Delaware School for the Deaf
| Delaware School for the Deaf | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| 630 E. Chestnut Hill Rd, Newark, Delaware, USA | |
| Coordinates | 39°40′29″N 75°42′23″W / 39.67465°N 75.706523°WCoordinates: 39°40′29″N 75°42′23″W / 39.67465°N 75.706523°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public school |
| Established | 1929 - 1969 - 2011 |
| School district | Christina School District |
| Director | Della Thomas |
| Staff | 90+ |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Number of students | 130+ |
| Campus size | Small |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue and White |
| Athletics | Boy's & Girl's Basketball, Boy's Soccer and Girl's Volleyball |
| Athletics conference | ESDAA Division I & Mid-Atlantic Independent League |
| Mascot | Blue Hawks |
| Languages | American Sign Language & English |
| Website | http://www.dsdeaf.org/ |
Delaware School for the Deaf is a public K-12 school in Newark, New Castle County, Delaware, US. The school is part of the Christina School District and also part of Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind (DSPDHHDB). It is located on East Chestnut Hill Road in Newark, Delaware. Delaware's School for the Deaf's colors are Royal Blue and White. The school's mascot is the Blue Hawks. The currently $43 million state-of-the-art school building, which is only a couple of hundred feet east of the old Sterck school building on Chestnut Hill Road. The currently building will feature a 110,000-square-foot main building and an 18,000-square-foot residential facility.
Mission
The mission of the Delaware School for the Deaf, a program serving deaf and hard of hearing students birth through eighteen years of age, is to educate students 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.[1]
History
Margaret S. Sterck began her career in education of the deaf at the age of 17 in 1909 by training with Mary Garrett, a nationally known teacher and pioneer of the oral method of communication. While teaching at Miss Garrett’s school in Philadelphia, Sterck became concerned that Delaware’s children had to be educated out of state as there was no school for the Deaf in Delaware.
Through the efforts of Sterck and others, in 1929 she opened a one room school for seven students in Grace Church in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1930, Sterck purchased a house at 1414 Van Buren Street in Wilmington where she established a school on the first floor and private residence on the second. The school was incorporated in 1933 to become the Delaware School for Deaf Children, Inc. Sterck was one of the three founding incorporators and served as treasurer. In 1933, Sterck also purchased a house in Lewes, Delaware to be used as a summer camp. Sterck worked tirelessly to secure private and state funds so that all children with varying hearing levels could attend her school. She believed deaf children had a right to communication and education equal to that of their “hearing” peers. Like many of her contemporaries, she used an oral approach to education, emphasizing speech-reading and the use of auditory skills.
Sterck taught until 1945, when state regulations forced all deaf children to be taught in schools. Some were transferred to specialized deaf programs in schools across Delaware while others went to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) in Philadelphia. In 1960, space restrictions made PSD to bar additional deaf children from Delaware from enrolling. Parents of deaf children expressing concern led the Delaware State Board of Education to initiate plans for building a school for the deaf in the state. Funding and planning took place from 1960 to 1968. Construction was completed in 1968 and the school was open in 1969, the building was named in honor of Margaret S. Sterck.
Margaret S. Sterck School building (1968-2011)
The old Sterck School building were in used from 1968 to 2010, before moving to new location in 2011 after the completion of built new school building. In 1990s, the name of the school was changed to Delaware School for the Deaf, then it changed its school name again during built new school building; Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind. (DSPDHHDB) [2] The school is situated near the city of Newark, in the northern part of the state where a majority of deaf children are located.
Athletics
Delaware School for the Deaf have total of four sports teams; Girl's Volleyball, Boy's Soccer, Girl's and Boy's Basketball. The DSD mascot is the Blue Hawks and the school's colors are royal blue and white. Delaware School for the Deaf is one of members of the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA) and Mid-Atlantic Independent League (MIL).[3]
Since 1996, at least one of the school's three sports; Girl's Volleyball, Girl's & Boy's Basketball teams has entered ESDAA championship games at least once every years until the last one in 2007. The three teams had won a total of ten championships out of 18 appearances in ESDAA finals during the span of 11 years.
The Delaware Boy's Basketball had won Division III twice in 1996 and 1998 and finished second in 1997 and placed second for Division II in 1999. The Boy's Basketball finally reappeared in ESDAA Division II finals three in row, in 2010, 2011 and 2012 but all those time they finished second place.
The Delaware Girl's Basketball finished second in 2001, and winning three straight Division II titles in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The Girl's Basketball finally reappeared in ESDAA Division II title game in 2015, finished second behind Rochester; and then was invited to be participated in ESDAA Division I tournament for first time and finished second place again to Rochester.
The Delaware Girl's volleyball team had won five Division II titles in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. The Girl's Volleyball team had appeared in all of ESDAA Div. II championship games every year from 1999 until 2007. The girl's volleyball team reappeared in ESDAA Division II championship games, but finished 2nd place in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Delaware Lady Hawks complete in ESDAA Division I for first time in school history and they finished as second place in the tournament in 2015. Delaware School for the Deaf Girls' Volleyball team has appeared in ESDAA championship game fourteen times out of last seventeen tournaments and won five volleyball titles.
The current overall is 10 championships, and twenty-eight appearances in ESDAA finals.
Delaware School for the Deaf Boy's Soccer team just starting their first season during 2014-15 school year.
Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletics Association
- 1996 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division III Champ
- 1997 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division III 2nd Place
- 1998 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division III Champ
- 1999 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 1999 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2000 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2001 – Girls’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2001 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2002 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2003 – Girls’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2003 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2004 – Girls’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2004 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2005 – Girls’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2005 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II Champ
- 2006 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2007 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2010 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2010 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2011 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2012 – Boys’ Basketball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2012 – Girls’ Volleyball – ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2013 - Girls’ Volleyball - ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2014 - Girls’ Volleyball - ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2015 - Girl's Basketball - ESDAA Division II 2nd Place
- 2015 - Girl's Basketball - ESDAA Division I 2nd Place
- 2015 - Girl's Volleyball - ESDAA Division I 2nd Place
- 2016 - Girl's Basketball - ESDAA Division I 2nd Place
Trivia
- Delaware School for the Deaf changed its name four times in its long history. First, it was Delaware School for Deaf Children, Inc., then Margaret S. Sterck School for Hearing Impaired, then Delaware School for the Deaf, and now it is Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind.
- Delaware School for the Deaf was established in 1929, making it the forty-fifth oldest deaf residential school in the country and fifty-seventh oldest deaf school in U.S.
- Delaware School for the Deaf becomes one of the first schools in Delaware to have computers in each classroom and to be on a network.
- Delaware School for the Deaf was the first school to host the inaugural annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Academic Bowl tournament in 1998 and recently hosted Southeast Regional Academic Bowl in 2015.
- Delaware School for the Deaf Girls' volleyball team was the first volleyball team to win the inaugural ESDAA Division II tournament champion in 1999.
- Delaware School for the Deaf Girls’ volleyball team had appeared in all of ESDAA Div. II championship games every year from 1999 until 2007.
- In last sixteen years, Delaware School for the Deaf Girls' volleyball team appeared in ESDAA championship game fourteen times and won five volleyball titles.
- Between 1996 to 2007, at least one of the school's three sports team; Girl's Volleyball, Girl's & Boy's Basketball teams has entered ESDAA championship games at least once every years. The three teams had won a total of ten championships out of 18 appearances in ESDAA finals, during the span of 11 years.