SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation

A small investment can yield beneficial results that will continue to be enjoyed for many years. In 2019, we heard about a Spartanburg County opportunity called Keep OneSpartanburg Beautiful. The program offered a competitive mini-grant application for up to $2,500 to improve and beautify an outdoor area in Spartanburg County. Knowing the importance of first impressions, we opted to landscape the area around the electronic sign, at the main campus entrance, which advertises school events. Working with Charles Farr, our Facilities Director at that time, we devised a plan to plant shrubs and flowering plants and put pavers around the sign. In January 2020, we received a grant for $2,125 and began to work on the program. The landscaping was completed in March 2020 and continues to provide a welcoming sight as people approach one of the gateways to the city on Cedar Springs Road/Highway 56. It also draws the eyes of drivers to the SCSDB sign, letting them know that SCSDB is a vibrant and active school with many programs and activities. The picture in the top left shows the sign before the landscaping. The picture in the bottom right shows the sign after the landscaping with bricks/pavers encircling the sign with trees, bushes, and flowers. The SCSDB Foundation logo is located in the top right and the 175 Days of Giving logo is located in the bottom left. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day76

The South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) participates in Boys Track and Field. The Head Coach is Michael Sims. The Track and Field team is a member of the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) Region 1 1A where they compete against local private and public schools. These athletes also compete in the Mason Dixon Tournament where they play against other deaf schools from Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. This team also competes in the USA Deaf Track & Field Competition. These athletes have the opportunity to play in the regional championship for the SCHSL. If the team advances in the Regional Championship, they can take part in the Upper State Championship in Columbia, South Carolina where they have the opportunity to advance further and compete in the State Championship. Every year at least one athlete from our Track and Field team makes it to Upper State whether it is in running or in field events. The Foundation assists with all travel for this team. Playing sports has many benefits for students. Many athletes do better academically and sports teach teamwork and problem-solving skills. In addition to the physical benefits of sports, they help boost self-esteem. An added benefit for the students at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind is that playing sports exposes them to people and places they may not otherwise have a chance to experience. They also get a chance to practice the real life skills they learn on our campus. Pictured here is Christian Washington (at the time a junior) after he placed 2nd in the 100-meter event at the Region 1A Championship meet at McCormick High School last year. He qualified to attend the Upper-State Championship meet. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day75

Today is National Dance Day. To celebrate we are looking back at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind’s participation in So You Think You Can Dance. The South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind has been an ABC (Arts in Basic Curriculum) School for over ten years. We provide classes for our students in fine arts (including painting, drawing, and ceramics), music, theater, and dance. Each year, we have dance teachers-in-residence who help our students to learn modern dance steps, including hip-hop. With instruction from these excellent teachers, we have able to form dance teams in 2016 and 2020 to compete in the Spartanburg area So You Think You Can Dance contest. Ballet Spartanburg sponsors the community dance contest which features 10 community organizations competing on stage to spread awareness of their causes and raise money from members of the community. In the 2016 contest, SCSDB board members and one teacher competed along with students dressed as ballerinas in a dance number that had a “Dream” theme. Board member Anna Converse, dressed as a Disney princess, danced with Fine Arts Teacher Chris Turner, dressed as a Prince. Board members Cordelia “Dele” Fort, dressed as Snow White, and James Nittel, dressed as another Prince, whirled across the boards. In 2020, a group of our students, led by dance teacher-in-residence Son of Ice with the Sound of Learning company, and music teacher Cecilia England, performed a vibrant hip-hop routine. As a result of students’ fancy footwork, money was raised for the Foundation to fund SCSDB programs. In the top left is a picture of the students who performed in the event when SCSDB participated in 2016. In the bottom right is a picture of the students who performed in the event when SCSDB participated in 2020. The SCSDB Foundation logo is located in the top right and the 175 Days of Giving logo is located in the bottom left. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day74

Today is National Tradesman Day. It is a day that honors the men and women whose skills and hard work build America and keep it running strong. So today we will be highlighting Dee Stark, the Director of Career Technical Education at the Applied Academic Center (AAC). The South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind’s AAC prepares students for job or continued education upon graduation. We offer career clusters in agriculture, food, and natural resources; architecture and construction; arts, audio/visual technology, and communications; education and training; human services/family and consumer sciences; information technology; and transportation, distribution, and logistics. When asked “What is your hope for your school this year?” Dee responded, “I hope for each student to learn as many new skills as they can and earn certifications to ensure their future success in their chosen career field.” When asked “What do you like to do in your spare time?” Dee replied “I enjoy spending time with my husband, daughter and pug; reading, cycling, and playing basketball.”   A collage that features three photos: Dee Stark smiling outdoors, a student in a lab, and a student receiving instruction on operating a forklift. The School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation and 175 Days of Giving logo are located in top right.   #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day73

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation has a mission to bring the multicultural, creative spirit of Keats into children’s lives and literature. They do this by supporting arts and literacy programs in public schools and libraries; celebrating new writers and illustrators of exceptional picture books for a diverse audience of children; and preserving Keats’s work and extending his legacy. Several of our teachers have been awarded grants from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation to do projects with our students. The art teacher at the School for the Blind, Liz List, received one such grant a few years ago. She was able to purchase supplies for the students to create tactile books using different materials. The students then wrote a story to go in the book. We have very talented students! Pictured here are two of the projects done by the School for the Blind students. The top left picture has a treble clef with musical notes. The bottom right shows a guitar on one side of the open book and the story on the other. The words read “I started playing my guitar, but it didn’t make any sound. The strings were broken. I went to get some sticks. I put them on the guitar. It tried to strum them. It still did not make any sound.” #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day72

On October 24, 2018, the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) Foundation dedicated the first of four I Love You sculptures to the City of Spartanburg. The sculpture is a three-dimensional American Sign Language (ASL) representation of the sign for the words, I Love You. The hands that make up the sculpture were copied from the hands of students at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind and Spartanburg community members. The artist, Bob Doster, come to campus as an artist in residence and worked with the students and community members to cut out the hands after they had been traced. This sculpture was installed in Morgan Square which is an historically important section of Downtown Spartanburg and is located at the intersection of Church Street and Main Street. The sculpture is overseen by the statue of Daniel Morgan, the leader of the Revolutionary War who led the American forces to a decisive victory over the British at the Battle of Cowpens in Spartanburg County. This victory was the beginning of the end for the British army in the United States. There are three more sculptures. One is on the SCSDB Campus in Spartanburg. Another is in Columbia and the last sculpture has yet to be dedicated but the SCSDB Foundation is in talks with another city for the installation there. These sculptures are powerful works of art and they each speak of inclusion and love for our neighbors. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day70

Many students love to sing, but few in their lifetimes will fulfill a dream of recording a CD of their voices. In October 2017, a talented group of 10 South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind chorus members had the opportunity to record a CD of Christmas songs at a professional recording studio in downtown Greenville. Working with music instructors Cecilia England and Carrie Page, and Fine Arts Coordinator Josh Padgett, the students had practiced for weeks to make sure that they were ready. After an 8-hour recording session, a CD of 6 Christmas songs was completed and named: Once Upon a Dream: A Holiday Medley. More than 3,000 copies of the CD were made and were ready for distribution. Students expressed their joy in being able to sing together in a studio. One student, Devin, said: “The sound of all of our voices blending together was extremely beautiful.” The Once Upon a Dream project was made possible by a generous grant of $10,000 from the Rea Charitable Trust. The SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation loves to be able to give our students unique opportunities like this one. But we can only do so with the support of our donors, like you. Thank you for continuing to support the SCSDB Foundation so that we can provide our students with once in a life time experiences. The Foundation has a limited number of CDs left. For every donation of at least $5 given on https://lnkd.in/eWCTdYYA (please select Other from the drop down menu and type CD into the description), we will be happy to mail you a Once Upon a Dream: A Holiday Medley CD. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day69