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Howard County Times
Away to home
Students find a sense of community at Maryland School for the Deaf
06/28/07
By Sarah Nix
Email this story to a friend
Aidan Southard, Cameron Gooding and Ta'Nayah Waller, from left, watch as their classmates leave on buses at the end of the school day May 17.
Click HERE to see the gallery.
Very few students at the Maryland School for the Deaf, in Columbia, have deaf parents. So for students, one of the greatest benefits of the school is the community that subsequently develops within the non-hearing population.
This was evident when one student's parents were not able to attend the school's graduation ceremony June 14 and it came time to present flowers to parents, it was not surprising that the boy chose to honor another adult who has played a significant role in his life: his dorm counselor, Millie Russo.
"It's a small family," said Peggy Bruce, dorm behavior specialist, about the school community.
The Columbia school, at Old Montgomery Road and Route 108, teaches children in pre-kindergarten through middle school grades. The 112 students come from the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas. For that reason, a larger percentage of Columbia's students are a part of the dorm program at least one night a week.
Dorm life provides students with a chance to be involved in extracurricular activities, including Boy Scouts, religious classes, swimming and drama class.
"They hit the dorms at the end of the day and they're home," said Helen Berke, who is the school's student life counselor supervisor.
School Principal John Snavlin says that the majority of parents of deaf children do not learn American Sign Language.
"It all sounds ideal, but the practicality of learning to communicate with your child is not easy," Snavlin said.
Bruce added, "Some (kids) have no language upon arrival. They pick up the vocabulary and don't want to go home because of the lack of communication."
For example, Student Life Counselor Helen Berke said that there were two young girls in the dorms this year who would get upset if they were asked to pack their suitcases to get ready for a visit home. The dorm staff had to pack for them while they were asleep at night.
A sense of belonging
The Maryland School for the Deaf, in Columbia, founded in 1973, serves students from ages 4 to 16.
The main campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf is in Frederick, which has an enrollment of more than twice that of the Columbia school. Since the Columbia school enrolls pre-K through middle school pupils, all children from the local school eventually transfer to Frederick.
Imalka Senadhira's daughter, Chetana, 15, has been a student at the Columbia campus for two years but next year will transfer to Frederick.
Bethesda resident Senadhira said she moved her daughter from a public school in Bethesda. She said it was the best decision she and her husband ever made.
"It has changed all of our lives," Senadhira said. "She got a complete life by coming here."
Chetana was frustrated before transferring to the Maryland School for the Deaf, Senadhira said. Her daughter never had the feeling of belonging. While at the Columbia school, however, Chetana played on the basketball and soccer teams.
Senadhira said her daughter is sad to leave because she will miss her friends in Columbia.
Senadhira said that she will miss the Columbia campus because the teachers have become like family and she wonders if Frederick will offer the same intimate experience for her and her daughter.
"Teachers are like friends for the parents. Frederick is a much larger campus and we're afraid of losing that," Senadhira said.
Staffers tend to stay
Part of what contributes to the intimate experience for students are staff members and the school's accessibility to schools that offer more resources, Snavlin said, who has worked at the school for 26 years.
Staffers "tend to get here and stay," Snavlin said.
Snavlin said that of the current employees, about eight of them were students at one point.
Snavlin also believes that one of the school's strongest resources is the expansiveness of the deaf community in Maryland because of area schools with renowned deaf education programs, such as Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and McDaniel College in Westminster.
"Seventy percent of our faculty staff are deaf people," Snavlin said. "You might go somewhere in New Jersey and find 3 percent."
"This is an enriched area," Snavlin added. "You're not seeing a typical representation of a deaf community, but it's an example of what a deaf community could or should be."
Away to home
Students find a sense of community at Maryland School for the Deaf
06/28/07
By Sarah Nix
Email this story to a friend
Aidan Southard, Cameron Gooding and Ta'Nayah Waller, from left, watch as their classmates leave on buses at the end of the school day May 17.
Click HERE to see the gallery.
Very few students at the Maryland School for the Deaf, in Columbia, have deaf parents. So for students, one of the greatest benefits of the school is the community that subsequently develops within the non-hearing population.
This was evident when one student's parents were not able to attend the school's graduation ceremony June 14 and it came time to present flowers to parents, it was not surprising that the boy chose to honor another adult who has played a significant role in his life: his dorm counselor, Millie Russo.
"It's a small family," said Peggy Bruce, dorm behavior specialist, about the school community.
The Columbia school, at Old Montgomery Road and Route 108, teaches children in pre-kindergarten through middle school grades. The 112 students come from the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas. For that reason, a larger percentage of Columbia's students are a part of the dorm program at least one night a week.
Dorm life provides students with a chance to be involved in extracurricular activities, including Boy Scouts, religious classes, swimming and drama class.
"They hit the dorms at the end of the day and they're home," said Helen Berke, who is the school's student life counselor supervisor.
School Principal John Snavlin says that the majority of parents of deaf children do not learn American Sign Language.
"It all sounds ideal, but the practicality of learning to communicate with your child is not easy," Snavlin said.
Bruce added, "Some (kids) have no language upon arrival. They pick up the vocabulary and don't want to go home because of the lack of communication."
For example, Student Life Counselor Helen Berke said that there were two young girls in the dorms this year who would get upset if they were asked to pack their suitcases to get ready for a visit home. The dorm staff had to pack for them while they were asleep at night.
A sense of belonging
The Maryland School for the Deaf, in Columbia, founded in 1973, serves students from ages 4 to 16.
The main campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf is in Frederick, which has an enrollment of more than twice that of the Columbia school. Since the Columbia school enrolls pre-K through middle school pupils, all children from the local school eventually transfer to Frederick.
Imalka Senadhira's daughter, Chetana, 15, has been a student at the Columbia campus for two years but next year will transfer to Frederick.
Bethesda resident Senadhira said she moved her daughter from a public school in Bethesda. She said it was the best decision she and her husband ever made.
"It has changed all of our lives," Senadhira said. "She got a complete life by coming here."
Chetana was frustrated before transferring to the Maryland School for the Deaf, Senadhira said. Her daughter never had the feeling of belonging. While at the Columbia school, however, Chetana played on the basketball and soccer teams.
Senadhira said her daughter is sad to leave because she will miss her friends in Columbia.
Senadhira said that she will miss the Columbia campus because the teachers have become like family and she wonders if Frederick will offer the same intimate experience for her and her daughter.
"Teachers are like friends for the parents. Frederick is a much larger campus and we're afraid of losing that," Senadhira said.
Staffers tend to stay
Part of what contributes to the intimate experience for students are staff members and the school's accessibility to schools that offer more resources, Snavlin said, who has worked at the school for 26 years.
Staffers "tend to get here and stay," Snavlin said.
Snavlin said that of the current employees, about eight of them were students at one point.
Snavlin also believes that one of the school's strongest resources is the expansiveness of the deaf community in Maryland because of area schools with renowned deaf education programs, such as Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and McDaniel College in Westminster.
"Seventy percent of our faculty staff are deaf people," Snavlin said. "You might go somewhere in New Jersey and find 3 percent."
"This is an enriched area," Snavlin added. "You're not seeing a typical representation of a deaf community, but it's an example of what a deaf community could or should be."
