Final Graduation at Scranton School for the Deaf

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Final Graduation at Scranton School for the Deaf - WNEP

The Scranton State School for the Deaf held one of its final commencements Tuesday.

The state has announced plans to turn the school over to a private organization and changes will be made.

The people at the school said it was more of a sad day than a happy one at the school in Scranton because this is the end of the school as they know it. Seven young people received their diplomas, as part of the last graduating class of the Scranton State School for the Deaf.

Wednesday is the official last day of school. The teachers are being furloughed. The state wants to get out of the business of educating the deaf and hearing impaired. The property is being taken over by the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh.

According to the head of the board at Scranton School for the Deaf, they don't know what happens next. They have not been given a transition plan. As reported earlier, Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf was planning to eliminate the dorms and secondary education in Scranton which means there would be no high school classes there and students needing a high school education would have to go to Western Pennsylvania. There are about 10 students in the class of 2010.

The head of the board said this is like a death in the family. They are loosing the school but they don't know what happens next.

The Scranton State School for the Deaf has been around for more than 130 years.

 

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Final ceremony held for State School for Deaf

Final ceremony held for State School for Deaf | Wilkes-Barre News | The Times Leader

The last graduating class of the Scranton State School for the Deaf received diplomas during an emotional ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.

Seven students from around the state – three from Northeastern Pennsylvania – made up the 129th and final commencement group.

State Rep. Kevin Murphy from the 113th District in Scranton gave the keynote address as onlookers and fellow speakers wiped away tears. A known, vocal advocate for keeping the school under state control, he received a boisterous standing ovation.

He told the graduates how they’ve dealt with very big issues during the last few months and showed their “strength and resolve.” Their letter-writing campaigns, visits to Harrisburg and participation in rallies to save the school demonstrated their ability to take on challenges, he said.

Murphy emphasized the day was one to be celebrated despite the changes at the school. The graduates and other students should “look forward with courage” and make a point to someday “look back and laugh.”

He became emotional when leaving and admitted an attachment to the school.

“The education (at the school) doesn’t end at 3 o’clock,” he said. “Most of the children are involved in programs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s really a family atmosphere. It’s a special place.”

The graduates are leaving with high honors and excellent academic achievement, he said.

The seven graduates were valedictorian Carla Kiser, of York; Julisa Gangaway, of Allentown; Brett Doty-Lupold, of Montrose; Jennifer Muniz, of Dover; Branden Carr, of Pittston Area; Stephen Passaro, of Nazareth; and John Smith, of Valley View.

They were joined in the final procession by 34 alumni from the graduating classes of 1964 through 2008. Each alumnus laid a rose near a portrait of the school’s founder, Jacob Koehler.

Kiser said during her address that her nine years at SSSD included involvement in sports, student body government and sharing times with friends and family. She said she looks forward to her future pursuits in art design and photography.

The said she was honored to attend the SSSD and advised everyone to “think positively” about the changing future.

Melody Newhard-Kirk, president of the parent support organization. whose daughter Kaitlin just finished her sophomore year, said the parents and students face an uncertain future.

Kaitlin has been attending for eight years after Newhard-Kirk sued her school district in Bethlehem to have her sent there.

“Communication (from the new provider) has been lax to none,” she said.

She believes Kaitlin may have one more year in Scranton and then have to go to the Pittsburgh area, but she does not know for sure yet.

Gina Colarossi, a teacher at the school, said a similar amount of confusion exists for the employees of SSSD. She received a certified letter from the Harrisburg on Monday notifying her she is no longer employed there and could apply for a position in a state correctional facility. Other teachers received similar offers, she said.

“That’s not what I went into the field of education for,” she said. The school’s new operators are interviewing teachers for positions there. She said questions remain about compensation.