Delaware School for the Deaf

Delaware School for the Deaf (DSD) is a public K–12 school located on East Chestnut Hill Road in Brookside, Delaware, United States;^[1][2] It has a Newark postal address.^[3] The Christina School District operates the school, but because it is state-funded, the budget is separate from the rest of the district^[4][5][6] DSD operates Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind.^[7]

Delaware School for the Deaf
Address
630 E. Chestnut Hill Rd Brookside (Newark postal address) , Delaware 19713 United States
Coordinates	39°40′29″N 75°42′23″W / 39.67465°N 75.706523°W / 39.67465; -75.706523
Information
Type	Public school
Established	1929 (95 years ago) (1929)^[citation needed]
School district	Christina School District (operator)
Dean	Eva Hartmann
Director	Laurie Kettle-Rivera
Staff	90+
Faculty	27 (FTE) (2019-2020)
Grades	K–12
Number of students	108 (2019-2020)
Language	American Sign Language and English
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Royal blue and white
Athletics	Girls' volleyball, boys' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball and track & field
Athletics conference	Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association and Mid-Atlantic Independent League
Mascot	Blue Hawks
Website	www.dsdeaf.org

Mission

The mission of the Delaware School for the Deaf, a program serving deaf and hard of hearing students from birth through twenty-one years of age, is to educate them with rigorous achievement standards, to develop linguistic competence in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, and to prepare them to become contributing citizens, by providing them access to language and information in a safe and supportive learning environment.^[8][9]

History

In 1929, Margaret S. Sterck began teaching students first out of Grace Church and later out of her home on Van Buren Street after noticing that deaf children from Delaware had to be educated out-of-state because no deaf schools existed in Delaware.^[10][9] In 1933, the school became the Delaware School for Deaf Children, Inc. and Sterck bought a home in Lewes to be used as a summer camp.^[11] She taught until 1945, when state regulations required that deaf children be taught in public schools.^[12] Some students were sent to specialized deaf programs in Delaware public schools while others were enrolled in the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) in Philadelphia.^[9] By 1960, however, PSD was facing space restrictions and decided to no longer accept out-of-state students.^[9]

Families of deaf children, particularly those barred from attending PSD, lobbied the Delaware State Board of Education to find a solution.^[13] The state began gathering funding and planning out what would later be called the Margaret S. Sterck School for the Hearing Impaired, which opened in 1969.^[14][15][16] In 1995, the school was renamed the Delaware School for the Deaf.^[17]

Construction of the $43 million new building began in 2009 after two years of delays in getting the government to release the funding.^[18] DSD moved into its new building, located on the same campus, in 2011 after more than forty years in the former Sterck School building.^[19][20] The new building has an auditorium, athletic facilities, and a gymnasium as well as boarding facilities, which can accommodate 36 students.^[18] There is also an early childhood center on campus.^[6]

Student life

DSD has a large racial minority enrollment (65%), with white students making up only 34% of the student body.^[21]

Academics

DSD follows the Christina School District curriculum.^[22] Students have the option of taking classes at other schools either within the Christina School District or at one of the city's vocational-technical schools such as Hodgson Vo-Tech High School.^[22]

Prior to 1970s, the primary teaching method was oral instruction; it wasn't until Dr. Roy Holcomb introduced the "total communication" philosophy in 1973, which made American Sign Language (ASL) a major component of the school.^[10][23] In 1993, the "bilingual, bicultural" philosophy was adopted and students were taught to hone skills in both ASL and English.^[10]

Athletics

DSD is a member of the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA) and Mid-Atlantic Independent League (MIL) and has six sports teams: volleyball (girls), soccer (boys), basketball (girls and boys) and track & field (girls and boys).^[24] The DSD mascot is the Blue Hawks and the school colors are royal blue and white.^[24] The volleyball team is the winningest of the six sport teams and has been to the ESDAA Division II championships every year from 1999 to 2007, 2010, and 2012–2014; they have been champion four times and as of 2015 have moved up to Division I.^[24] The 2019-2020 and 2020–2021 seasons were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.^[25] Most recently added sports to school sports program - Boys' Soccer established in fall of 2019, and Track & Field team was established in spring of 2022.

Notable alumni

• Alexandria Wailes,^[26] deaf actress, dancer, director, and educator

Notable teachers/staffs

• Chuck Baird,^[27] deaf artist and performer

References

1. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Brookside CDP, DE" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2020-06-26. - Compare the map to the whole address of Delaware School for the Deaf.
2. "Home". Delaware School for the Deaf. Retrieved 2020-06-26. 630 E. Chestnut Hill Road Newark, DE 19713 - Compare the whole address to the CDP map.
3. . National Center for Education Statistics. 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
4. Kenney, Edward L. (2007-10-07). "Ground broken for new school of the deaf". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Delaware School for the Deaf". Christina School District.
6. Kepner, Alison (2006-08-15). "New Del. School for Deaf will bring dignity to learning". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. p. A1, A2 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Programs/Services". Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf-Blind. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
8. "About Us". Delaware School for the Deaf. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
9. "History". Delaware School for the Deaf. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
10. Schultz, Brooke (2019-05-30). "Delaware School for the Deaf celebrates 50th anniversary". Newark Post. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
11. "Delaware Deaf School reports for 10th year". The News Journal. 1940-01-19. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Caldwell, Holly (2017). "Deafness and the Deaf". Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
13. Russell, Jack K. (1962-05-09). "Rustling around". The News Journal. p. 26. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Newark district named site of Delaware School for Deaf". The News Journal. 1966-05-20. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
15. Wilson, Charles P. (1967-06-09). "Minister tutors deaf children". The News Journal. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "School for deaf to be dedicated". The Morning News. 1969-04-19. p. 21. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Delaware School for the Deaf celebrates 50th anniversary". Newark Post. 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
18. Kenney, Edward L. (2009-10-07). "Ground broken for new school for deaf". The News Journal. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "School to be named for Oberle". Newark Post. 2011-01-19. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
20. Kenney, Edward L. (2007-11-14). "Christina to award redesign contract". The News Journal. p. 19. Retrieved 2021-07-10 – via Newspapers.com.
21. . U.S. News & World Report. 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
22. "High School Department". Delaware School for the Deaf. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
23. Nomeland, Melvia M; Nomeland, Ronald E. (2011). The Deaf Community in America: History in the Making. MacFarland, Inc. p. 124. ISBN 9780786488544.
24. "Athletics Home". Delaware School for the Deaf. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
25. "ESDAA – Meet Results". US Deaf Track and Field. 2020. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
26. Bellmyer, Jane (2018-02-08). "Newark native performs in sign language at Super Bowl". Newark Post. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
27. "Chuck Baird 1947-2012" (PDF). ASL Deafined. n.d. Retrieved 2021-07-09.