles with the time of 20.89. Those two events are the only events that WSD finished in the top three.

WSD vs. DDHS

JV Indoor Meet During this meet, WSD girls struggled somewhat, with not one girl finishing first or second in any events. However, Maydee Vande Hey did finish third in two events, the long jump with 13’4”, and the 400-meter dash with the time of 1:11.30.

Fort Atkinson Meet WSD finished behind Fort Atkinson and Edgerton. Maydee Vande Hey finished second in the 200-meter dash with the time of 30.7 and third in the 100-meter dash with the time of 14.3.

WSD Meet WSD finished behind Alden Hebron by 6 points in this meet. Ruth James placed first in discus with the distance of 60’7”. Maydee Vande Hey finished first in the 400-meter run with the time of 1:12.16. Ashley Wagner placed first in shot put with the distance of 25’61/2”. Gabriella Beyer placed fist in triple jump with the distance of 23’2”.

Berg/Seeger Classic: Fifth Place Out of 9 Teams WSD finished behind Maryland Deaf, Texas Deaf, Model Deaf, and Oklahoma Deaf but ahead of California-Fremont, California-Riverside, McNeil High, and Bingham High. Ashley finished third in shot put with the distance of 24’4”. No one else finished in the top three. 20 - The Wisconsin Times

WSD lagged far behind DDHS in this match. Ashley Wagner earned first in 100 hurdles with the time of 20.54 and high jump with the height of 3’8”. Those are the only first-place finishes in the meet between WSD and DDHS.

GPSD Tournament WSD struggled mightily in this tournament, tying for the last place with Missouri Deaf. Ashley Wagner was the only player to finish in the top three, earning third place in high jump with the height of 4’0”.


ITC Tournament WSD finished last in the pack. Ashley Wagner placed third in the 100-meter hurdle with the time of 19.88 and in shot put with the distance of 24’10�. Ashley was the only one who placed anywhere in the top three in this tournament.

Elkhorn Mini-Invitational In the last meet of the season, WSD closed out with a last-place finish. Not a single player finished anywhere near top three.

Special Olympics

Summer 2009 - 21


Middle School Track and Field

22 - The Wisconsin Times


Dreams Can Become Reality By Denton Mallas, Valedictorian To the Class of 2009, we have made it! It has been a heck of a journey, but it was rewarding! Here we are now graduating from high school! Time flew by so fast in 4 years, no 13 years from kindergarten to senior. We have made so many memories together, like the first day at WSD, the day you made your first deaf friend, winning national championships in football and basketball, days we wished it would never end, days we wished it would never have begun, classes we loved and hated, and teachers we loved and hated. All of these things have shaped us into who we are today, and they will stay with us for the rest of our lives. On behalf of the 2009 Class, we thank our families and all who have helped to get us to where we are today. To my own family and friends, I could never have succeeded without your unconditional love and support. We must never forget who helped us through our high school years. Also I would like to say thank you to WSD Staff, CCCs, teachers, and administration for continuing to support us and pushing us to continue to be successful. Families and school have worked together to ensure we will be successful and make this world a better place to live in. We also appreciate Carolyn Stanford Taylor, Stephanie Petska, and Dr. Glenn Anderson for being here to celebrate our special day. Some say high school graduations are described as a door closing on the past behind us, our past being shut in a closet, only to be reopened in reminiscent moments that are few and far between. But the way I look at it is a high school graduation is described as our door opening up new paths and doors ahead of us. We can make a difference in this world because we all are amazing and capable individuals. We all have dreams and we want them to come true. Please continue on to pursue your dreams and never give up on them. Dreams can become reality if you are passionate and very determined. If you fail, then keep on trying until you are successful. Thomas Edison failed so many times, but it led him to success. It took him more than 2,000 tests to find the right filament for the light bulb. So, never give up on your dreams. My fellow classmates, as we walk out of the doors, new paths open up for us. We will be faced with many choices to make. We will face hardships, but our lives will also be filled with fun times and wonderful moments. We control our own destiny and we should embrace our future, because it’s very bright for us. My final words are a quote we have heard nearly every day, “Add life to years, not years to life.” I am very pleased to graduate with the WSD Class of 2009! Congratulations, and good luck!

Summer 2009 - 23



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