dear tsd community, - 1.cdn.edl.io · story, community event or ... angie wolf, secretary sha cowan...

From the EditorWelcome, I hope you enjoy the stories portrayed in this Issue. We are always looking for interesting articles for our magazine. If you have a TSD story, community event or person that could be interviewed, let us know. Thank you.Want to find past issues or more information? Please visit us online: www.tsd.state.tx.us/lonestar

E-mail: [email protected]

Table of Contents3 ��Message from the Superintendent

4-5 ��TSD Spike-Out Champions

6-7 ��Homecoming 2017

8-9 �� Austin Sign Language School

9 ��Connie Sefcik

10 �� Meet Laura Duran Villa: New Executive Director of the TSD Foundation

11 �� ACCESS: Service Sends Smiles!

12 �� Deaf Awareness Week 2017

13 ��The Thinkery

14 �� Discovery Retreat: Exploring Weather

14 �� Monica Kurtz

www�tsd�state�tx�us/lonestar

VO LU M E 1 3 8 , N o . 2FA L L 2 0 1 7

( I S S N 0 8 9 3 - 2 9 6 4 )

Lone StarEditor: Avonne Brooker-Rutowski

Art Director: Fernando MuñozContributors:

Claire Bugen, RJ Kaufman, Chris Hamilton, Rachella Moore, Cathy Williams, Sha Cowan, April Giauque, David Coco, Lisa

Cochran, Aaron Mowell and Adam Membrey.

Special thanks to: Cynthia Foss, Diana Poeppelmeyer and Amelia Hamilton.

Photography:Fernando Muñoz, Amelia Hamilton, TSD staff and students.

Subscription InfoA one year subscription to Lone Star, the quarterly journal of the Texas School for the Deaf, costs $10. Send check and mailing address information to:

Lone Star EditorTexas School for the Deaf1102 South Congress Ave

Austin, TX 78704

AdministrationClaire Bugen

Superintendent

Wilmonda McDevittDirector of Student Life

Russell O. WestDirector of Student Support Services

& Campus Operations

Justin WedelChief Financial Officer

Governing BoardEric Hogue,

President

Shawn P. Saladin, Vice President

Angie Wolf, Secretary

Sha CowanRyan Hutchison

Tyran LeeSusan Ridley

David Saunders

J O U R N A L O F T H E T E X A S S C H O O L F O R T H E D E A F

Printed by TSD students at Ranger Presswww�rangerpress�org

Front CoverTSD Varsity Volleyball team celebrates another victory at the Spike-Out Tournament�

ACCESS students during the traditional ACCESS Holiday Bazaar.

Follow Us: #WeAreTSD

Facebook & Instagram: @texasschoolforthedeaf

Twitter: @TSD_Main

2 Lone Star • Fall 2017

Dear TSD Community,As we are wrapping up the fall semester, this issue of the Lone Star looks back on our Homecoming and other notable accomplishments of our students, staff and community.

Homecoming 2017 displayed the beloved traditions of TSD in full blue and white color from the Homecoming booth festival to the volleyball matches, football game and the host of alumni events across the campus. My favorite Homecoming gear is the alumni t-shirt that depicts our changing Ranger mascot over many decades. Regardless of the decade associated with each—Ranger spirit remains unchanged!

What can I say about our Lady Ranger Volleyball team. This is the kind of program every Athletic Director hopes for—two consecutive years as National Champions! What I love about these girls is that they represent their school well on and off the court. They have a great Coach in RJ Kaufman and they deserve our hearty congratulations.

During this season of giving I would like to thank you for a great first semester. This school year has been especially gratifying to me, as I have been able to be more involved with the principals and instructional leaders in my role as interim Director of Instruction. Our students are fortunate to have leaders who constantly engage in efforts to improve student growth and learning.

Very truly yours,

Claire Bugen

Journal of the Texas School for the Deaf 3

By RJ Kaufman, Volleyball Head Coach, pictures by Amelia Hamilton

Our Varsity volleyball team flew to Frederick, Maryland for the 19th Annual Spike-Out Tournament. We

attended the tournament with one expectation and that was to win.

In our first game against Maryland, we barely beat them, 25-23, 25-24. At one point of 2nd set, we were down 6-15 but held on to the “never quit” attitude we have within the team. We came back and won the match. Next came Fremont and we beat them handily, 25-20, 25-16; however, we felt that we still had not shown our best volleyball performance. We regrouped and started to click as a team. The rest of the Round Robin we dominated every team that was put in front of us, beating Model Secondary School for the Deaf 25-13, 25-10. The last game of the day was against Indiana. They had a solid team and had beaten Maryland earlier in the

day. We beat them 25-12, 25-21. We finished 4-0 for the day.

Saturday, we still had one more Round Robin game against Riverside. With our pistons still running at full throttle we won 25-6, 25-18. Finishing at 5-0, earned us a first round bye. In the Semi-Final game, we were paired against Fremont. We finished the game pretty quickly, 25-16, 25-14. We then were in the championship game for 2nd year in the row. We just had to wait for the winner of Maryland and Indiana game.

Hence, in the championship round, it was Texas vs. Maryland for 2nd year in row. We started the game slowly, down 2-7, slowly pacing with them, but still down 10-15. We finally start to get rid of our championship game jitters and found our “never quit” attitude again and it was all Texas from that point and on, winning 25-20. In the 2nd set, we started out strong grabbing a lead of 21-8. With the championship in our

TSD Spike-Out Champions!This is Texas’ fourth overall championship in the Spike-Out tournament and our first back-to-back title.

“We did it, Championship is ours!”

Pictures on page 71. Ella-Berri and Emma attempting to block.

2. Ketchum setting the ball, prepping to attack.

3. Jaelene serving for an ace.

4. Ashlene and Sunita showing RANGERS spirit!

5. Second championship in a row.


H O M E O F T H E

grasp, our jitters showed up again, allowing Maryland to move closer but never threatening to grab the lead. We had won our 2nd straight championship, 25-18. This is Texas’ fourth overall championship in the Spike-Out tournament and our first back-to-back title.

Overall, our girls played great, showing their fearless attack of the ball, clean passes, and doing what they were supposed to do.

Much gratitude to the parents and TSD fans at Maryland for your show of high spirits and encouragement! You inspired us to play our best at the tournament! It most definitely was a weekend that each player will always cherish!

Congratulations to each team member: Ashlene Etkie, Jaelene Etkie, Emma Giuntoli, Sarah Helm, Michaela Kelley, Kaci Ketchum, Ella-Berri Kornkven, Brianne Leiker, Jewel Rocha, Sunita Schmidjorg, Precious Schwartz (manager), Leila Sicoli, Nicola Stein, Jayne Taylor, RJ Kaufman (Head Coach), Marlene Etkie (Assistant Coach) and Jana Oshman (Assistant Coach).

Follow TSD Athletics at:www�tsdrangers�com

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By Chris Hamilton, Athletic Director

Homecoming 2017 was an event to be remembered! It is the time of the year at TSD when people gather to catch up

with old friends, make new friends and have fun! There was plenty of food to eat and games to entertain all.

Our Junior Varsity and Varsity volleyball teams played against Meridian School at the packed Seeger gymnasium. Our volleyball girls gave us an exciting display of incredible talent as both the JV and Varsity teams won the competition, 2-0 and 3-1 respectively.

Our Varsity football team defeated Model Secondary School for the Deaf, 54-6, during the biggest game of the year! It was such a crowd pleaser!

During halftime, all eyes were on the Homecoming Court nominees on the field. Jaelene Etkie and Gareth Ashton were crowned Queen and King by Superintendent Claire Bugen. Congrats to Jaelene and Gareth!!

From the deepest part of my heart, many thanks to the Homecoming core committees, who

made Homecoming a well-orchestrated event. I don’t think I can find better people to work with.

Homecoming2017

TSD elementary students during the PEP rally. Go Rangers!

HC Court: HS Principal Karl Hummel, Junior Prince Julian Ortiz, Junior Princess Leila Sicoli, HC King Gareth Ashton, HC Queen Jaelene Etkie, Michael Singleton, Clarissa Cantu, Superintendent Claire Bugen, Travis Wolf, Nicola Stein and in front, Flower and Crown Bearers Jazilynn R. and Huey Z.

Homecoming in pictures:1. TSD friends, Alumni, staff, students and community reunited at the Mall.

2. Steve Barbin and Tony Price chatting about bass fishing.

3. TSD Varsity Volleyball team.

4. TSD Football team.

5. Akins High School JROTC.

6. TSD Cheerleading team.

7. Former Homecoming Queens and King.

8. TSD Alumni recognized during the Homecoming pre-game activities.


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Article edited from http://www.aslschool.org/story and contributed by current ASLS Co-Directors, Cathy Williams and Sha Cowan.

For those in the Austin area wanting to learn sign language, there is a hidden gem of opportunity at the Austin Sign Language

School (ASLS). For almost 50 years, from its humble beginnings in classes offered in donated church spaces to its current partnership with Texas School for the Deaf, ASLS has continued to provide a place where students can expect quality sign language instruction.

It all started in the late 1960s, when Ralph White, a Deaf Consultant with Texas Rehabilitation Commission, asked Fran Herrington to teach sign language through the Adult Basic Education program in Austin, TX. Fran enlisted Virginia Dromgoole to help. Like Fran, she was the mother of a deaf child. Fran also had deaf parents and siblings and she was a gifted and dedicated interpreter that became known state and nationwide for her advocacy for the Deaf.

As already stated, classes were first taught using several church facilities in the Austin area. In 1977 ASLS became an incorporated non-profit. Fran was the Director and President, and Virginia was Secretary/Treasurer. Their husbands also helped with the program. Classes grew, the curriculum expanded, and they hired teachers, many of whom were deaf, to help. Classes continued to be held in several churches in South and Northwest Austin and also Round Rock.

Austin Sign Language School

Austin Sign Language SchoolTeacher David Suddath during class at Austin Sign Language School.

Students practicing signing during class.


Connie is a TSD Alumni who gives back to the community. She has been involved with TSD in many ways. First, she was a student at TSD and then a mother of two TSD students and now a grandmother of 3 TSD students! Among the many ways she has supported TSD, for many years Connie served on the TSD Governing Board. Currently Connie works for the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters Office at the Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services within the Texas Health and Human Services agency. And in her “spare time,” Connie teaches for Austin Sign Language School. Here is what she had to say about her work with ASLS.

How long have you taught for ASLS? Honestly, I’m not sure! I’ve worked for ASLS for so long that I have lost count of the exact number of years. It’s hard to remember because I came and went at various times to stay home with my children. But I guess I’ve taught for ASLS for around 25 years.

Did you know either of the original teachers, Fran Herrington-Borre or Vir-ginia Dromgoole?When I was about 6 or 7 years old, Fran was my mother’s first sign language teacher and she also taught my father! And Fran and my mom were in the PTA together. So my fam-ily and I knew her for a long time. When I moved back home from Rochester, New York where I attended RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology, she asked me to teach sign lan-guage class for her school. After that we developed a close relationship. She was always my special friend.

What do you like best about teaching for ASLS? I love sharing my language. I want to teach my students in a way that they develop the deep respect for ASL that it deserves. Part of that is teaching about Deaf culture. It’s a little like Native Americans. Once people understand their culture and language, they have more appreciation and respect for Native Americans. The same is true for the Deaf community. The more people learn about our culture and language, the more respect they have for our community.

Sometimes as I’m leaving work I’m so tired and don’t feel like teaching at ASLS. Then I get into the classroom and get motivated by the students who are so eager to learn! I enjoy seeing their fascination with hearing my stories about Deaf culture, Deaf children and even my dogs.

One of the rules I have in my class is if you show up late, you have to stand in front and tell everyone why. And you have to be very descriptive and tell the full story just like we tend to do in Deaf culture. You have to give us all the details! Everyone enjoys that aspect of our class. It’s very entertaining.

On another note, just last week I went to the regional clinic for blood work and one of my former students was working there! She took sign classes because she knew sooner or later she would have Deaf patients coming in and she wanted to be able to communicate. Who would have thought I would be one of those clients that she prepared for by taking my class!

What do you want everyone to know about ASL? I want people to understand that ASL is a natural language. It’s different than English or Spanish. It doesn’t have a written component but has all the richness of any spoken language and is equal in every other way.

In April of 2005, Fran passed away and several program changes followed. The ASLS Board and new co-directors entered into a collaborative arrangement with Texas School for the Deaf to offer ASLS classes on the TSD campus. September 2005 saw the first classes offered in the Ford CTE Building, and they are ongoing still on Thursday evenings during fall, spring and summer semesters. The classes are open to the community at large as well as TSD parents and employees. The latter two groups are eligible for an ASLS tuition scholarship, with the exception of those courses focused on interpreting.

Courses offered:• Beginning to intermediate American Sign

Language and Conceptually Accurate English

• Advanced ASL• Deaf Culture• Conversational Sign Language• Interpreting courses

Teachers:Most ASLS teachers are deaf, ASL native signers. Interpreting courses are taught by hearing Master Certified interpreters. Many ASLS teachers have taught for years.

ASLS students:ASLS is an adult education program. Approximately 80-90 adult students attend ASLS classes at TSD each semester. From Sept. 2005 through Sept. 2017, more than 3,000 individuals have taken ASLS classes at TSD. Most students are hearing but a few are those who are losing their hearing.

The future of Austin Sign Language School ASLS is a great place to begin or improve sign language skills. We hope to continue offering sign language classes at TSD for many more years.

Visit us on our website, www.aslschool.org

FEATURED ASLS TEACHER: Connie Sefcik


June 1st, 2017 was Laura Duran Villa’s first day on the job and she was glad she was starting during the summer when things are

relatively quiet for the TSD Foundation (TSDF). She has used the time wisely to get a sense of the history of the efforts of the Foundation and used that knowledge as a springboard from which to develop, with current Board members, a new plan for the future.

Laura came to the TSD Foundation from a background working with the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium. This non-profit served 7 counties and focused on providing multi-year college scholarships to Hispanic students. Later, the Hispanic Scholarship Consortium added a leadership development program that grew from a one-day to a full-week opportunity for students to network for internships and job opportunities. By the time Laura left the program, they had awarded over one million dollars in student support.

When asked about her desire to work with non-profits, Laura said she has a passion for developing sustainable programs to help people grow and become self-sufficient. Her desire to help others was instilled by her parents who raised six children to not only work hard and achieve but to also give back to others. Servant leadership was the model that was the heart of their home. Laura combines her advanced degrees in business administration and marketing with a dedication to the work of non-profits that embodies her parents’ vision for their children.

Although working with the Deaf community is new territory that involves a steep learning curve for Laura, she finds herself invigorated by the staff and students at TSD. She attended the 2017 graduation and it left a big impression. She said it was beautiful to be in the midst of such a joyful, enthusiastic, and well-deserved celebration. Then there was this year’s opening of school kick-off event where the energy was so contagious that she found herself making an impromptu recording of the athletes on stage leading the staff in cheers. She later shared her video of bottled excitement with the TSD Foundation Board.

As the new Executive Director of the TSD Foundation, Laura would like the TSD community to know that her first task is to align board leadership with their mission and vision and to make sure the work aligns with the needs of the school. From there, her goal is to strengthen the organization to be more sustainable and robust for the long term. She is confident in achieving those goals because “everyone on the Board has a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Laura would also like the TSD community to know that “we are here to support and serve but we also need the support of people who have benefitted from the school and the TSD Foundation.” There are many ways to help - either through time, talent, or resources.

Open communication is also important to Laura. She invites people to let her know what they like about the TSD Foundation and what needs to improve. She looks forward to an open dialogue as the Foundation grows and moves toward best practices and community engagement. She hopes to involve more of the TSD community that lives outside of the Austin area including cultivating donors and prospective Board and Advisory members who live elsewhere in Texas.

Ultimately, Laura would like to see the TSD Foundation meet needs in all areas of TSD, from summer programs and classroom needs to outreach. She invites all of us to join the TSDF in their ambitious work.

You can contact Laura at:

Laura Duran Villa Executive Director

[email protected]

Address:TSD FoundationPO Box 42727

Austin, Texas 78704

Meet the New Executive Director of the TSD Foundation


By April Giauque, ACCESS Teacher

The Adult Curriculum for Community Education and Social Skills (ACCESS) program is a transition program in which we teach many different skills. We

focus on 3 main areas: adult living skills, employment, and social skills. As we focus on these 3 main areas our curriculum team of teachers has emphasized the need and importance of developing the quality of “thinking of others and the needs of others” before their own needs. We accomplish this through going into the community and serving others.

On Friday, October 6, 2017, our ACCESS team performed a day of service at the Central Texas Food Bank. We arrived at their main Austin warehouse full of anticipation and excitement to work the morning shift.

Following the check in and safety procedures the students and staff eagerly jumped in to get the work completed. Our job was to separate and organize good frozen meat from the meat that needed to be discarded. Our team was assigned various jobs: student who brought the meat to the conveyor belt, and then students and staff who looked for poor color, smell, or ripped packaging to discard. The students also found the good meat and sent it down the conveyor belt to be boxed and prepared for shipping to needy families.

We worked a 3-hour shift and our team was able to process 5,250 pounds of meat during that time! It was the equivalent of helping to feed 3,000 families! The students had a great time doing the work. Following the shift we even had a few students express interest in working at the Central Texas Food Bank! WOW! Pretty cool. Many of the students shared their thoughts about helping others. They said that it was fun, it didn’t take much time, and they felt good helping others in need. Overall, it was a successful trip. We look forward to our next community service opportunity in the spring. Until then, serve on!

Service Sends Smiles!TSD ACCESS team performed a day of service at the Central Texas Food Bank.


By Rachella Moore

Texas School for the Deaf proudly celebrated Deaf Awareness Week from Sept 18-23rd, 2017. TSD has been

celebrating this occasion annually for the past few years but this year was unique. “Unique, how?” you may ask. We celebrated Deaf Awareness along with our homecoming week! We celebrated both TSD’s spirit and Deaf pride through ASL performances including visual vernacular, A to Z ASL stories, and much more during the spirit week competition. TSD staff, faculty, principals, and everybody else were beyond impressed and inspired when we saw how creative our students became when they expressed their pride as a group of TSD Deaf/Hard of hearing students.

TSD also invited to campus an extraordinary guest from Washington, D.C., Manny Hernandez, an ASL legendary storyteller. On Thursday, Sept 21st Manny gave ASL Storytelling workshops to two groups of TSD fifth graders. As soon as Manny took the classroom, the eyes and minds

of the fifth graders were submerged in Manny’s beautiful and imaginative ASL stories. Then, he invited the students to join him by creating and weaving a chain of events into the stories. When Manny wrapped up the workshop, the students groaned and asked for more. Manny reminded them that the stories can continue as soon as they start expressing their own stories through their beautiful language, American Sign Language.

Legendary ASL storyteller, Manny Hernandez.

Master of Ceremony, Stella Egbert during the Kick-off of Deaf Awareness Week.

“Ranger #1” students had a blast during the kick-off ceremony.


By David Coco and Lisa Cochran

TSD was invited to join other Austin disability organizations to celebrate Disability Awareness Month on October 11 at the Thinkery, which is

the new Austin Children’s Museum. TSD provided ASL Storytelling activities and sign language interpreters for the event. Here is a report from Lisa Cochran, ERCOD’s ASL Storyteller, who participated in the event.

The Thinkery focuses on STEAM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). It is a place where both children and adults can come to play and learn. Two floors are filled with hands-on learning activities and exhibits including a stop motion animation station, kid-friendly microscopes that project onto flat screen monitors, and a water activity area bigger than anything you have ever seen before. The futuristic, custom-designed outdoor playground is a favorite destination for children of all ages.

Around ten young kids with their parents showed up for the TSD ASL Storytelling activity. They all sat on the floor and were fascinated watching Theron Parker tell a story from the book called “Friends” which he wrote himself. The book is about two young boys, one deaf and one hearing, who discover how to communicate with each using sign language. The story emphasizes mutual respect for each other regardless of differences, whether disability or race. The story shows how friendship is possible if you have mutual respect for each other and are willing to try new ways to communicate.

After this story, Theron shared a STAR WARS story using ABC handshapes and a 1,2,3 number story based on the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.

Then I wrapped up the event with a fun handshape game. We all sat in a circle and using a wand with an L handshape, as a prop for the game, we all tried to think of a sign that used an L.

The ASL Storytelling activity was a great hit at the Thinkery and all left with a smiles on their faces!

The Thinkery On Friday, Sept 22nd, Manny shared his personal experience as a Hispanic Deaf male growing up at Lexington School for the Deaf in New York through his incredible and hilarious visual vernacular ASL stories. He wrapped up the workshops by reminding students of their TSD motto, “Learn, Grow, and Belong.” As a Deaf individual himself, a chord was struck in his heart when he saw the word, ‘Belong’ because it confirmed a sense of identity as a Deaf/Hard of hearing individual within the TSD community. He reminded the students to embrace their beautiful, unique identity as a Deaf/Hard of hearing individual in this world.

On Homecoming Day, the Educational Resource Center on Deafness (ERCOD) hosted “Austin’s Vibrant Deaf Community.” The presentation gave people the opportunity to take a glimpse behind the curtain of Austin’s Deaf community. The presentation shared Austin’s Deaf-owned businesses, resources, programs, and non-profit organizations. At the end of the workshop, they shared Manny’s famous “Sprint” ASL story and Ian Sanborn’s “Tick Tock” poetry. ERCOD received many positive responses about the presentations. ERCOD hopes to make Deaf Awareness Week an even more significant event next year.

Deaf Awareness Week 2017 is in the books and it’s onward to Deaf Awareness Week 2018! We hope to see you next year, sharing your own sense of belonging.

Manny Hernandez with TSD Students after his presentation.

Manny Hernandez enjoying the TSD Spirit Week activities.

is awesome!


By David Coco and Aaron Mowell

Discovery Retreat: Exploring Weather was held at the Peaceable Kingdom retreat center in Killeen over the Nov 11, 2017 weekend. We had 22 high school

students and three college students participate in this retreat to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) through weather.

The STEM activities for the weekend were led by Dawn Kidd, Paul Stropko, Kody Schouten and Ricardo Torres. Dawn and Paul are TSD teachers while Kody and Ricardo are recent college graduates and are both engineers with experience in water resources and civil engineering so they were a perfect match for these activities. Kody and Ricardo participated in Discovery Retreat when they were in high school and college.

Students were assigned to one of four data collection groups and each group focused on a different aspect of weather and data collection. Dawn’s group explored clouds: how they are created and how to identify them. Paul’s group built and launched a helium-powered weather balloon. The payload for the balloon included a GoPro camera that took pictures of the ground and a small computer that recorded the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere. The balloon was tethered so that they could reel in the balloon and retrieve the equipment for reuse.

Kody’s group explored how weather impacts the watershed through riverbank erosion and learned how to measure river flow. Ricardo’s group explored how rainfall is measured and learned about dam design and dam failures due to flooding.

Our keynote presenter was Trevor Boucher - a local National Weather Service representative – who led an activity on how to identify safe shelters during weather events. We also had a representative from RIT/NTID - Alisha Joslyn-Swob - who led an earthquake resistant design activity. Finally, Nick Bannon from TSD and TeamBuilders8, lead teambuilding activities that focused on community emergency preparations for extreme weather events.

This retreat included four students and one staff member with additional disabilities and it was a learning experience for all of us. We all experienced tactile signing and navigating over rough terrain with deafblind people. The students and staff appreciated the diversity of the participants throughout the weekend.

This weather theme was very personal for several of the students from the Houston area. Some had their homes damaged during Hurricane Harvey and had vivid memories of that event that they shared with the group. One student summarized what the weekend meant to him by saying:

We are like a branch that has broken and fallen off the tree. This branch is strong but it’s been through so much. Like the branch, we go through a lot but we can recover from the hurricane. We can be successful, we’re here together, we’re young, we have talent, we’re unique, and we’re friendly to each other. We can succeed!

This retreat was supported by TSD, the TSD Foundation, NSF, DeafTEC, RIT/NTID, Gessner Engineering, and TeamBuilders8.

Exploring WeatherDiscovery Retreat:

DR students help Paul Stropko with getting the weather balloon ready for launch.

DR teambuilding coordinator Nick Bannon explaining an activity to two students.


By Adam Membrey and Special Needs

It started out as a meeting like any other. On the first Friday of October 2017, the Special Needs Department’s Multi-Tiered Student Support team found itself deep in

discussion about possible methods for teaching reading. Off to the side, Monica Kurtz, our program’s Behavior Support Coordinator, had a different mission: she wanted to learn some cued speech. She did it again and again, refining her signs each time, paying full attention to the Deaf staff showing her. It was a moment that encompassed everything we had come to love and appreciate about Monica: her concern for what was best for our students, her hunger for knowledge, and her full attention given to anyone.

But the meeting became something far different when she walked out. Outside were all 60-plus SND students, 30-plus SND staff, and two cakes, waiting just for her. The day had come: it was Monica’s last day in SND; a great work opportunity that she couldn’t pass up come to her from Region 13. It was time to say goodbye.

Monica served as valuable cog in our SND program for 15 years. Her first year, she was partnered with our Science teacher, Connie Potersnak. She didn’t know much sign, but

she moved quickly from survival to intermediate sign skills in only 6 months. Connie reminisces about when they would sing show tunes after school while setting their classroom up for the next day. One day, as they were singing at the top of their lungs, they heard a knock at the door and saw a parent was in the middle of a tour. They laughed, turned off the music, and showed the parent around.

From teacher assistant, she became a pillar in our Behavior Support program. Working with the behavior staff, Monica would often be called to resolve difficult situations with students who struggled to control their feelings. Debbie Andries recalled a student who was relatively new to TSD: “He really struggled with managing his emotions – especially anger and confusion. One day, Monica came to provide classroom support for him. He became upset about something and Monica kept telling him, ‘We are about you’ as she offered a soft smile and directions for what he needed to do. By the end of the half hour, the student had developed a new bond with someone who would support him during difficult times. Monica’s connection with this young man helped him through many challenges. And that’s Monica’s greatest strength--her ability to make meaningful connections with others. I’ll always cherish that about her.”

While sitting on the stairs that October meeting, completely blindsided by the showering of love and appreciation from staff and students alike, it was clear how many meaningful connections Monica had made. Several students tried to inch closer to her for some final words. It took forever to get everyone in the picture. But through it all, Monica was all smiles and completely attentive to each and every student who tried to converse with her.

Monica, we will miss you dearly. Visit often. Live long and prosper.

Monica Kurtz

TSD Staff: Mary Beth Harris, Connie Potersnak, Erin Cazedessus, Monica Kurtz, Jan Reed-Anderson and Debbie Andries.

SND students signing “I Love You” to Monica. Monica with a drawing from SND student, Allen.


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