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delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ New Del. School for Deaf will bring dignity
Delaware School for the Deaf students borrow another school's gymnasium when they host athletic tournaments.
Their 37-year-old Ogletown building, also known as the Margaret S. Sterck School, lacks the modern technology available to help deaf students. And those who stay in the dormitory forfeit privacy, sleeping in a large room lined with beds.
The facility doesn't offer students the resources or dignity school leaders know they deserve.
That will change when a state-of-the-art facility, complete with a new residence hall and athletic fields, is built about 200 yards away on Chestnut Hill Road. Christina School District officials, who administer the statewide program, hope to open it in fall 2008 or winter 2009.
And those who stay in the dormitory forfeit privacy, sleeping in a large room lined with beds.
The facility doesn't offer students the resources or dignity school leaders know they deserve.
"Our kids are going to have a place that really is about respect for them," said Ed Bosso, the school's former director, who recently was promoted to assistant superintendent at Christina.
The Christina school board approved the schematic plan last week. The next step is a series of community meetings. They haven't set dates yet, but officials hope to begin later this month. They have received little opposition so far, with the exception of a nearby church that hoped to swap land with the school.
Plans for the $41 million project call for a 111,000-square-foot school -- almost double the size of the current building -- and a 15,500-square-foot dormitory with parking and athletic fields on about 17 acres.
Although cash-strapped Christina administers the school, it is a statewide program with a separate budget paid by the state.
The biggest change will be the addition of an early intervention center, where infants through pre-kindergarten children will come for testing, instruction and support. For this, the school is partnering with Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland, a cochlear implant center.
The school has seen an increasing number of students with cochlear implants, electronic devices implanted under the skin behind the ears. These students must learn how to hear and develop neurological pathways to the brain.
The new center will offer those services, allowing students to graduate to the school's kindergarten-to-12th grade program or attend a regular school.
About 150 students are enrolled, but Bosso expects that number to grow to 200 in the next few years. The new building will accommodate 250 students.
Part of the increase in demand comes from earlier hearing-loss diagnosis. About three years ago, Delaware began newborn screening. Previously, hearing loss often wasn't recognized until parents learned through interaction with their toddlers.
Better technology in the new school also will allow staff and students to participate in professional development and distance learning through collaborations with other deaf schools across the country.
The new residence hall will include apartments for visiting families and older students learning to live independently. And, for the first time, students will have private bedrooms.
"It's dignity," Bosso said. "We're not giving them the country club. We're giving them what they are entitled to."
Teacher Claudia Bock said the new building will be on the cutting edge.
"It's what we need," she said. "With the changes in technology, our building is outdated. You don't just build buildings for the deaf like you do other schools. We'll be able to provide a good education for a very diverse population."
Delaware School for the Deaf students borrow another school's gymnasium when they host athletic tournaments.
Their 37-year-old Ogletown building, also known as the Margaret S. Sterck School, lacks the modern technology available to help deaf students. And those who stay in the dormitory forfeit privacy, sleeping in a large room lined with beds.
The facility doesn't offer students the resources or dignity school leaders know they deserve.
That will change when a state-of-the-art facility, complete with a new residence hall and athletic fields, is built about 200 yards away on Chestnut Hill Road. Christina School District officials, who administer the statewide program, hope to open it in fall 2008 or winter 2009.
And those who stay in the dormitory forfeit privacy, sleeping in a large room lined with beds.
The facility doesn't offer students the resources or dignity school leaders know they deserve.
"Our kids are going to have a place that really is about respect for them," said Ed Bosso, the school's former director, who recently was promoted to assistant superintendent at Christina.
The Christina school board approved the schematic plan last week. The next step is a series of community meetings. They haven't set dates yet, but officials hope to begin later this month. They have received little opposition so far, with the exception of a nearby church that hoped to swap land with the school.
Plans for the $41 million project call for a 111,000-square-foot school -- almost double the size of the current building -- and a 15,500-square-foot dormitory with parking and athletic fields on about 17 acres.
Although cash-strapped Christina administers the school, it is a statewide program with a separate budget paid by the state.
The biggest change will be the addition of an early intervention center, where infants through pre-kindergarten children will come for testing, instruction and support. For this, the school is partnering with Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Rockland, a cochlear implant center.
The school has seen an increasing number of students with cochlear implants, electronic devices implanted under the skin behind the ears. These students must learn how to hear and develop neurological pathways to the brain.
The new center will offer those services, allowing students to graduate to the school's kindergarten-to-12th grade program or attend a regular school.
About 150 students are enrolled, but Bosso expects that number to grow to 200 in the next few years. The new building will accommodate 250 students.
Part of the increase in demand comes from earlier hearing-loss diagnosis. About three years ago, Delaware began newborn screening. Previously, hearing loss often wasn't recognized until parents learned through interaction with their toddlers.
Better technology in the new school also will allow staff and students to participate in professional development and distance learning through collaborations with other deaf schools across the country.
The new residence hall will include apartments for visiting families and older students learning to live independently. And, for the first time, students will have private bedrooms.
"It's dignity," Bosso said. "We're not giving them the country club. We're giving them what they are entitled to."
Teacher Claudia Bock said the new building will be on the cutting edge.
"It's what we need," she said. "With the changes in technology, our building is outdated. You don't just build buildings for the deaf like you do other schools. We'll be able to provide a good education for a very diverse population."