Miss-Delectable
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Fulton Sun
Tom Bastean, assistant superintendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf (MSD), has received the University Council for Educational Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University of Missouri.
The award is made by MU's faculty to practicing school administrators who have made significant and exemplary contributions to the improvement of administrator preparation.
I was surprised and pleased when I learned I had won the award, Bastean said.
Bastean first came to MSD at age eight when he enrolled as a student at Stark Elementary School.
That was the beginning of his commitment to deaf education.
When I graduated from MSD in 1968, enrollment then was 175, Bastean said.
Enrollment has leveled off in recent years to about 100 students but is not as high as it was before the federal government in 1975 passed a law requiring schools throughout the nation to offer mainstream educational services to handicapped children.
Bastean says some parents believe their children would be better off going to a mainstream school and receiving special instruction to meet their needs.
I hope the special needs students who attend mainstream schools are receiving what they need. But I have a feeling they are not. Often they try it for a while and come back here because MSD offers a lot of specialized training and activities that mainstream schools cannot,Bastean said.
Grades one through 12 are offered at MSD.
Both deaf and hearing teachers are employed at MSD. Bastean said teachers who are not deaf are expected to learn sign language in order to communicate better with the students.
Students at the school have the option of living in dormitories with other deaf students where there is social interaction of children who share numerous activities in addition to a learning environment geared to their needs.
They also have an opportunity to participate in athletics, such as football, basketball, volleyball and track.
Bastean said state funding for the school is not a problem.
Everything is fine but we are still a little unsure of funding for the upcoming school year, Bastean said.
Students attending MSD receive state-paid free room and board and there is no tuition charge.
After graduating from MSD, Bastean attended Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., earning a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his education at McDaniel University where he received a Masters of Education degree in Deaf Education. In 1996 he received an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Missouri.
In 1975 he returned to MSD as a classroom teacher and then as Dormitory Dean of Students.
He was named head football coach in 1983 and led the MSD Eagles to a 7-3 record in 1985, their first winning season in a decade.
Deaf American magazine named him “National Prep Coach of the Year in Football.
As he worked his way up the leadership ladder, other duties included athletic director, assistant principal of the vocational program, and school supervisor of the elementary program. In 2001 he became assistant superintendent, a position in which he still serves.
Bastean was elected to serve on the committee that founded the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in 1987. He was actively involved with the commission as a board member, officer and chairman of the task forces and associations working to serve deaf people throughout Missouri and the nation.
Bastean has received numerous other awards. In 2007 MSD honored him with its most prestigious award, the Truman L. Ingle Award. The honor recognizes the person who makes the greatest contributions to the welfare and advancement of the deaf in Missouri through integrity, dependability and leadership.
Bastean and his wife Judith served as members of the Fulton Lions Breakfast Club from 1989 to 1999.
Tom Bastean, assistant superintendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf (MSD), has received the University Council for Educational Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University of Missouri.
The award is made by MU's faculty to practicing school administrators who have made significant and exemplary contributions to the improvement of administrator preparation.
I was surprised and pleased when I learned I had won the award, Bastean said.
Bastean first came to MSD at age eight when he enrolled as a student at Stark Elementary School.
That was the beginning of his commitment to deaf education.
When I graduated from MSD in 1968, enrollment then was 175, Bastean said.
Enrollment has leveled off in recent years to about 100 students but is not as high as it was before the federal government in 1975 passed a law requiring schools throughout the nation to offer mainstream educational services to handicapped children.
Bastean says some parents believe their children would be better off going to a mainstream school and receiving special instruction to meet their needs.
I hope the special needs students who attend mainstream schools are receiving what they need. But I have a feeling they are not. Often they try it for a while and come back here because MSD offers a lot of specialized training and activities that mainstream schools cannot,Bastean said.
Grades one through 12 are offered at MSD.
Both deaf and hearing teachers are employed at MSD. Bastean said teachers who are not deaf are expected to learn sign language in order to communicate better with the students.
Students at the school have the option of living in dormitories with other deaf students where there is social interaction of children who share numerous activities in addition to a learning environment geared to their needs.
They also have an opportunity to participate in athletics, such as football, basketball, volleyball and track.
Bastean said state funding for the school is not a problem.
Everything is fine but we are still a little unsure of funding for the upcoming school year, Bastean said.
Students attending MSD receive state-paid free room and board and there is no tuition charge.
After graduating from MSD, Bastean attended Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., earning a Bachelor of Science degree. He continued his education at McDaniel University where he received a Masters of Education degree in Deaf Education. In 1996 he received an Educational Specialist degree from the University of Missouri.
In 1975 he returned to MSD as a classroom teacher and then as Dormitory Dean of Students.
He was named head football coach in 1983 and led the MSD Eagles to a 7-3 record in 1985, their first winning season in a decade.
Deaf American magazine named him “National Prep Coach of the Year in Football.
As he worked his way up the leadership ladder, other duties included athletic director, assistant principal of the vocational program, and school supervisor of the elementary program. In 2001 he became assistant superintendent, a position in which he still serves.
Bastean was elected to serve on the committee that founded the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in 1987. He was actively involved with the commission as a board member, officer and chairman of the task forces and associations working to serve deaf people throughout Missouri and the nation.
Bastean has received numerous other awards. In 2007 MSD honored him with its most prestigious award, the Truman L. Ingle Award. The honor recognizes the person who makes the greatest contributions to the welfare and advancement of the deaf in Missouri through integrity, dependability and leadership.
Bastean and his wife Judith served as members of the Fulton Lions Breakfast Club from 1989 to 1999.