The Kansas Eagle…. ….learning to soar! Jeff Young Photography

What’s Up! on the Hill

Kansas State School for the Blind

December, 2015

In This Issue Issue::

Volume 34 ~ Issue 1

Capital Improvements at KSSB!

Capital Improvements.....1 From the Superintendent...2

By John Martello Chief Operating Officer ~ Facility Operations Services Kansas State Schools for the Deaf and Blind

Preschool/Kindergarten News.....3 NCASB Track Meet.........4 All School Invitational Track Meet & Student Birthdays..................5 Bright Future Ahead for Kansas.....6 & 7 Congratulations, Royals!.......8 & 9 Russians Visit Kansas City....10 KSSB Field Services........11 KanLovKids Program......12 Dormitory News!.....................13 Letters to Veterans......14 Capital Improvements Continued......15 Personnel Personals......16

The Kansas Eagle Kansas State School for the Blind Publisher/Editor: Gaye Letts

Philosophy The Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) believes that our citizens who are blind or visually impaired are valuable members of society who contribute greatly to our communities when they are afforded equal access to a quality education and to opportunities for empowerment. Every employee and volunteer in our agency is a team member dedicated to ensuring the children and youth served by KSSB achieve their goals. We believe in continuous improvement through the Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA) and Kansas Quality Management (KQM) processes, and are committed to seeing that every child, parent, and school district who needs our services receives the best assistance possible.

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lot has changed on “the Hill” over the last several years. If you have been away from KSSB for an extended period of time, you will immediately notice the new main campus entrance along State Avenue. The old chain link fence has been replaced by a contemporary black straight rail fence. A prominent large blue sign with the school’s name and a list of the many programs and services on campus now greets visitors as they drive up the newly widened drive onto the campus. The rusty gates along the State Avenue entrance are now gone, and new complementary gates have been installed on each side of a new island that sits in the middle of the drive. As a driver approaches the gates, a kiosk sits in the middle of the island ready to greet them. A visitor will be able to interact with the kiosk by seeing news and events of the day on the screen, and press a button to contact security for assistance. If the gates are closed after normal business hours, a visitor will need to request permission from security or the dormitory manager to gain entry onto campus. Employees can swipe their ID access badge in front of the kiosk to initiate the gate to open as they report for work. This is just another layer of security for the school. Once on campus, changes inside a few of the buildings will be immediately noticed. When a visitor checks in with security in the Irwin building, they will see on the walls of the security office, a state-of-the-art camera monitoring system for the entire campus. They will wait in an area outside the security office on contemporary lounge furniture. Right around the corner is the conference room with a large screen

television for distance video communication and an integrated hands-free telephone system for conference calls. This room is used heavily for meetings with parents and USD officials. We would like to give a special thanks to Arvest Bank for donating the professional looking executive table and chairs for this room. Parents and students on campus for the Low Vision or Dental Clinics will now go to the upper floor of the Maxwell building, formerly known as the Health Center. In 2013, this building was dedicated in honor of Sara Maxwell by Proclamation of the Governor. Sara Maxwell was the first nurse employed by the school in 1890. The Alumni Association, during the time of the 1st World War, established an award in Ms. Maxwell’s name to recognize her selfless care of students and staff ill with smallpox, which would eventually claim her life. The upper floor was remodeled this summer, to provide medical professionals the best environment to perform their services for our students. Looking out the recently installed energy efficient windows of the Maxwell building, a parent will see below the fresh looking ADA athletic track that recently had preventive maintenance work done to the surface. In the Brighton Recreational Center (BRC), a new swimming pool deck ensures students have a safe surface to walk on that is no longer flaking nor slick. In addition, a new pool cover decreases the humidity in the BRC by 90% and helps reduce costs on heating the pool water. The emergency exit from the BRC game room now has an ADA ramp that connects the emergency landing to the new sidewalk in front of the Continued on page 15 with photos

December, 2015 Page 2

The Kansas Eagle

From Superintendent Madeleine Burkindine

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he theme for this school year is “Self-Determination”, inspired in part by our joint KSSDB convocation speaker, Annette Reichman. She is an exceptionally accomplished young woman with deafblindness who is Director of the Office of Special Institutions for the United States Department of Education. She is the liaison to the American Printing House for the Blind, and two colleges for the Deaf – Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. She is certainly an outstanding example of a selfdetermined young professional who charged our schools with building a “culture of high expectations”. Self-determination includes choice and decision-making, problem-solving, self-regulation, goal-setting, advocacy and leadership. One strategy we have used is to help students take more active roles in their IEPs, and to begin these meetings by discussing transition needs and goals. We have used checklists to measure student growth in this area, and sponsored training for our 18-21 year olds. As we continue to focus on increasing student ownership of their own learning, we are also teaching a tenet of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) for the Blind. In promoting self-determination, we prepare students to fully participate with meaningful lives in their communities. Dr. Randy Watson, just before becoming the new Commissioner of Education in Kansas, embarked on a “listening tour” of the state – listening to parents, students, teachers, and business leaders. What he learned was that fostering development of nonacademic skills was just as important as academic skill development in preparing students for later success. The Commissioner and the Kansas State Board of Education agreed on the Board’s new vision: Kansas Leads the World in the Success of Each Student. The State Board also serves as the local board for the Kansas State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. It stated that “while academics are and will remain very important, students who lack non-academic skills, such as conscientiousness, perseverance, and the ability to collaborate and communicate, will struggle both in the pursuit of post-secondary education and in the workforce”. Dr. Watson visited both schools, KSSB and KSD, on Monday, November 2nd after revealing the new vision for Kansas – that students must be self-directed and self-motivated, optimistic and socially skilled. We discussed that these soft skills are part of the Expanded Core Curriculum for the Blind, which is integrated into our programs and services, and is consistent with this new state vision. To ensure that best practices and the promotion of selfdetermination are going well in all classrooms, we are working with two guest consultants, Kathy Scoggin and Mary Zatta (from Perkins – the first school for the blind in the U.S.). This is a yearlong professional development initiative, whereby they collect data from faculty to measure classroom progress. Our consultants have been here in person, but more often use web conferences, reading assignments and small-group discussions to interact with staff.

Best practices being emphasized this year include: Community Based Instruction – Learning experiences which extend beyond the campus. These experiences help students develop new concepts and foster their understanding of how the world functions around them. Team Teaching – This occurs in both elementary and secondary classrooms. Access Technology – One of several tech devices our elementary students have been using is the BraillePen 12 Touch which gives students access to portable devices such as the iPad. It connects to the iPad via Bluetooth and has a 12 cell braille display. This early access to devices is a powerful motivation to learning to read and write braille. Our Field Services (Outreach) Team has been focused on building and expanding relationships with district and school personnel and vision professionals across the state. Our Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) stay current on best practices in their fields and share their knowledge, experiences, and resources to help improve services for students with visual impairment who need more support in their home districts. Field services staff can connect teachers and students with programs, people and services on KSSB’s campus when needed, and other services as well: Chat ‘N Chew – These are regional vision professionals meeting over lunch to discuss issues happening all over the state. Community O&M – Regional students participate in Orientation and Mobility trainings with some KSSB students in this large metropolitan area with access to public transportation, business areas and large retail centers (things they may not have in areas where they live). Students practice O&M and other skills of the ECC like social skills and eating skills. Back to School Series – In August Field Service staff went to three regional cities to inservice regular education teachers and paras about what to do if/when they are told they will have a student who is blind in their classroom. These were popular events, and this program will expand next year. And finally, everyone has been gearing up for our signature annual event, the Regional Braille Challenge on February 11, 2016. Our co-chairs, Aundrayah Shermer and Rebecca Williams, say it will be our biggest one ever. We will expand to hold an additional regional contest in Wichita in 2017. The Braille Challenge tests braille skills in five areas: reading comprehension, braille spelling, chart and graph reading, proofreading, and braille speed and accuracy. There are over 1,000 students who participate from the United States and Canada, and only the 60 highest scorers go on to compete in the national contest in Los Angeles. Kansas has always sent one to four students. There will be well-known local entertainment for the students, recognition awards, games and plenty of food, in addition to the contest. We are fortunate to have generous support from local and regional corporate sponsors as well as from individuals. I hope everyone enjoys a joyful and peaceful winter break, and returns to begin the new year rejuvenated.


The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 3

Hey! What’s Cookin’ in the Pre-K Classroom?

By Janie Parr ~ KSSB Preschool/Kindergarten Teacher

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Some children are notoriously picky eaters, so bringing them together to mix up a recipe can help get them to open up to new tastes.

Cooking helps with learning and practicing some basic math concepts…something as simple as counting eggs or pouring water from a measuring cup. We talk about ordinal positions, what we added first, second, third, etc. We count together as we spoon dough onto a cookie sheet. Cooking also helps develop motor skills when we stir, crack eggs, and open containers.

Our students learn by exploring with their senses and cooking is an ideal activity for this. Listening to the whirl of the mixer, rolling dough into balls, then rolling it some more in sugar/cinnamon, smelling the cookies baking in the oven, and finally, tasting the warm cookies fresh from the oven. If it smells good, looks appealing and is easy to eat, they just might be willing to try it!

ach week, we round up all of our cooking utensils to get ready for another culinary adventure! And we do it all from scratch!

When we read the recipe together, we’re introducing new words to a child’s vocabulary and promoting literacy. Following steps in the recipe help with listening skills, too.

Learning to cook is a skill our children can use for the rest of their lives, and even more importantly, positive cooking experiences can help build selfconfidence.


The Best Brownies 1/2 c. vegetable oil 1 c. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 large eggs

1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/3 c. cocoa powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven at 350. Mix oil and sugar until well-blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir just until blended. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the oil/ sugar mixture. Pour into greased 9x9 square pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until sides just start to pull away from the pan. Cool completely before cutting. (from food.com)

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 4

North Central Association of Schools for the Blind Track Meet By Tim Schierbeck ~ Athletic Director/Life Skills Teacher Photos by Jeff Young ~ KSSB Dormitory Director

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he 2015 Kansas Eagles’ track team were a hardy group of students! This year, eight students, (seven boys and one girl) competed. The team consisted of Josh McReynolds, Frank Miller, Shawn Moses, Fabien Siffrin, Marcus Sleep, Will Wetz, Jackson Puett and K’anah Holiday. They supported each other in practice by running faster, jumping further, and throwing the shot put every day after school, as the team prepared for the big meet. The annual North Central Association of Schools for the Blind (NCASB) Track meet was in beautiful Columbus, Ohio. The weather had been perfect all track season, but that was going to change. On the drive to Ohio, the clouds moved in and so did the rain.

By lunch time it was obvious that the rain was going to intensify. That is when some events began to be called off. This was the first time in Coach Schierbeck’s 20 year history that weather was limiting competition.

Track Team l to r: Shawn Moses, Frank Miller, K'anah Holiday, and Josh McReynolds. Not shown: Will Wetz, Jackson Puett, Fabien Siffrin and Marcus Sleep

By Saturday morning, October 3rd, the temperature had dipped to 38 degrees, with a north wind blowing in a cold rain. KSSB’s athletes joined the field with about 80 other athletes, from nine other schools for the blind. Athletes from Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Indiana were all there to represent their schools. The bad weather did not dampen the spirits of the athletes, but it did cause some major concerns for staff. Several athletes fell down during races and while trying to compete in the jumps. This caused a concern for safety.

Many of the Kansas athletes had a difficult time keeping warm during their events. Their times improved from practice, but not enough for the team to capture a trophy. Frank Miller received a third place medal for the boys, class B, 60 meter run. The awards banquet was a great time, with food catered in and plenty of music. The Ohio State School has recently rebuilt their dormitories and created small cottages. They are state of the art for people with visual disabilities. The Kansas Eagles had the good fortune to be staying in one of the new cottages. On Sunday morning, the Eagles loaded up their equipment and headed back to Kansas.

Frank Miller proudly displays his “NCASB Outstanding Track Nominee 2015” certificate.

The weather improved and it was back to t-shirts and sunshine by the time we made it back to Kansas. The athletes were tired and sore after a long day of competing and fighting off the cold, but were very proud of their performances as the chilly rain came down!


The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 5

All-School Invitational Track Meet By Christy Bowen ~ Adaptive P.E. Teacher Photos by Jeff Young ~ KSSB Dormitory Director

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he All School Invitational Track Meet was held this year at the KSSB track on Sept. 25, 2015. The weather was beautiful and staff and parents enjoyed cheering on the students as they ran the 60 meter race, threw a modified shot put, and did the standing long jump. Coach Tim Schierbeck greeted the students, Jenny Karnes, music therapist, led the students in the singing of the National Anthem, and Cherie Stanley, instructional assistant led the students in several cheers. The students had a great time competing with their friends and experiencing for themselves what it’s like to be in a track meet.

Kendra Wilkinson does the long jump!

Top photo: Coach Tim Schierbeck watches as Will Wetz throws the shot-put. Bottom Photo: Alayia Smith and Patrick Wilson with Instructional Assistant Nicole Drake.

Top photo: Students run the wires. l to r: Instructional Assistant, Linda Marshall; students Evan Klamm, Antonio Coleman, Alayia Smith, and Patrick Wilson; and Instructional Assistant Cherie Stanley and Teacher, Jannette Desselle in the background.

December: Ryan Snell

April: Eliu Andrade, Mariah Kleinschmidt, Marcus Sleep, and Alayia Smith

January: Kelton Ramsey, Rebecca Schroeder, and Elly Vette

May: Helena Nachtman and Marlie Russell

February: none March: Austin Howell, Joshua McReynolds, Sydne Miller, Jordan Powers, Fabien Siffrin, and Zaaya Zubair

Students!

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 6

Bright Future Ahead for Kansas! Grant provides funding to train TVIs/COMS By Dr. Anne Nielsen ~ KSSB Field Services

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he Kansas State Department of Education awarded the Kansas State School for the Blind a grant for $482,396 to train Teachers of Students who are Visually Impaired (TVIs) and Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists (COMS) through the Technical Assistance Systems Network (TASN) from 2016 to 2020. Following are highlights that this grant helps fund: •

Because of KSSB and the TASN grant, Kansas continues to provide training for TVIs and COMS through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Texas Tech University (TTU), and Missouri State University (MSU) to serve the needs of children who are blind or visually impaired throughout the state of Kansas.

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In order to better prepare TVIs and COMS to understand the needs of infants and toddlers with visual impairments, this grant also funded a video to assist in identifying children with vision impairments. Dr. Deborah Chen was commissioned to develop a 22 minute video entitled, “First Look: Vision Screening in Infants.” It provides an overview of factors that contribute to delays in the early diagnosis of vision impairment, such as, 1. typical and unusual visually related behaviors in infancy, 2. physical and behavioral indicators that constitute reasons to refer an infant or toddler to a pediatric ophthalmologist or optometrist, and 3. diagnoses that are associated with visual impairment. Viewers will learn the six basic visual skills involved in a task and the common terms used to describe vision loss. The roles and responsibilities of medical and educational vision specialists will be underscored. Dr. Chen identifies behaviors related to vision use during the first 12 months of age. To view this video, go to http://kanlovkids.kssdb.org/training/videos/

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We are proud to announce five new students who will be in our 2016 TVI cohort. They are: Christie Hatton (Overland Park), Krystal Karschimkus (Wichita), Meaghan Burr (Goddard), Vanessa Rosalan (Topeka), and Carady Holguin (Garden City). Robin Berrey from Olathe will begin her COMS program at TTU. These students will be participating in the Functional Vision Assessment class offered on January 19-20 at the Kansas State School for the Blind.

Meet our teachers! back row l to r: Chris Mickelson (Lyndon), Nancy Toelle (Instructor), Heather Pedersen (Ozawkie), Rebecca Williams (KSSB Field Services), Dr. Mackenzie Savaiano (UNL professor), Tim Schierbeck (Kansas City-KSSB). front row l to r: Anne Nielsen (KSSB Field Services), Aundrayah Shermer (KSSB Field Services Director), Naomi Danso (Topeka), Hyesook Cho (Ozawkie), Judy Imber (KSSB Field Services) and Penny Kimberling (KSSB Instructor).

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 7

Students in training who attended the conference: back row l to r: Carri Davis (Wichita), Debbie Moody (Goddard), Heather Pedersen (Ozawkie), Hyesook Cho (Ozawkie), Chris Mickelson (Lyndon) and Joan Brodbeck (Winfield). front row l to r: Naomi Danso (Topeka), Rebecca Williams (KSSB Field Services), Penny Kimberling (KSSB Instructor), Charina Tunget (Overland Park). •

In alternate years, the Getting in Touch with Literacy Conference is held. This year it was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the students/teachers pictured above participated. It is an amazing conference in which the authors of their textbooks present!

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Anne Nielsen (grant project manager) and Susan Sipes (TASN grant advisor) were asked to present about the manner in which Kansas recruits, trains and sustains its TVIs and COMS at the 2015 Student Personnel Development Grant National Meeting in Washington, DC on October 14. They shared with other states how Kansas “sustained shared expectations while preparing and mentoring TVI and COMS across state lines.” It was an honor to be selected to present about our model.

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On September 15 – 16, Nancy Toelle and Dr. Savaiano taught the Learning Media Assessment course at the Kansas State School for the Blind. The students are able to observe a learning media assessment on a student with low vision, and a braille reader. The students were involved in interpreting the data so that they could make a recommendation to the student’s team about what his/her literacy media should be: standard print, standard print with devices, braille or a combination of print/braille. This class will meet again on January 21 -22 to learn how to administer a developmentally appropriate learning media assessment.


l to r: Nancy Toelle administers a print reading inventory to Antonio. Dr. Savaiano administers a braille reading inventory to Gabe.

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 8

Visually Impaired fans have their own ways of maintaining close connection with the Royals Written by Bryce Jones ~ Freelance Writer Special to the Kansas City Star Published October 23, 2015

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t’s easy to be a fan in the good times, but a true fan loves the game even when the team is not doing so well. And there might even be a level of fandom beyond that: people who love the Royals even though they literally cannot see the game. Welcome to the world of the visually impaired baseball fan. It takes a special person to follow baseball when the game does not unfold visually in front of them. For these fans, loving baseball, and the Royals, can still be a part of who they are. Instead of seeing the action, they hear it. Here are three such fans: Of all the baseball fans in Toronto, how many love the Royals? You can count Traub among what has to be a small group. Some years ago, Traub moved from Alberta, Canada to Princeton, N.J., and finally on to Toronto. She attended a school for the blind, eventually learning to be a medical transcriptionist. Using audio reports from doctors, she is able to transcribe their notes to medical-records software. Her first involvement with baseball came when the Royals were playing the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1985 ALCS. For some reason, she never connected to the Jays and their fans, but she liked baseball too much to give it up. So she rooted for the Royals. In the 30 years since, her commitment hasn’t waned. And this postseason, she’s again listening to longtime broadcaster Denny Matthews call games between the Royals and the Blue Jays. Her favorite player? Center fielder Lorenzo Cain.

He watches their games by himself, upstairs, instead of joining classmates in the school’s TV room. He wants to relish every moment, catch every stat, know every play — things he finds difficult to do in a group setting. As soon as the Royals score, though, he bolts downstairs, clanging through the stairways. Back among his classmates, he erupts into a chant that’s quickly joined by others in the room — “Let’s go Royals!....Let’s go Royals!” Then it’s back up to the solitary TV. Until the Royals score again. Miller’s favorite player? Kendrys Morales. Sisson is a Kansas State School for the Blind alum. He’s also a graduate of Truman State. He cannot see at all. But he still worked non-stop at Truman State’s newspaper, The Index, and has written many sports stories. So how does he write about sports without seeing the action? A recent story about royals pitcher Edinson Volquez helps explain. Early in his career, Volquez was sent down to the minors by the Texas Rangers and told to adhere to a series of rules intended to impart discipline. One of the rules: always have his shirt tucked in. That sounded familiar to Sisson, on whom such details are rarely lost. “Funny you would say that,” he said. “The radio guys are saying that Volquez is always wanting to tuck his baseball shirt in.” Sisson’s favorite Royal is super-utility man, Ben Zobrist.

Miller is a junior in high school at the Kansas State School for the Blind. He can see the television, but his vision is such that he cannot read. No matter. Miller is about as hard-care Royals as it gets.

Frank Miller

Josh Sisson




The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 9

Photo by Jeff Young ~ KSSB Dormitory Director

Students and staff went to the Royals’ parade on November 3, 2015, but weren’t able to get very close due to the thousands of fans who came out to congratulate the Royals. l to r: students Mariah Kleinschmidt, Jennifer Rosas Garcia, instructional assistant, Sue Pollen, and student Marcus Sleep.




The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 10

Russians visit Kansas City to learn about helping visually impaired kids Leadership Program

By Justin Wilfon ~ The Now Anchor for 41 Action News, Kansas City, Missouri This Story aired on November 4, 2015 on The Now KC Action News http://www.kshb.com/thenow/russians-visit-kansas-city-to-learn-about-helping-visually-impaired-kids

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or a group of Russian women, it's the latest stop on their American tour - and maybe the most important. At the Kansas School for the Blind, they can see what they couldn't see from home - how Americans help children with visual impairments.

During their stay, the women also received a lesson in American culture, even though the relationship between the two countries is strained. "What is good about the Open World program is that no matter what, professionals do have a chance to come here and see that those people working and doing what they really like to do, have nothing to do with the politics," said Seisenbaeva.

During their week long stay in Kansas City, the women hope to take what they learn here and open their own center for visually impaired kids in Russia. "The idea is to get one united center for those kids to come there and to get all kinds of help which they might need," said Marina Seisenbaeva, a volunteer with the Open World program, which brought the women here.

The women even attended the Royals World Series parade on Tuesday.

Jon Harding, Director of Instruction, emphasizes the importance of students to develop gross motor skills as the Russian tour group visit KSSB’s Adaptive P.E. class.

Hosted by the Lee's Summit Sunrise Rotary Club, the women all posses different skills that will help them open the center in Russia, a country where visually impaired children are sometimes left out.

"We want to help their families to understand that their children are normal and they can be in normal school, and we can help to do this," said Ekaterina Pichikova, an ophthalmologist.

"We visited a lot of special places and cultural places and now we know more about America, about people and about culture," said

Olga Shchukina, a lawyer. With the women hoping to open the Russian center in the next five years, this trip is a chance to see through the political turmoil - to someday help those who can't see at all.




T H A N K S G I V I N G Turkey is Happy really about good for a being Thanks- together giving with meal. Family.

Apple pie Native Kindness Season of Grateful Indians and ice Americans can be falling for taught cream and the shown to leaves. family, the tastes Pilgrims others. friends, Pilgrims awesome were the and food. how to for first to grow dessert. celebrate food. Thanksgiving.

Very Ice Need to intercream plan and ested to comes in prepare do different for things flavors Thankson our but mint giving. own. chocolate chip and cookie dough are our favorites. By KSSB Students Gabe Lewis and Alyx Asbury Submitted by Mary Halda ~ KSSB Field Services

Give a needy family food or clothing.

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 11

KSSB Field Services (formerly known as Outreach Services)

is Moving .….in a New Direction! Submitted By Aundrayah Shermer ~ KSSB Field Services Director

How we can help you... •

Regional “Chat n’ Chew” meetings are scheduled at various locations throughout Kansas for Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists, and Paraprofessionals.

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“Cookies and Connections” meetings also are scheduled at various locations throughout Kansas for families.

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Professional development is provided for regular and special education teachers working with students who are visually impaired. (i.e., Expanded Core Curriculum, Role of the Paraprofessional, Working with the Student with Additional Disabilities, and Administrator Trainings, to name a few).

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Technical assistance, including web conferencing on current trends and best practices in the vision education field.

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Assessments unique to students with a visual impairment (i.e., Functional Vision, Learning Media, O&M, Braille Skills).

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Shared information with Kansas Teachers of the Visually Impaired on local, regional, and statewide programs for students who are visually impaired, including the KanLovKids Program which provides Low Vision Evaluations, Pediatric Low Vision Collaboration Clinics, and doctors specialized in Low Vision.

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Provide support to infants/toddlers with visual impairments and their families.

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Prepare students for the annual Braille Challenge competition, including assistance with organizing and facilitation of braille practice sessions.

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For more information about the KSSB Field Services Program contact Aundrayah Shermer, Field Services Director, at [email protected] or by calling 913-305-3016, and be sure to visit KSSB’s website at www.kssb.net

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 12

KanLov LovKids Program Lov By Dr. Anne Nielsen ~ KSSB Field Services

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he KanLovKids Program is a Kansas Lions Statewide Low Vision Project administered by the Kansas State School for the Blind's Field Services Department. This program implements statewide Low Vision (LV) and Pediatric Low Vision Collaboration Clinics (PLVCC), which are conducted by 12 doctors at various locations across the state of Kansas. These doctors specialize in working with children from birth through 21 years of age who have low vision, including those with additional challenges. Thanks to the Kansas Lions Sight Foundation (KLSF) for their generous donation of $10,000 to help fund low vision clinics for children in the state of Kansas. KLSF also was awarded an International Lions Club Foundation grant to purchase 12 Vision Screeners to help identify children with vision problems. PID Gene Vogel, Lion Sylvia Reinhardt, Anne Nielsen, and Jane Richards also are serving on a committee through the Department of Health and Environment to develop a better vision screening tool and process for identifying children early with vision problems. Dr. Kendall Krug of Hays, Kansas, who is one of our KanLovKids doctors, was awarded the Envision Visionary Award, which honors a doctor, healthcare professional, or an organization who values vision rehabilitation as a

process to help those living with vision loss to achieve greater independence. Dr. Krug has been a mainstay in the development, implementation and on-going progress evaluation of the KanLovKids Program. Congratulations on this award Dr. Krug and thank you for all that you do for the children in Kansas with low vision! Dr. Annie M. Mosier Eslit, from Manhattan, Kansas, joined the KanLovKids Program in September. She is a Manhattan native, graduating from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2009. Dr. Eslit earned her Doctor of Optometry from the Rosenberg School of Optometry degree in 2014 and completed her residency program in Low Vision and Ocular Disease at the Robert J. Dole VA in 2015. She decided to come back to her hometown to establish her Prairie View Eye Care practice and give back to a community that has meant so much to her. Dr. Annie Mosier Eslit has special interests in family primary eye care, low vision rehabilitation, and contact lenses. We are so pleased to add Dr. Annie to the KanLovKids Program!


Michael Monteferrante, Dr. Kendall Krug and Sal Giunta

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 13

Dormitory News! By Erin Kelly ~ KSSB Activity Coordinator Photos by Jeff Young ~ KSSB Dormitory Director

Boys’ Weekend!

Back row l to r: Brayden Dennis, Dustin Thomas, Jackson Puett, Wesley Holt, Fabien Siffrin, John Moses, Estin Talavera (volunteer), and Matt Mitchell. Front row kneeling l to r: Shawn Moses, Frank Miller, Josh McReynolds, Rich Yamamotto, and Garrett Turner. Not shown because he returned home early is Derek Trischler.

Girls’ Weekend!

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his year at KSSB we “fell into fall fast.” and had a blast with several activities on and off campus! We kicked the school year off with our annual fall Boys’ Weekend which began on September 25th, hosting 13 young men from the state of Kansas, some old friends mixed in with some first-timers. Tim Schierbeck, the track coach, hosted a track and field event for the fellas on campus to give everyone a chance to experience this type of athletic competition. The guys really enjoyed this event. They also made a trip to Chili’s at the Legends Shopping Center the same day for lunch. On Sunday, the boys went to the Renaissance Festival where they were interested in turkey legs, armor, and musical instruments. The sun was shining, and they had a blast! It was a great way to end the weekend! The next weekend, starting on October 2nd, eight young ladies invaded the campus for our annual Girls’ Weekend! The girls went swimming, played cards, board games, and watched movies to get the weekend started. We were lucky to have KSSB Nurse, Mae Claxton, to do a health class with the girls….a favorite of all the participants! Saturday evening we went on a hayride and had a bonfire, where the girls enjoyed roasting marshmallows and telling spooky stories. Throughout both of these weekends, and for weeks after, the KSSB dorm students had Royals’ Fever! We had several watch parties in the evenings with Frank Miller possibly the biggest Royals’ fan ever who kicked off each game with his “Let’s go Royals’ cheer.” Even with Halloween upon us, the students were thinking Blue and Gold instead of Orange and Black, so for the Halloween party, a Huge cookie, shaped liked a tombstone, was made that said, “R.I.P. Mets.” The only thing scaring most of us was that the Mets might pull off a win! This was a great time for Kansas City baseball fans and everyone enjoyed celebrating the Royals’ win with their on campus family. The dorm literacy group has been enjoying listening to Ben Diaz, Instructional Assistant, read the Little House on the Prairie series this semester. This sparked a field trip to the Agricultural Hall of Fame where the students toured an old pioneer town, which included a school house, a blacksmith’s shop, and a barn where the students could grind corn and feed the chickens!

l to r : Alyx Asbury, Kendra Wilkinson, Rebecca Schroeder, Lily Huynh, Shiloh Lane, Ashlee Tao, Sydney Miller, Meg Shermer, and Alexis Freeman.

Thanksgiving break came and went! Now, we are ready to start our Christmas shopping and get ready for skiing next year at Snow Creek in Missouri!


The Kansas Eagle

Writer’s

December, 2015 Page 14

Edge

Letters to Veterans In Honor of Veterans Day, November 11, 2015 The following letters were written by KSSB students to United States Veterans across the country Dear Mr. Burdolski, (Florida) I am a student at the Kansas State School for the Blind. I would like to thank you for your service in the Marines. You were very important for our country. You not only wanted to fight in the war but you put your life on the line for America. You did a job that no one else wanted to do. You were needed and chose to do this. I think that is a kind thing to do. Thank you for your service.

Desiree Rice 7th Grade

Desiree Rice Dear Josh, (Kentucky) Thank you for working in the Army. Good luck. Thank you for being in officer training. Were you in the Army a long time? I want to be brave like you. I want to be in the military. Sincerely, Derek Trischler

Derek Trischler 9th Grade

Dear Steve, (Kansas) Thank you for your service. I heard that you were in the Army. Thank you for helping out when people need help. I hope you do well and stay safe. I will be thinking about you. Love, Kendra Wilkinson Dear Cara, (Kansas)

Kendra Wilkinson 9th Grade

Thank you for being in the military and serving our country. We are really grateful for having you in the Air Force. We thank you for all you did. Sincerely, K’anah Holliday Dear Mr. Roberts, (Kansas)

K’anah Holliday 10th Grade

Thank you for your service in the Vietnam War. Even though there were dangerous missions you fought and you kept going until you got your job done. Your service is something for me to admire. Thanks for your help. Sincerely, Eliu Andrade Dear Mr. Kimberling, (Kansas)

Elui Andrade 9th Grade

I wanted to thank you for your service in Iraq. I think you are brave to fight in the Army. I am going to pray for you and your family. Sincerely, Alyx Asbury

(The students also wrote letters to Veterans in the states of Hawaii, North Dakota, California, Montana, Virginia, and Washington) Alyx Asbury 12rh Grade

Photos by Jeff Young ~ KSSB Dormitory Director

Submitted By Chris Mancillas COMS/TVI who also teaches a Career Class and English Class

The Kansas Eagle

December, 2015 Page 15

Continued from front page the BRC. Future plans are to extend a sidewalk from the BRC to State Avenue. New ADA ramps near additional handicapped parking have also been an improvement on campus. These are only some of the visible improvements, but there are others not as obvious but critical to the day-to-day operation of the campus. Heavy equipment dug a trench 15 feet down the west side of the BRC to install a foundation drainage system and to repair leaking high pressure water valves. At the same time, major repairs to the main water line to campus occurred to minimize disruption to campus services. We have received many compliments from parents, staff, and neighborhood leaders on how nice the campus looks, especially after all the major improvements that have occurred over the last several years, which reflect our commitment to the mission of KSSB!

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1. New fence along State Ave. 2. New driveway entrance from State Ave. 3. New kiosk. 4. Resurfaced track and Maxwell bldg. which has new windows 5. New Low Vision Clinic in Maxwell building 6. New ADA accessible ramp next to Brighton Recreation Center 7. Updated waiting/visitor room in Irwin bldg. 8. Remodeled dental clinic 9. New swimming pool cover and new safe-surface deck 10. Updated conference room in Irwin bldg. 11. New campus sign at State Avenue entrance.

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December, 2015 Page 16

The Kansas Eagle

Personnel

Personals

December: Richelle Andrade, Anne Nielsen, Janie Parr, Fran Smith, Dwayne Rollins, and Alice Slober

March: Carletha Shackleford, Kim McCall, Steve Diaz, Dr. Jarrett Grosdidier, and Judy Imber

January: Natasha Macbut, Susan Provin, and Brittany Colwell

April: Tom Burdolski, Gaye Letts, Jay Ray, Ann Hall, Adela Tan, and Aundrayah Shermer

February: Cheryl Tomson, Erin Kelly, and Cherie Stanley

May: Rebecca Obold-Geary, Anthony Marshall, Teresa Chandler Hawkins, and Lila Taylor

Staff! Welcome!

Elisabeth Lomax joined KSSB as a Library Assistant in KIRC on June 19, 2015. Christine Mancillas joined the KSSB Field Services Team as a Teacher/O&M Specialist on August, 2, 2015. Ryan Walstrom joined KSSB as an Instructional Assistant in the dormitory on September 25, 2015 Monique Maiden joined KSSB as a transfer from KSD on September 27, 2015. She began working at KSD in 2000 in Kitchen Food Service and as a Senior Cook. Monique will continue this role at KSSB. Josh McReynolds, KSSB student, joined KSSB Dietary Services as a part-time Food Service Assistant on October 11, 2015

Congratulations! Cathy Grote and Martin Wix were joined in marriage on October 24, 2015 at the Abundant Life Church in Lee Summit, Mo. Cathy is KSSB/KSD’s Dietitian.

In Loving Memory Dorothy Fuller, 87, of Kansas City, Kansas, passed away on July 3, 2015. Mrs. Fuller is the second-mom of Gaye Letts, publisher/editor of the KSSB Kansas Eagle newsletter.

Return Address: Madeleine Burkindine ~ Superintendent of Kansas State Schools for the Deaf & Blind 1100 State Avenue Kansas City, Kansas 66102 Phone: (913) 210-8110 E-mail: [email protected] This Newsletter is online at: www.kssdb.org

Mission The Mission of the Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) is to empower students with the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to assume responsible roles in society and to lead fulfilling lives. With an environment rich in comprehensive services, education specialists, an individualized curriculum, transition planning and statewide Field Services, KSSB will lead through partnerships with parents, local schools, and community resources to ensure equal access to a high quality education for all Kansas students who are blind or visually impaired. This Newsletter is paid for by the State of Kansas

The Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, any of its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries concerning KSSB’s compliance with the regulations implementing any federal law prohibiting discrimination may contact the KSSB Human Resources Dept., 1100 State Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66102, 913-210-8113, who has been designated by KSSB to coordinate compliance with the regulations implementing federal nondiscrimination laws. Any person may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U. S. Department of Education.