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Maryland School for the Deaf students will be able to enjoy a new elementary school by November, complete with cutting-edge technology, more space and design specifically targeted to meet the needs of deaf students.
Each classroom in the new Frederick school will be equipped with a special FM amplification system, which allows students with hearing problems to hear the teacher’s voice, but not other background noises in the classroom.
The new elementary classrooms will also all have a Smartboard - an interactive whiteboard, allowing students to see writing, diagrams or other materials projected from teachers’ computers on a large, touch-sensitive screen. Even the walls, ceilings and windows in the new school will be built thicker to ensure that outside noises do not interfere with students’ hearing aids.
Unlike the 47-year-old Kent-McCanner building, which now houses the elementary school, the new facility will be accessible for students with any physical disabilities and will have more space for students and teachers.
‘‘Right now the elementary school that we use is extremely dated,” said Jennifer Montgomery, executive associate to the Maryland School for the Deaf’s superintendent.
‘‘The new school will be accommodating for all.”
The new school is part of the Maryland School for the Deaf’s $20.4 million state-funded complex, which is under construction now off Md. Route 355 (Market Street) and Loats Alley in Frederick.
Construction of the complex started last year. Currently, about three-quarters of the project is complete, said Suzanne Schwertman, the school’s chief operating officer. Work that remains includes installation of utilities, exterior ground work, landscaping and installation of mechanical equipment, she said.
Maryland School for the Deaf officials expect the project to be finished by November.
Elementary students will start the academic year in the old building and move into the new school during the winter break. The old elementary school will then be knocked down to make space for new student dorms.
‘‘Everyone at MSD (students, parents, and staff members) are very excited about the new building and really looking forward to seeing the end result,” school superintendent James E. Tucker wrote in an e-mail.
All changes at the school are a part of an expansion which aims to help Maryland School for the Deaf meet the growing need for services for deaf students and their families in Frederick County.
‘‘Frederick is a large center for the deaf community,” Montgomery said. ‘‘The need is definitely there.”
In addition to a new elementary building, the complex will include a new center for family education and early intervention, designed to serve deaf children from birth to age 5 and their families. The center will provide information for parents, preschool services and American Sign Language classes. The center is now situated in an old dorm and serves about 70 to 80 families each year.
While the school is expanding its physical facilities, it will increase its outreach efforts. Typically, students with hearing problems and their families get referred to the school by hospitals and school systems. Starting this year, the school will also start working on publicizing its services. The school has created a new position for an outreach coordinator, who will travel around school systems in the state and educate residents about the Maryland School for the Deaf.
As a result of the increased publicity efforts, the school may increase its enrollment numbers, said Tucker in an e-mail.
‘‘Hopefully we will grow,” he wrote. ‘‘Enrollment right now is around 475, which is a very healthy number for us.
Established in 1868, Maryland School for the Deaf provides services for newborns to 21-year-olds at campuses in Frederick and Columbia. The school provides free, public education to Maryland's deaf and hard-of-hearing residents. The school also accepts out-of-state students, but they must pay tuition.
Maryland School for the Deaf students will be able to enjoy a new elementary school by November, complete with cutting-edge technology, more space and design specifically targeted to meet the needs of deaf students.
Each classroom in the new Frederick school will be equipped with a special FM amplification system, which allows students with hearing problems to hear the teacher’s voice, but not other background noises in the classroom.
The new elementary classrooms will also all have a Smartboard - an interactive whiteboard, allowing students to see writing, diagrams or other materials projected from teachers’ computers on a large, touch-sensitive screen. Even the walls, ceilings and windows in the new school will be built thicker to ensure that outside noises do not interfere with students’ hearing aids.
Unlike the 47-year-old Kent-McCanner building, which now houses the elementary school, the new facility will be accessible for students with any physical disabilities and will have more space for students and teachers.
‘‘Right now the elementary school that we use is extremely dated,” said Jennifer Montgomery, executive associate to the Maryland School for the Deaf’s superintendent.
‘‘The new school will be accommodating for all.”
The new school is part of the Maryland School for the Deaf’s $20.4 million state-funded complex, which is under construction now off Md. Route 355 (Market Street) and Loats Alley in Frederick.
Construction of the complex started last year. Currently, about three-quarters of the project is complete, said Suzanne Schwertman, the school’s chief operating officer. Work that remains includes installation of utilities, exterior ground work, landscaping and installation of mechanical equipment, she said.
Maryland School for the Deaf officials expect the project to be finished by November.
Elementary students will start the academic year in the old building and move into the new school during the winter break. The old elementary school will then be knocked down to make space for new student dorms.
‘‘Everyone at MSD (students, parents, and staff members) are very excited about the new building and really looking forward to seeing the end result,” school superintendent James E. Tucker wrote in an e-mail.
All changes at the school are a part of an expansion which aims to help Maryland School for the Deaf meet the growing need for services for deaf students and their families in Frederick County.
‘‘Frederick is a large center for the deaf community,” Montgomery said. ‘‘The need is definitely there.”
In addition to a new elementary building, the complex will include a new center for family education and early intervention, designed to serve deaf children from birth to age 5 and their families. The center will provide information for parents, preschool services and American Sign Language classes. The center is now situated in an old dorm and serves about 70 to 80 families each year.
While the school is expanding its physical facilities, it will increase its outreach efforts. Typically, students with hearing problems and their families get referred to the school by hospitals and school systems. Starting this year, the school will also start working on publicizing its services. The school has created a new position for an outreach coordinator, who will travel around school systems in the state and educate residents about the Maryland School for the Deaf.
As a result of the increased publicity efforts, the school may increase its enrollment numbers, said Tucker in an e-mail.
‘‘Hopefully we will grow,” he wrote. ‘‘Enrollment right now is around 475, which is a very healthy number for us.
Established in 1868, Maryland School for the Deaf provides services for newborns to 21-year-olds at campuses in Frederick and Columbia. The school provides free, public education to Maryland's deaf and hard-of-hearing residents. The school also accepts out-of-state students, but they must pay tuition.