The cars lined up for the 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony at PDSD on Aug. 14. Principal Courtney and the staff gathered to help celebrate the 8th graders becoming PDSD High School Freshmen!
#ASDB#PDSD#Congratulations#Celebration#Promotion#HighSchool
By Hannah Tiede| August 18, 2020 at 11:40 AM MST – Updated August 18 at 11:40 AM
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – Schools across Pima County are starting classes remotely, but what if your child cannot hear? Or see? Or both? This adds a whole new set of obstacles to an already challenging school year.
The Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind in Tucson says it’s not letting anything get in the way of education.
“Unlike other schools in Tucson, we serve students across the state,” said Principal Kelly Creasy. “As far as Tuba City, Yuma, Page.”
On Monday, transportation employees drove across Arizona, delivering school supplies to 116 students.
“Every tote that we are sending out to students is really specifically catered to their needs,” said Creasy. “We have been looking at the Governor’s order, looking at the local health officials and just talking to everyone involved. A lot of our kids have underlying health conditions so that played a role in our decision making.”
Classes will remain online at least until October in accordance with the recommendations from Pima County health officials.
Teachers like Latrina Lewis are already feeling a void in their students’ absence.
“Oh, tremendously!” Lewis signed. “I miss seeing them in person, yes.”
On Tuesday, August 18th, Lewis will log onto Zoom for the first day of class.
“I will be videotaping myself in sign language, letting them know the instructions, our schedule,” she signed.
Students with hearing impairments were sent a Chromebook.
“[And our blind students] use braille NoteTouches, which is a braille device almost like a laptop,” Creasy said.
The principal says students who are both deaf and blind face additional hurtles with remote learning.
“That’s where it gets a little trickier and that’s where we really count on working with parents,” Creasy said.
She adds it won’t be forever.
“Our goal is to have our students on campus,” said Creasy. “That’s really what we wanted right from the get-go. So, as soon as it’s safe to do so, that’s our plan.”
We are thrilled to announce that our very own Jessica Madsen was named Ron Clark Academy House Ambassador of the Year!Congratulations Jessica!!
Alt-text: Attached are three images. The first image is of Jessica wearing a bright green headband with green yarn puffs on the top. She is wearing a green shirt that reads “Team Cogswell”. She is smiling and holding her hands in the ASL sign Dragonfly.
By Megan McNeil| August 4, 2020 at 7:03 PM MST – Updated August 4 at 7:03 PM
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) – Personal protection equipment like gloves and masks has been essential in helping slow the spread of COVID-19. It’s also been difficult for many—including government agencies to get a hold of. Now that supply chains are flowing again, Pima County is distributing PPE across the county for organizations, businesses, health care providers of all kinds and now schools.
Set up specifically to handle distribution of PPE during the pandemic, a warehouse in Pima County is stocked with supplies—for now.
“Everything we get in, we immediately push out,” said Krista Romero-Cardenas, Logistics Deputy Chief for Pima County Health Department’s emergency management team.
The National Guard and PCHD workers distribute PPE to those organizations that need it and are eligible for help from the county. Tuesday, charter and private schools picked up their allotted supplies—based on staffing levels. Districts received their allotment Friday. The Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind recently got their PPE.
“Things are very tight,” said Maria Murphy, Director of Policy and Government Relations for ASDB. “There are budget cuts at the state level, so anything that Pima County or other organizations can do to help is a huge, huge assistance to us.”
ASDB got a little more than $3,000 worth of PPE. Schools are getting supplies like masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and signage to hand in hallways. In all, the county is using about $167,000 dollars of CARES ACT funding to supply schools with PPE—an initiative that’s grown out of demand.
“It’s been a journey of adapting,” said Romero-Cardenas.
Earlier this year our school hosted the Braille Institute’s #BrailleChallenge. Many of our students worked hard in the competition and won awards. Two of our students made it all the way to the Braille Challenge 2020 FINALS!We wanted to congratulate our two finalists from the ASDB Tucson Campus!Ciara Peterson competed in the Junior Varsity category and Joey Parra competed in the Varsity category. We are so proud of you both for all of your hard work!Way to go Sentinels!
Alt-text: attached is an image, it has the braille challenge logo at the top which consists of 6 dots all different colors, and text that reads “Braille Challenge”. the rest of the image reads: Congratulations for making it to the 2020 finals” On the left and right sides of the image are photos of Ciara and Joey during the challenge with their braille writers, wearing blue Braille Challenge face masks. The ASDB logo is at the bottom.
#ASDB#Tucson#Blind#VisuallyImpaired#Finalists#Congrats#GreatJob#BrailleInstitue#KeepCalmAndBrailleOn#Sentinels#Academic#Achievements
A sea of Cardinals’ red stormed the bleachers of the Phoenix Day School for the Deaf basketball court on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018. Students clutched homemade-signs and footballs, wiggling in their seats in anticipation to meet Arizona Cardinals’ Fullback Derrick Coleman, the first and only legally Deaf offensive player in the NFL.
The drumming of a large bass suddenly reverberated throughout the bleachers as cheers erupted in excitement. It’s an entrance Coleman has been accustomed to each time he walks onto a football field. But this time it’s different because the crowd cheering is just like him. They waved their open hands in the air – the ASL sign for applause.
Before Coleman was making history and winning Super Bowl titles, he was just like the students sitting before him. He lost his hearing at three years old making it difficult to communicate. He says he never had what the children at PDSD have today – a community.
He immediately exuded a humble and giving presence, taking time to walk across the bleachers and have conversations with students. “All the bullying that you’ve been through, I’ve had that experience,” he says. “You’re not alone in it, but keep a smile on your face and keep going!”
Persistence and hard work got him to the NFL. He says that his mom pushed him to be vocal about his hearing loss and ask questions if he didn’t understand a teacher or coach the first time. Coleman encouraged all the PDSD students to embody that same drive and determination when chasing their dreams.
After the Q & A, there were smiles all around as he took photos and signed memorabilia for our students and staff. We are so thankful for Derrick Coleman and the Arizona Cardinals for giving our students such an unforgettable experience. We also want to thank Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for arranging everything!
