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Santa visits with hearing impaired and deaf students at Norton Elementary School in Gainesville | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, FL
Santa Claus demonstrated again this year that he really does know the signs of the Christmas season.
The signs come from his white-gloved hands and the tiny hands of children who are beginning to learn American Sign Language.
For the past 26 years, this special Santa has been stopping by Norton Elementary School to visit with the deaf and other hearing-impaired students who might not otherwise be able to communicate with Santa. The alter-ego of this special Santa is Ed Mills, a deaf, 84-year-old Trenton resident who now makes his way around the halls of the school riding a shiny, red electric scooter. As the signing Santa, Mills said the trips to Norton are the highlight of his holiday season.
"I love the kids," he said.
And the students seem to adore him, too. They each got a turn to sign or verbalize to Santa what they wanted to see under their Christmas tree on Dec. 25, wishes that this year included a car, night-vision goggles, any sort of present and a motorcycle.
The Pilot Club of Greater Gainesville sponsors the annual visit. The club is an international organization that focuses on brain-related disorders and disabilities. Because hearing is a brain-related function, club members put on a party for the signing students at Norton each year, including making arrangements for Santa to attend and selecting gifts specific for each child for Santa to distribute.
One little girl summoned to pick up her gift and share her wish list also spent time quizzing Santa about where Rudolph was. She also confirmed that the red-nosed reindeer would be leading the sleigh on Christmas Eve. Santa said he had to leave Rudolph and the other reindeer at the North Pole and travel by helicopter Friday because of global warming, but promised the reindeer would all be on duty a week from now.
For some students, such as 9-year-old Jack Wade, this annual visit is a routine he looks forward to for weeks. Wade is the youngest of four children. His older sisters and older brother were all students in the hearing-impaired class at Norton and regaled him with tales about Santa until he was old enough to go to school and communicate with him alone.
This year, Jack had one Christmas wish. He requested "a big present," and Santa replied, "I'll see what I can do."
The one-on-one visit with Santa was one of many first-time experiences for the newest student in the class, 11-year-old Amei Gouin.
She arrived in Gainesville from China about three months ago speaking no English, not knowing any sign language and unaware of who Santa was. Teacher Tina Kerchavel said so far Amei has been focusing on learning one word at a time, but by the end of Friday's party she had grasped the meaning of Santa and presents.
Pilot Club member Julie Collins said the annual signing Santa day at Norton has become a favorite part of the holiday season.
"It's something we all look forward to - being able to make Santa really real for these kids," Collins said.
Santa Claus demonstrated again this year that he really does know the signs of the Christmas season.
The signs come from his white-gloved hands and the tiny hands of children who are beginning to learn American Sign Language.
For the past 26 years, this special Santa has been stopping by Norton Elementary School to visit with the deaf and other hearing-impaired students who might not otherwise be able to communicate with Santa. The alter-ego of this special Santa is Ed Mills, a deaf, 84-year-old Trenton resident who now makes his way around the halls of the school riding a shiny, red electric scooter. As the signing Santa, Mills said the trips to Norton are the highlight of his holiday season.
"I love the kids," he said.
And the students seem to adore him, too. They each got a turn to sign or verbalize to Santa what they wanted to see under their Christmas tree on Dec. 25, wishes that this year included a car, night-vision goggles, any sort of present and a motorcycle.
The Pilot Club of Greater Gainesville sponsors the annual visit. The club is an international organization that focuses on brain-related disorders and disabilities. Because hearing is a brain-related function, club members put on a party for the signing students at Norton each year, including making arrangements for Santa to attend and selecting gifts specific for each child for Santa to distribute.
One little girl summoned to pick up her gift and share her wish list also spent time quizzing Santa about where Rudolph was. She also confirmed that the red-nosed reindeer would be leading the sleigh on Christmas Eve. Santa said he had to leave Rudolph and the other reindeer at the North Pole and travel by helicopter Friday because of global warming, but promised the reindeer would all be on duty a week from now.
For some students, such as 9-year-old Jack Wade, this annual visit is a routine he looks forward to for weeks. Wade is the youngest of four children. His older sisters and older brother were all students in the hearing-impaired class at Norton and regaled him with tales about Santa until he was old enough to go to school and communicate with him alone.
This year, Jack had one Christmas wish. He requested "a big present," and Santa replied, "I'll see what I can do."
The one-on-one visit with Santa was one of many first-time experiences for the newest student in the class, 11-year-old Amei Gouin.
She arrived in Gainesville from China about three months ago speaking no English, not knowing any sign language and unaware of who Santa was. Teacher Tina Kerchavel said so far Amei has been focusing on learning one word at a time, but by the end of Friday's party she had grasped the meaning of Santa and presents.
Pilot Club member Julie Collins said the annual signing Santa day at Norton has become a favorite part of the holiday season.
"It's something we all look forward to - being able to make Santa really real for these kids," Collins said.