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VSDB graduation: Like saying bye to your own | The News Leader | newsleader.com
For Nancy Armstrong, superintendent for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, watching the 17 members of the class of 2011 walk out the doors of Healy Hall's auditorium for the last time was like saying goodbye to her own children.
"You bring them as children from diapers to diplomas," she said.
For 19-year-old Timothy Cave, that was actually the case. He started at VSDB at the age of 2 in the preschool program.
"It's hard," said Cave, a member of the deaf department, "It feels like a second home."
Cave, who plans to study law at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., said VSDB has provided him with many opportunities and given him lifelong friends.
It was an emotional day for parents, staff and teachers as they clapped, using American Sign Language and English, as the 17 students crossed the stage and received diplomas.
Attending the ceremony were former teachers and principals of VSDB, members of the Board of Visitors, as well as Del. Richard P. "Dickie" Bell, R-Staunton, who sponsored a bill recently signed into law making American Sign Language count for foreign language credit in Virginia high schools.
Armstrong said what makes VSDB special is its sense of community.
"No matter the length of time you've been here at VSDB, you have lived together, shared routines, competed in sports together and have learned together."
For LaQuincy Ferrell, who is visually impaired, living and learning at VSDB has been such a meaningful experience for him that he didn't want to leave.
He will spend the summer working with the construction company Kjellstrom + Lee, which is completing a $71 million expansion, helping to build the new blind dorm.
"I wanted to help grow and build the school for the students of the future," Ferrell said. In the fall he will attend Southside Virginia Community College for a psychology degree and hopes to transfer to Longwood University.
A number of the graduates will attend Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing.
T. Alan Hurtwitz, the university's president, spoke at Friday's graduation encouraging students to go forward with four key qualities: honesty, courage, humor and determination.
He also encouraged them to remember that "education is never a waste of time," in whatever form it takes.
For Nancy Armstrong, superintendent for the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, watching the 17 members of the class of 2011 walk out the doors of Healy Hall's auditorium for the last time was like saying goodbye to her own children.
"You bring them as children from diapers to diplomas," she said.
For 19-year-old Timothy Cave, that was actually the case. He started at VSDB at the age of 2 in the preschool program.
"It's hard," said Cave, a member of the deaf department, "It feels like a second home."
Cave, who plans to study law at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C., said VSDB has provided him with many opportunities and given him lifelong friends.
It was an emotional day for parents, staff and teachers as they clapped, using American Sign Language and English, as the 17 students crossed the stage and received diplomas.
Attending the ceremony were former teachers and principals of VSDB, members of the Board of Visitors, as well as Del. Richard P. "Dickie" Bell, R-Staunton, who sponsored a bill recently signed into law making American Sign Language count for foreign language credit in Virginia high schools.
Armstrong said what makes VSDB special is its sense of community.
"No matter the length of time you've been here at VSDB, you have lived together, shared routines, competed in sports together and have learned together."
For LaQuincy Ferrell, who is visually impaired, living and learning at VSDB has been such a meaningful experience for him that he didn't want to leave.
He will spend the summer working with the construction company Kjellstrom + Lee, which is completing a $71 million expansion, helping to build the new blind dorm.
"I wanted to help grow and build the school for the students of the future," Ferrell said. In the fall he will attend Southside Virginia Community College for a psychology degree and hopes to transfer to Longwood University.
A number of the graduates will attend Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing.
T. Alan Hurtwitz, the university's president, spoke at Friday's graduation encouraging students to go forward with four key qualities: honesty, courage, humor and determination.
He also encouraged them to remember that "education is never a waste of time," in whatever form it takes.