csac newsletter - Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech

Transcription

CLARKE SCHOOLS
FOR
HEARING
AND
SPEECH
BOSTON—JACKSONVILLE—NEW YORK—NORTHAMPTON—PHILADELPHIA
CSAC N EWSLETTER
Message from the Chairperson
Volume III, Issue 2
November 2010
Richard Mahaffy ‘81—CSAC Chairperson
Hello! Let me introduce myself. My name is Richard Mahaffy. I graduated from Clarke
School for the Deaf in 1981. I then attended Williston-Northampton School, a
preparatory school in Easthampton, MA and graduated in 1985. In 1989, I received my
Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, majoring in religion. I
worked in the insurance, investment, and financial service industry for over fifteen
years. Currently, I am in the process of seeking ordination to the priesthood in the
Episcopal Church.
I have been active in the Clarke School Alumni Association (CSAA) and Clarke Schools
Alumni Council (CSAC) since 1992. In the Clarke School Alumni Association, I was on
the Board of Directors from 1992-1997 and then became the Secretary from 19972007. Also, I served on many committees including Homecoming, Reunion, etc. After
the dissolution of CSAA in 2007, I was elected to be the Secretary in the new CSAC.
Then, I was elected to be the chairperson of CSAC on October 3, 2010. I currently serve
on the Executive and Homecoming Committees and will be assisting the other
committees as well.
www.clarkeschools.org
Inside This Issue:
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I want to thank David Del Pizzo ’92 for all his fine work as the interim chairperson. This
year has been very challenging for CSAC. We, the CSAC members, have been working
very hard to keep the council strong and serving the alumni. Also, the CSAC works
very hard to maintain a strong bond between CSAC and Clarke School. CSAC has
consist of alumni who are both young and old and it is my great privilege and honor to
be on this council. Let’s salute our CSAC members for all their hard work!

As the new Chairperson of CSAC, one of my goals is to maintain a strong bond
between Clarke School and the Alumni and to maintain open communication between
the two organizations. As you know, Clarke School has undergone many changes over
the past several decades. Many children currently are mainstreamed under the age of
six and are receiving Clarke School services in their homes and schools, rather than on
our Clarke School campus in Northampton often due to advances in auditory
technology. It is interesting to see how much things have changed in those years. It is
also interesting to see what has not changed. The alumni still have a very strong bond,

(“Welcome” on page 3)
Letter from the President’s Office
Bill Corwin—President of Clarke
Dear Alumni, I hope everyone is enjoying the fall; the foliage is beautiful this year in
Northampton. In this issue of the Newsletter, I wanted to update you on some of the
many activities happening at Clarke.
Clarke Homecoming: With more than 150 alumni in attendance, Clarke celebrated its
annual Homecoming festivities on a beautiful Saturday in early October. It was a great
day, and it was a pleasure for me to have a chance to see and talk with so many of
you. It was also an occasion for Clarke to publicly celebrate Kevin Nolan, who has—
along with his family—been such an important part of Clarke for many, many years.
Kevin has contributed an enormous amount to the Clarke community, and it was a
pleasure to celebrate his life and accomplishments.
At a meeting with the alumni that day we had a good discussion about future planning
for the Northampton campus, Clarke’s name change, and other important questions. It
is heartening to see that Clarke is still such a cherished part of so many of your lives.
Clarke Northampton Campus Update: By now you all should have received a letter
updating you on the status of the Northampton campus. This letter is available on the
(“President” on page 5)
CSAC NEWSLETTER FRONT PAGE
NOVEMBER 2010
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Spotlight Series: Clarke Boston
Alumni Notes
1980 Class Anniversary
Honoring Kevin Nolan, Sr.
New Liaisons
Homecoming Recap
Remembrance
Class Anniversaries Dinner
2012 Reunion Update
Class of 1970 Anniversary
Class of 1955 Reunion
Save The Date!
CSAC News
June 9 & 10, 2011 at 1:45 p.m. — Middle
School Awards and Pinning Ceremonies.
June 11, 2011 — Clarke Northampton
Graduation Ceremony at 10:30 a.m.
July 5-8, 2012 — Reunion at Clarke
Northampton.
We hope to see you at these events! ▪
CSAC on Facebook
CSAC News
You probably have heard that CSAC has a
presence on several social media
platforms. Facebook is one of them, and
at the time of this publication, we have
over 400 “friends”! Going forward in the
future, CSAC is committed to keeping our
Facebook page fresh and updated with
new information and reminders. Also, you
are welcome to comment and post
questions and suggestions in order to
improve the alumni experience with
Clarke and CSAC. Join us today! ▪
CLARKE SCHOOLS ALUMNI COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
Spotlight: Clarke Boston
By Grady Congleton ‘05
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series highlighting each school in the Clarke Schools system and where they stand today. In this
installment, Clarke Boston is featured and interviews were conducted with numerous individuals in creating this article. The result was a
fascinating story of how this program started and how it continues to serve countless families across eastern Massachusetts.
Clarke School has always been at the forefront of change throughout its storied history. We all know that Clarke is the first school for
the deaf in the country to specialize only in oral education – teaching children how to talk and listen through various methods such as
feeling vibrations, lip-reading and using their residual hearing. But, it was almost two decades ago when Clarke was once again at the
forefront, as several auditory schools – including Clarke – noted that enrollment at these schools was in a consistent decline, and there
was an ever growing demand for a certain kind of oral education: early intervention—especially closer to home.
Thus, Clarke needed to do something to accommodate this trend, especially since several leading professionals noted that technology –
namely, cochlear implants – was going to change the way they teach young deaf children. This became clear starting in 1990, when the
FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) approved cochlear implants for children, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) was
the first hospital in Boston to perform a cochlear implant surgery on a child – a four year old boy who also attended Clarke
Northampton. Soon after, Children’s Hospital Boston followed suit and established a “Cochlear Implant Team”. With technology in this
case being the main cause of this changing environment, it was important for Clarke to begin providing services to those who are in the
first three years of their life – a time period critical to a child’s language development.
As a result, the heads of each auditory/oral school outside of Clarke came together and discussed the possibility of establishing early
intervention programs. According to Cara Jordan, the current Director of Clarke Boston, different trends included “a drop in enrollment
[in oral schools]; families and public schools were expressing an interest in programming closer to home and more students were
starting to enter mainstream settings at younger ages; the numbers of children who were receiving cochlear implants were increasing
and in major metropolitan areas, the medical centers who were providing cochlear implant options were looking for educational and
habilitative options close to these areas.”
Jordan at the time was a cochlear implant specialist at Clarke’s Oral Communication Department when Clarke began looking into the
possibility of establishing schools in some of the nation’s largest cities. Dennis Gjerdingen, Clarke’s President until his retirement in
2007, also knew that Jordan had a very high interest in relocating to the greater Boston area. So, in the fall of 1994, Jordan along with
Gjerdingen and Janice Gatty, currently the Director of Child & Family Services at Clarke Northampton, worked together to create a new
school in order to respond to the changing demographics and trends that the leading professionals in the field of oral education had
discussed. Additionally, Gjerdingen and Clarke had received some interest from families in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island,
which led to the agreement that a new school would be established in this area. Also, due to the low incidence of deafness –
approximately one person out of 1,000 is born deaf – expanding into one of the largest markets in the country in Boston made sense.
“93% of children who are born deaf have hearing parents (who are not native to or fluent in ASL) and since there was the technology
available to make it possible for these children to hear their parents' voices, Boston was an obvious site to provide services,” Gatty said.
In the summer of 1995, Jordan began working with a few parent/infant students and a preschooler, and soon formed a collaborative
with two private preschools in Norton, one of which was located at Wheaton College. The arrangement was such that Jordan “worked
with the preschooler three mornings in one school and three afternoons in the other.” When she was not working with her young
preschooler, she traveled from her apartment in Waltham and worked with families who had deaf or hard-of-hearing children whose
ages were from 0-3. She quickly found that parents were fascinated with the work she had done and the doors of possibilities began to
open for families with deaf children, and she was able to establish a space at Lasell College in Newton to open the first center for
Preschool/Kindergarten and Parent/Infant programs, and this program was appropriately named “Clarke East”. As the center continued
to grow, Jordan quickly identified that the space at Lasell College would not be enough; she then was able to locate a property in nearby
Canton in which to settle down permanently starting with 12 preschool/kindergarten students and 8 Parent/Infant families.
Today, the school known as Clarke Boston in Canton, Massachusetts offers services in early intervention for deaf and hard-of-hearing
(“Clarke Boston” on page 4)
Clarke Schools Alumni Council (CSAC), 47 Round Hill Road, Northampton, MA 01060-2199
Getting married? Graduating from College? Or just want to chime in? Please let us know what you are doing these days and we
will put it in our upcoming newsletter. E-mail Grady Congleton ‘05 at editor@clarkealumni.org
2
(Continued from page 1)
like a second family.
The most important
thing about Clarke
School is the people
associated with the
school: the alumni, the
students, the staff, and
the
friends
who
support us.
These
people are the heart of Clarke. Even
though many of the buildings at Clarke
hold special memories for us, it is the
people who make the school work. One
of the most important jobs of the
President and the Board of Trustees is to
keep the institution financially stronger
for the future. Most of all though, what
has not changed is the quality of the
Clarke School education and the devoted
dedication of the staff to provide the best
auditory/oral education in the world.
Bob Storm is doing a great job of working
with the alumni as a liaison. Mr. Storm
will be leading the “History Project”,
which will begin early next year. Be sure
to
visit
Clarke’s
website,
www.clarkeschools.org, and register to
receive email updates on this exciting
project in preparation for Clarke’s 150th
birthday in 2017!
As always, I will try my best to serve well
as chairperson and am looking forward to
working with all of you. If you have any
concerns or questions about Clarke
School, please contact me at
richard@clarkealumni.org or Bob Storm at
alumniliaison@clarkeschools.org. ▪
Alumni Notes
Last July, it was announced that Clarke alumna and fellow
CSAC member Hannah Bartini ‘04 accepted her longtime
boyfriend’s engagement proposal. “We are both very
thrilled! We are looking forward to August 2012 and to
spending the rest of our lives together,” Hannah wrote in
an e-mail sent in August. Nonetheless, CSAC wishes
nothing but the best for Hannah and her new fiancée,
Stefan. ▪
Hannah and Stefan
Betty Burbank ‘79 proudly wrote in an e-mail to the editor that her work as a webpage
designer was featured on the National Network of Forest Practitioners’ website.
Currently, she works for Goosebay Lumber, managing its website. Goosebay is a
lumber company based in Chichester, New Hampshire. ▪
Sharon E. Wade ‘80
Our Class of 1980 celebrated its 30th year
since graduation from Clarke School at
Homecoming. It was difficult to find some
of our classmates as well as to get them to
come for their reunion.
We saw
Christopher Simonfy from Holyoke for the
first time in nearly 30 years! The class
would like to thank Ron Baranoski ‘68-‘80
who gave Christopher a ride to Clarke so
that he can join us for the day! Many of us
traveled far and near like Ellen Foshay from
Missouri, Curtis E. Reid from Virginia,
Class of 1980—Top Row: Chris, Sharon, Pam and
Curtis. Bottom Row: Steve V., Ellen and Arthur
Pamela (Poirier) Solderholm with her
Photo Courtesy of Sharon E. Wade ’80
husband Tom who recently relocated to
Connecticut from California. Arthur Moore and his wife Beth from Connecticut joined
us along with Steve Vickery and his wife Catherine from Ohio as well as Sharon Wade
from the Boston area. Other classmates couldn’t join us include Paul Casanova,
Richard Fromberg, Robert Gibbons, Catherine Guistina, Jacqueline (Hawley) Flynn,
and Jill Weston. The class had a great time catching up and comparing each other
from 1980 to the present day and we plan to aim to get together again in ten years, for
our 40th anniversary! ▪
Kevin Nolan ‘63 Honored at Homecoming
Laurie (Filios) Blanchard ‘82
On Homecoming weekend at Clarke Northampton, about 100 people gathered with excitement in the air as many were looking forward
to share wonderful and funny memories of Kevin Nolan, Sr. ‘63, former guidance counselor and long-time friend of Clarke School.
The master of ceremonies, John McGinty ‘02, presented the slide shows, stories from alumni and Clarke faculty and a time-line.
McGinty was also great at portraying Mr. Nolan, wearing glasses with the string, depicting Nolan’s bald head, but then having a black
long wig on top of his bald head!
Lisa (Kozikowski) Taylor ‘90 provided a slide-show and time-line of Mr. Nolan’s career. Mr. Nolan graduated from Clarke in 1963 and
then he went to RIT/NTID and received his B.S. in business. Kevin worked at several deaf schools in various positions, including as a
teacher. Kevin brought his family to Clarke School in 1979, and spent the next 21 years of his life working at Clarke. At the time, he was
the dormitory teacher in charge, guidance counselor, coordinator for Alumni Affairs and Student Life. Mr. Nolan has contributed his
services for the National Development Council and coordinated many other activities. In 1985, Mr. Nolan successfully ran for City
Council in Northampton. In 1987, he lost in a close re-election race. He retired in 2000, and went to the National Theater of the Deaf
Summer Program and he taught drama at several deaf schools. During Lisa’s presentation, McGinty sat at a desk on stage and began to
eat a lot of M&Ms pretending to be Mr. Nolan. When Mr. Nolan saw McGinty, he demanded that he give him some, prompting laughs
from the audience.
(“Nolan” on page 8)
Please forward this e-newsletter to your classmates, friends and sponsors! Want to receive Alumni news? Send an email to
news@clarkealumni.org with your name, class year, email and mailing address.
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Welcoming the new liaisons
(“Clarke Boston” from page 2)
children ages 0-3 “who have an identified special need or some demonstrated risk”, a
preschool/kindergarten program, and mainstream and consultative services outside of
the school. A total of 80 students and their families receive services directly from
Clarke Boston, with 16 in the early intervention program, 13 in the preschool/
kindergarten program and the rest – 51 – are involved with Clarke Boston in an
outreach, consultative role that involves their respective local public schools.
Cara Jordan has seen the school grow
dramatically in the past decade, and she
has even introduced a music class that has
become wildly popular with Clarke Boston
students and their families.
With
technology at the forefront of change in the
field of oral education, Clarke Boston is
seeing that change firsthand as it serves its
young population. Jordan says that while
many of the students enrolled have
cochlear implants, their level of hearing varies from a case of mild hearing loss in one
ear to a profound bilateral hearing loss (profound hearing loss in both ears). Jordan
also adds that “the children may use hearing aids, cochlear implants and other
assistive technology” to help them with their development.
After the students have achieved their goals at Clarke Boston or have outgrown the
program, many of them move on to the regular educational programs in their
hometowns, and Jordan was able to establish a relationship with several public school
districts as far west as Worcester and as far east as Provincetown in Cape Cod. In
some cases, if a child needs specialized services that their local school districts or
Clarke Boston cannot provide, they have gone to Clarke Northampton to receive those
services, or “have moved on to other programs designed for students who are deaf
and hard of hearing.”
With the current economic climate, Jordan admits that it is extremely important to be
fiscally smart and possess a keen knowledge of what could happen in the future, and
how the current fiscal standing of Clarke Boston could affect the future of quality
educational services to young deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
“These are very challenging economic times and we have to make fiscally responsible
decisions that will position Clarke to continue to be able to offer the option of listening
and spoken language to families in the areas where our campuses are located. We
need to make smart decisions of how we can best continue our mission,” said Jordan.
Gatty agrees, also adding that “Clarke Boston is a program that was developed in
response to the changing needs for services for very young deaf children and their
families. It continues to be responsive to the ever-changing educational needs of the
deaf that most go to their neighborhood school when they enter elementary school.”
All in all, Jordan recognizes the importance of Clarke’s alumni and encourages those
who want to visit the Clarke Boston campus to do so, as they love meeting with alumni
and their visitors.
To arrange a visit, e-mail a Clarke representative at
info@clarkeschools.org or visit www.clarkeschools.org for more information. Jordan
wants the alumni to know that “although our students tend to attend Clarke’s on site
programs for a shorter period of time than alumni historically have attended Clarke
Northampton, the impact of Clarke and the student’s and family’s connection to Clarke
is strong. Even though our students may be alumni at age 6, they still have had their
start at Clarke and are part of the family for life. I hope that they will be able to
identify as a group as they grow and continue to find support and affiliation with the
greater Clarke community.” ▪
The next part of this series will be featured in the next issue, slated for mid-April 2011.
Grady Congleton ‘05
They may be new to the Alumni Council,
but they certainly are not new to Clarke.
With a combined 78 years between the
two, they bring a wealth of experience
and knowledge with goals of facilitating
relations between CSAC and Clarke.
The new Alumni Liaisons, as announced
last spring, are Robert Storm and Michael
F. O’Connell. They both have served as a
teacher and Supervising Teacher at one
point in their careers, and it is no secret
that they are extremely excited to be able
to interact with Alumni in the future.
“I was so excited and eager to be asked
and to get started,” said Storm.
“Becoming the Alumni Liaison was
another opportunity to not only stay in
touch, but also to help further Clarke’s
mission of providing a high quality
auditory/oral education to deaf and hard
of hearing children.”
“It was an honor for me to be asked to
assist in further developing and refining
the relationship between the School and
its alumni,” added O’Connell.
Both liaisons know the importance of
serving in this role, and it is one that they
will take with great joy as well as
seriousness. Storm believes that “one
part of the mission of CSAC is to cultivate
and maintain interaction between Alumni
and the Schools' campuses.
Clarke
students are the Schools' ambassadors;
they have been part of the educational
programs and in many cases Clarke has
been their second home.”
O’Connell certainly agrees, noting that
“contact with alumni is a vital part of
keeping Clarke strong and successful. The
experiences and opinions of alumni can
help guide the school as it evolves to meet
the challenges of educating current and
future students. The best way to tap into
the support that former students have to
offer is to reach out to them sincerely and
openly and that is what the school is doing
by devoting more resources to alumni
relations.”
As for the future role of the Alumni
Council going forward, Storm sees
(“Liaisons” on page 5)
4
(“Liaisons” from page 4)
(“President” from page 1)
“continued positive leadership coming
from the Council and all the alumni by
developing new ideas and creating events
for the alumni so they can stay connected
to one other and to the Schools.”
O’Connell added to the sentiment,
quoting President John F. Kennedy, “The
torch has been passed to a new
generation” when referring to the alumni
support and participation that he has seen
over the years, “The personal and
professional accomplishments of the
alumni are proof of the value of a Clarke
education and we need to continue to
work together to find new and creative
ways to make sure that story is told.”
Alumni Council Facebook page and on the Clarke website in our Alumni section. We
are committed to keeping you updated and being as transparent as possible about this
issue. Please call or email our Alumni Liaison Bob Storm or myself if you have any
questions.
One important aspect going forward is the
relationship between the Alumni Council
and the School, and the main question
posed is “how can we work more closely
together” in the future?
Storm believes that the upcoming project
in establishing and preserving Clarke’s
history will be an important part,
especially when Clarke celebrates its
150th anniversary in 2017.
O ’C o n n e ll
a l so
b el i e v es
that
communication will be key, and “everyone
should feel free to share their plans and
suggestions” and the input that Clarke
receives will only improve how Clarke
responds to the needs of its alumni.
Additionally, O’Connell theorizes that
“putting together the wisdom and
experience of the older alumni, the energy
and enthusiasm of the younger alumni
and the resources and commitment of the
school is a perfect recipe for success and I
look forward to being a part of this
effort.”
So, with that, the Alumni Council is
extremely excited to have such individuals
who have given their careers to the
students and friends of Clarke. We
welcome them with open arms, and look
forward to great success in the future. ▪
Mainstream Conference: On October 14 and 15
more than 280 people gathered from 24 states and
Canada to attend our 31st Annual Mainstream
Conference, “Connecting the Dots Academically and
Socially,” which featured keynote speaker Patricia
Chute, Ed.D., whose presentation offered insights
into how technology has changed how we
communicate and how it may affect our thinking.
Mainstream Services Director Claire
Highlights also included the world’s first deaf Toriano being interviewed by WWLP-TV
Courtesy of Clarke Schools
instrument-rated pilot, Stephen Hopson, who
presented an inspirational general session and also shared his story with more than 15
students who attended the “Making Connections” student track of the Conference.
Congratulations to the Mainstream Services team for making this year’s conference
such a success! The event was briefly profiled on WWLP-TV in Springfield.
Brockton and the growth in our mainstream services: For over 30 years Clarke’s
Mainstream Services have been an important resource for families and schools
mainstreaming children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The range of our services in
this area has expanded a great deal in recent years, and the number of children we
serve continues to grow. We now offer mainstream services out of Northampton, the
Boston area and Philadelphia, and we now regularly send teachers of the deaf into
public schools to work with individual students up to several times a week.
This past summer Clarke Mainstream Services and the Brockton (MA) school district
entered into a first of its kind comprehensive agreement whereby Clarke is providing a
teacher of the deaf to Brockton schools working one on one with students several
times a week and providing training to staff. An audiologist from Clarke’s Hearing
Center is working with the district to provide recommendations on classroom acoustics
and assistive technology, and training teachers on how to use FM systems and other
aids. Over fifty children who are deaf or hard of hearing attend school in the Brockton
district and Clarke is thrilled to be a working with such a professional and caring team,
all of whom are working to ensure that the students have the best possible
environment to learn and succeed.
Walks For Hearing in PA, Boston and NYC: We had great turnouts at three events this
fall when Clarke groups came together in New York, Pennsylvania and the Boston area
and raised more than $65,000 during their respective Walks For Hearing. These events
are 5K walks held across the United States, and they were founded in 2006 by the
Hearing Loss Association of America. Walk4Hearing™ has raised over $2 million dollars
for programs and services for people with hearing loss,
including Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.
Together, our three schools more than tripled the
number of walkers and amount raised from last year.
Congratulations and thanks to all of the 280 staff,
students and families who supported Clarke!
Clarke Northampton’s Fall Family Festival: On Saturday October 16, Clarke welcomed
families and students to Northampton for a day filled with information and fun.
Children enjoyed an array of activities, while parents had the opportunity to meet with
our School Psychologist, Cindy Forsythe and Director of Child and Family Services, Jan
Gatty to share their experiences of dealing with children of all ages. The discussions
included the topic of children in school and social settings and explored various stages
(“President” on page 8)
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Gather ‘Round! 2010 Homecoming a Success
Christine (Duffy) Skwersky ‘87—Alumni Events Co-Chair
The Alumni Homecoming on October 2, 2010 was another great success! Laurie (Filios)
Blanchard ‘82, co-chairperson of the Alumni event and I are grateful to the Homecoming
committee, Clarke faculty and volunteers who worked so hard. It was wonderful to see
alumni visit and catch up with old friends.
This year, there was a hot luncheon at Gawith Hall. The alumni reminisced, sharing good
memories of meals at Clarke School. The menu included stuffed chicken breast, rice pilaf,
hot vegetable and with tossed salad. The finale was apple crisp and whipped cream. Brian
Barkyoumb ’91 told CSAC members, “The $15.00 was a whole lot better this year. It feels
more of a welcome home meal. It was really good and apple crisp was a perfect dessert for
October”. We would like to thank the food manager, Bob Gauger and kitchen staff, who
whipped up such a delicious meal for us on Saturday!
Current faculty Michael F. O’Connell (l) and Marilyn
Buuck (r) pose with former teacher Mrs. Filios.
Our schedule of events began with Clarke President Bill Corwin and Interim Chairperson,
Brian Barkyoumb ‘91
David Del Pizzo ‘92 welcoming the alumni on Saturday morning. We want to thank
President Corwin for talking to us about the future of Clarke Schools. Del Pizzo introduced CSAC members and Alumni Liaisons Bob
Storm and Michael F. O’ Connell.
After the opening ceremonies was the first round of staff accolades. This year CSAC decided to honor three teachers who chaperoned
the senior trips to Washington, DC. Recognition was given to Mrs. Norma Filios (15 trips), Ms. Marilyn Buuck (22 trips) and Mr. Michael
O’Connell (32 trips). Hannah Bartini ‘04 gave a fabulous presentation about past senior trips to Washington D.C. We saw a slide show
of pictures for trips dating back to the 1970‘s, bringing back many fond memories. If you have a photo of your class trip with a Senator,
Representative, President, First Lady, etc., please send it to us. CSAC may put together another slide show with new photos for Reunion
2012!.
After lunch, there were several programs. Our two sponsors, Sprint and ZVRS demonstrated new technology for telecommunication.
Afterwards, Rod Kunath ‘58 talked about Clarke history. Mr. Storm introduced us to some of Clarke’s current students. It was clear to us
how much Clarke has evolved and continues to adapt to help its current student body.
The big closing event was at 3 PM. Kevin Nolan Sr. was honored for his 21 years at Clarke School, from 1979 to 2000. He was the
school’s first deaf guidance councilor and the first deaf politician in the United States! Look for an article about him in the newsletter
Laurie and I would like to thank the following people who helped contribute to the success of Homecoming: Sharon E. Wade ‘80 for the
creation of the CSAC t-shirts and the appreciation awards; Ugo Ronghi ‘85 for Fundraising through the 50/50 raffle, silent auction and
attracting Homecoming sponsors; Bob Storm for introducing current Clarke students and faculty to the alumni; Rodney Kunath ‘58 for
providing the alumni with an insight into Clarke’s history; John McGinty ‘02 for being the “Master of Ceremonies” for the Kevin Nolan
appreciation event; Frank Lepine, the A/V technican at Clarke, for providing the media and electronics needed for Homecoming;
Hannah Bartini ‘04 for her presentation about the annual Senior Trip to Washington, D.C.; Deb Lohmeyer, IT technician at Clarke, for
providing the technical equipment; Suzanne Heffron ‘84 and Curtis E. Reid ‘80 for serving as wonderful volunteers at the registration
desk; and many thanks to our Homecoming event volunteers Michael Kompogiannis ‘93, Cynthia (Catron) Pierce ‘55, and Christopher
Sobczak ‘94.
We hope to see you once again at next year’s Homecoming in October 2011, and if you are interested in helping out, please do not
hesitate to contact CSAC at events@clarkealumni.org. ▪
Remembrance
It is with great sadness that since our last CSAC Newsletter
publication in July, two members of the Class of 1981 passed
away at a young age. Dawn (Walters) Wiggins ‘81 and Tricia
(Burns) Guertin ‘81 were laid to rest in August and October
respectively. Tricia is second from the left in the picture, which
was taken during Homecoming Weekend 2010 along with (from
l to r) Dawn Dion ‘69-‘81, Daniela Ioannides ‘82 and Phyllis
Dorman ‘81.
CSAC and Clarke offers their deepest condolences to those who
knew and loved Dawn and Tricia, and there is comfort knowing
that they will be with the Clarke community forever in spirit. ▪
6
Class Anniversaries Dinner
Sharon E. Wade ‘80
During Homecoming weekend in early
October, Curtis E. Reid '80 and I planned
our first “Class Anniversaries Dinner”.
Forty-seven alumni and their spouses and
friends gathered at the Clarion Hotel and
Conference Center in Northampton for
their respective 20th, 30th and 40th class
anniversaries.
The dinner was held in the evening shortly
after the Homecoming concluded at
Clarke Northampton on October 2, 2010.
The food was well prepared by the Hotel
Chef as we had a choice of filet mignon or
stuffed baked chicken, salad, and a trio
sorbet along with a cash bar. For some
fun, we played a trivia game consisting of
questions about the history of Clarke
(There were ten questions plus five bonus
ones for a total of 15 points). These
questions were tough, because only one
person got the most with a score of 4.5
points! The prize was a large Clarke
School Cougar pennant which went to
Catherine Burland '70. Congrats, Kat!
While Curtis was busy scoring answers, I
started another game called charades. I
had several people act out like their
former or current teachers. We had so
much fun playing guessing who they are,
whether it be Mr. Storm or another
teacher. We gave a prize for the best and
funniest person. Another small Clarke
Cougar pennant went to Michael
Kompogiannis '90 from Montreal, Canada.
Congrats, Mike! Everyone had a great
time.
In addition, we
pro vided
d i s p o s a l
cameras
at
each table and
these pictures
were
shared
online with dinner participants. CSAC
plans to host another event of this kind at
next year’s Homecoming. We are seeking
representatives, or "class agents", from
the classes of 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991 and
2001 to recruit their respective classmates
to attend the 2011 Homecoming at Clarke
and hopefully have as much fun as the
participants did at the 2010 Homecoming
event. Nevertheless, the event was a
smashing success! ▪
2012 Reunion Update
Christine (Duffy) Skwersky ‘87—Alumni Events Co-Chair
Save the date! A big reunion will be happening on July 5 to 8, 2012 at Clarke
Northampton’s campus. It will be a fun weekend for all alumni to come and visit. Share
wonderful and exciting times while catching up with friends from close or far away!
The theme of the reunion is “We Were, We Are, We Will be” representing the past,
present and future of Clarke and its alumni.
Our reunion hotel will be the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. It’s conveniently
close to downtown Northampton and the Clarke School campus. Clarion has outdoor
and indoor pools perfect for summer. Clarion is not the only place, however, as there
are sister hotels: Howard Johnson, the EconoLodge and Autumn Inn. The room blocks
will be available starting in July 2011 and going until June 2012. Be sure to book early.
Here is the tentative schedule for the 2012 Reunion:
Thursday, July 5, 2012 — Welcome & Registration; Social Night at the
Clarion.
Friday, July 6, 2012 — Cookout Party at Look Memorial Park.
Saturday, July 7, 2012 — Clarke Day at Clarke Northampton & Banquet at
the Clarion.
Sunday, July 8, 2012 — Farewell Brunch at the Clarion.
Certainly, the schedule is still tentative and events may be added or removed as we get
closer to Reunion weekend. I would also like to welcome Deanna (Lambert) Bailey ’84
and Suzi Gerstel Romano ’82 to our team. They have many wonderful ideas for
functions (social night and the Saturday Banquet). I am looking forward to working
with them. CSAC member Curtis E. Reid ‘80, is now working on registration with rates
and developing an online site ready for next year, in 2011. I will announce the
reunion’s web site when it is ready!
The reunion team needs your help! Volunteers are needed for several teams such as
registration, fundraisers, the program, Clarke Day’s activities and kid’s activities. If you
are a photographer, designer (for the program and t-shirt) or entertainer, and are
interested in helping out, please contact Christine (Duffy) Skwersky ‘87, the Reunion
chairperson, reunion@clarkealumni.org. Do you have any ideas to share with us or
have reunion-related questions? Send a message to christine@clarkealumni.org. I
hope that you will join our team today! ▪
Sharon E. Wade ‘80 & Grady Congleton ‘05
The Class of 1970 was one of the few classes who celebrated their anniversary marking
each decade since they left Clarke. Here are some thoughts from the Class of 1970 in
regards to the Class Anniversary Dinner:
Rona (Shuster) von Mering: “I applaud you for wonderful job arranging the Class
Anniversary Dinner Night. The menu [in particular] brought a warm feeling [along
with] the autumn mood. Our classmates were ‘shocked’ and thoroughly enjoyed the
evening. We did not expect this kind of a wonderful evening!”
Laura (Novitt) Balsley: “I thought it was a wonderful evening. I also thought the small
gifts on the table were very sweet and beautiful. The dinner was surprisingly good,
[but] my only wish is that we had bigger round tables so we could see everyone. Many
thanks to Rona for gathering everyone in our class to this dinner, especially Michael
Shepard!”
Among others, John McEnany, John Campbell and Catherine Burland added that they
especially enjoyed the trivia and charade event during the dinner. Special thanks to
those who helped make the Anniversary Dinner Night a huge success! ▪
7
(“Nolan” from page 3)
(“President” from page 5)
Then, Kristi Ann Nolan ‘90 (left in picture), Mr.
Nolan’s daughter, came up to the stage and she
brought her mother, Linda (Howe) Nolan ‘67
(right), to share their stories of Kevin when he
worked at Clarke. His daughter told us that she
loved to stop by his office after lunch to see if
he had any sweets for her. She was never
disappointed as he always had candy ready. His
favorite candy was M&M’s and atomic fireballs
which he kept in his desk drawer.
of development of children who are deaf
or hard of hearing. Staff were available
throughout the day to answer questions
about the range of services offered at
Clarke. It was a great fall afternoon where
families enjoyed connecting and forming
new friendships.
George Balsley ‘65 shared one of his stories about how he noticed Mr. Nolan’s right
side drawers of his desk where he thought that his files were kept were actually full of
candy and Rodney Kunath ‘58 shared some old pictures from his friendship with Mr.
Nolan. He had saved the huge jar of M&Ms from 20 years ago and presented it to him
on stage. Robert Dunn ‘81 was a student right around when Mr. Nolan began working
at Clarke. Dunn recalled the time when Mr. Nolan scared him while he was acting to
be unconscious. Christine (Duffy) Skwersky ‘87 told the audience about Mr. Nolan’s
missing tooth. Mr. Nolan loved to tease children at school that his baby son punched
his tooth out. Mr. Nolan denied the allegation and explained that he lost his tooth by
accident. David Del Pizzo ‘92 suggested that Mr. Nolan and his family lived away from
the school campus because Mr. Nolan was a champion snorer!
Bob Storm and Dennis Moulton, members of the Clarke faculty, also shared their
stories about the indomitable Mr. Nolan. Bob Storm told the audience that he was not
happy to be roommates with Mr. Nolan when the group went to Washington, D.C. for
the annual senior trip because Mr. Nolan snored so loud! Of course, Storm
subsequently was sleep deprived for the entire trip. Moulton stood at the stage and
told the audience about how Mr. Nolan was thrown into the pool. He admitted that he
bumped Mr. Nolan with his hip into the pool because Mr. Nolan always gave him a
hard time; thankfully nothing bad ever happened!
Skwersky and I presented a crystal plaque to Mr. Nolan which read, “In Recognition of
Dedicated Services and Teaching to Hundreds of Alumni”. I told the audience that the
most important thing that I learned from Mr. Nolan is this quote, “We can, you can, all
of you can do it”. Thank you to all who came to Homecoming Weekend and hope to
see you next year when we hope to honor someone else who has given their life to
Clarke School, its students and alumni and exceeded any expectations. ▪
Class of 1955 Reunion
Cynthia (Catron) Pierce ‘55
Helene (Spitzer) Wheeler, Mary (Myers) Samia, and
Cynthia (Catron) Pierce along with their spouses
got together at the Foxwoods Resort for two days
this past June to celebrate their 55th
reunion. During the trip, we shared our memories
as a class at Clarke and enjoyed just being together
again. Our class celebrated our 55th anniversary
with a wine toast with along with a Chinese meal
and saw a wonderful theater show called "The
Legends in Concert" in which this performers were
Elvis, Tim McGraw, Bobby Darin, Shakira, and Prince. Additionally, we enjoyed walking
around the Foxwoods complex and taking in the festive atmosphere. On the second
day, we did some gambling, and Cindy's husband, Norman, was the "big" winner with
$96 (after spending $30). We spent the entire time enjoying each others company as
well as remembering our wonderful days at Clarke. In the end, the class even started
thinking about for our 60th reunion. How about a cruise? ▪
Alumni Council Liaisons: We are thankful
for the excellent work of Bob Storm as the
Liaison to the Alumni Council. Please note
that Bob is the point person for
correspondence to Clarke staff and the
President – his email address is
alumniliaison@clarkeschools.org.
Come Visit: As always, we love to have
alumni visit our many campuses. Let us
know in advance and we will be happy to
host you.
E-mail us at
info@clarkeschools.org for more
information on how to visit.
Our Website: We have had a great deal of
positive feedback about our new website
since it launched earlier this year. I hope
that you will continue to visit the site
(www.clarkeschools.org), where you can
find the latest news updates, photo and
video galleries, and register to receive
regular updates through email. We are
trying to go green, save trees and
resources, so the more we can
communicate with you via email the
better!
Holiday Appeal: Finally, soon you will be
receiving a year end fundraising appeal.
Alumni donations demonstrate your
continuing support for our mission, and
enable us to create better futures for the
hundreds of children we are serving. I
hope that you will consider supporting our
efforts this year. Donations will be
matched by another funder, so the impact
of your gift will be doubled!
Best wishes to you all for a happy and safe
fall season, and I hope to see you soon. ▪
8

csac newsletter - Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech

Transcription

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