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Deaf students share thrills of Space Camp this week - al.com\
40 children from around the world enjoy experience
Although students come to Space Camp year round, this week the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is home to about 40 deaf students from around the world.
Each year, these students experience Space Camp as any other child does but surrounded by children like themselves.
"There's not a lot of opportunities where deaf kids can come together," camp director Amy Newland, a teacher, said Tuesday. "This interaction can't happen if they're at a camp with hearing kids.
"There are few camps solely for deaf kids."
Newland teaches reading and English at Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. Throughout the year, she does the behind-the-scenes work for the annual Space Camp trip for deaf students.
Newland said as a teacher, she finds Space Camp the best classroom available.
Space Camp is about more than learning for most campers, and deaf Space Campers are no different.
Nick Petrosky, an 11-year-old from Ohio, said he enjoyed the G-Force ride the most. Ernest Willman, 16, from Ohio signed the rides were a highlight.
"There are so many things to look at and so many things I'm learning," signed 14-year-old Kate Williams from South Carolina.
Zachary Bridgett, 13, from Maryland, signed he was most excited about his space walk mission as mission control specialist 1. He decided to come to Space Camp because he was going to learn about space in school next year and always thought it was boring, "but it's not," he signed after only two days of Space Camp.
This year's camp hosted campers from Italy and Germany, too. Ali Burch, 14, lives in Italy because his family is in the U.S. military and is stationed outside of Naples.
Because of the military base environment, Burch hasn't had much exposure to other deaf kids. In fact, Space Camp this week is the first time he's ever been around other kids using sign language.
Burch has oral skills and communicates without sign language well, but has enjoyed learning different signs and communicating with other deaf kids.
"This is a place these kids can feel normal," Newland said. "It helps to build identity and pride in their culture."
She said some days it's difficult to do all the work organizing the program, but then she comes to Huntsville, sees the smiles on the kids' faces, the kids graduating and the thank yous from the parents, and "it makes it all worth it."
She's been the director of Space Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since 1995. She coordinates the volunteers and interpreters, with a ratio of two children to one interpreter. She handles all the calls and e-mails from interested students, parents and teachers.
40 children from around the world enjoy experience
Although students come to Space Camp year round, this week the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is home to about 40 deaf students from around the world.
Each year, these students experience Space Camp as any other child does but surrounded by children like themselves.
"There's not a lot of opportunities where deaf kids can come together," camp director Amy Newland, a teacher, said Tuesday. "This interaction can't happen if they're at a camp with hearing kids.
"There are few camps solely for deaf kids."
Newland teaches reading and English at Model Secondary School for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. Throughout the year, she does the behind-the-scenes work for the annual Space Camp trip for deaf students.
Newland said as a teacher, she finds Space Camp the best classroom available.
Space Camp is about more than learning for most campers, and deaf Space Campers are no different.
Nick Petrosky, an 11-year-old from Ohio, said he enjoyed the G-Force ride the most. Ernest Willman, 16, from Ohio signed the rides were a highlight.
"There are so many things to look at and so many things I'm learning," signed 14-year-old Kate Williams from South Carolina.
Zachary Bridgett, 13, from Maryland, signed he was most excited about his space walk mission as mission control specialist 1. He decided to come to Space Camp because he was going to learn about space in school next year and always thought it was boring, "but it's not," he signed after only two days of Space Camp.
This year's camp hosted campers from Italy and Germany, too. Ali Burch, 14, lives in Italy because his family is in the U.S. military and is stationed outside of Naples.
Because of the military base environment, Burch hasn't had much exposure to other deaf kids. In fact, Space Camp this week is the first time he's ever been around other kids using sign language.
Burch has oral skills and communicates without sign language well, but has enjoyed learning different signs and communicating with other deaf kids.
"This is a place these kids can feel normal," Newland said. "It helps to build identity and pride in their culture."
She said some days it's difficult to do all the work organizing the program, but then she comes to Huntsville, sees the smiles on the kids' faces, the kids graduating and the thank yous from the parents, and "it makes it all worth it."
She's been the director of Space Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since 1995. She coordinates the volunteers and interpreters, with a ratio of two children to one interpreter. She handles all the calls and e-mails from interested students, parents and teachers.