On the afternoon of December 15th a letter sent from Dr. Martin Monson to the TSB staff stated: “After much thoughtful consideration, I have de-cided to resign from my position as superinten-dent at TSB effective January 5, 2015.” The let-

ter went on to say, “Please know that I am honored to have served the children, their families and staff of TSB for the past three and one half years. I wish you all the best and am confident you will welcome the next su-perintendent and continue the good work that hap-pens here on a daily ba-

sis.” Later in the week Mar-tin had the opportunity to express additional parting remarks in bidding the school, the staff and stu-dents good-by. They includ-ed the following: “The past three and one half years I’ve had here have been some of the most special I’ve ever had in my life. It was a real-ly hard decision that I and my wife had to make. I know that I am leaving this school in some very, very good hands and I am leav-ing it in very, (cont. on pg. 3)

TSB Tigers: Something to Roar About!

ROARS & REVS 2

HOST 3

CHANGE (CONT) 3

NEW STUDENT 4 NEW STAFF 4

PRINCIPAL 5 TUNE 6

ART 6 FRIENDS 7

SPOTLIGHT 8

STANLEY 10

STUDIO B 11

BRAILLE 11

PROJECTS 12

EVENTS 12

Inside this issue:

Volume 3, Issue 6

T E N N E S S E E S C H O O L F O R T H E B L I N D

The

February 1, 2015

Dr. Martin Monson

New Year Brings Change and Challenge

“Look out…We’re back… The tigers are here… The best, that’s right…This is our year… Step back and watch… We’ve got it to a tee… We’re loud, we’re proud… We’re TSB!” As this cheer

echoed throughout the packed James “Moe” Harrison Center on the campus of Tennes-see School for the Blind, it proved not to be just hallow words. Indeed the TSB (cont. on pg.2)

2015 NCASB 1st place Tennessee Tiger Cheerleaders perform their winning routine. Pictured are: (l to r) Tori Harrison, Miguel

Jose, Alyssa Loggins, Brooks Gardner, Taylor Grenier, Tim Tanner, Corgan Waters, Chris Cook and Alexandria Williams

Page 2

Roar of the Tiger

Tigers were in it to win it, and they proved themselves best with a performance voted No.1. The Friday evening cheerleading competition saw seven schools from the NCASB doing battle for the top honors. The gymnasium was packed with an enthusiastic crowd cheering on their fa-vorite squad. In addition to the group competi-tion, TSB senior Alyssa Loggins was voted Most Outstanding Cheerleader for her solo perfor-mance. The cheer competition was part one of the two day competition. On Saturday morning, the TSB Wrestling Team competed against nine other schools giving the cheerleaders an oppor-tunity to display their award-winning talents. The TSB team engaged in a total of eleven

matches. Many of the matches displayed fierce competition and extended for the complete du-ration of time. Jacob Mitchell secured 1st place in the 182lb weight class. Nick Heggie pinned his competitors obtaining 1st at heavyweight. TSB’s Eh Gay also fought through stiff com-petition placing 4th in the 160lb weight class. Through tough and great sportsmanship, the wrestlers competed under first year coach Jay Humphreys. They represented the school well in their overall third place finish. The school is thankful and proud of each student who made the commitment to participate this year. Con-gratulations goes out for their valiant efforts and achievement!

TSB Tigers: Something to Roar About! (cont. from front cover)

Spirit Week Revs Up the Roaring Tigers Returning to the classrooms on Tuesday Janu-ary 20th, TSB students launched into the excit-ing activities of spirit week! In an effort to pre-pare the student body for the upcoming week-end NCASB competition, the Student Council had arranged the following agenda: Tuesday– College Day, students attired themselves with their favorite college paraphernalia. Wednesday– Sports Team Day, students dis-played and mimicked players and fans of their favorite sports team. Thursday– School Spirit Day, the teachers, students, classes and cheerleaders presented their spirited cheers in a

school wide pep rally. Friday– Hat Day, a time to cover that noggin with one’s favorite hat or toboggan. A great time was had by the students!

Cheerleaders (l to r) Row 1: Tori Harrison, Alyssa Loggins,

Alexandria Williams Row 2: Coach Susan Yarbrough, Coach

Kelly Benton, Miguel Jose, Brooks Gardner, Taylor Grenier,

Chris Cook, Corgan Waters, Tim Tanner, Coach Teresa Buntin

Wrestlers: (l to r) Brandt Shipley, Coach Ann Frensley, Coach

Jay Humphreys, Avery Mayberry, Craig Heggie, Tori Harri-

son, Alyssa Loggins, Tim Jones, Nick Heggie, Eh Gay, Jacob

Mitchell and Coach Joseph Gray

Members of Mrs. Buntin’s class perform a cheer for the crowd.

Page 3

Volume 3, Issue 6

TSB Hosts NCASB Wrestling and Cheer Conference For the second time this school year, TSB has been honored to host a North Central Associa-tion of Schools for the Blind (NCASB) sports conference competition. In September of 2014 TSB hosted the NCAASB Track and Field Conference. Over the weekend begin-ning January 23rd, ten NCASB teams partici-pated in the wrestling and cheer confer-ence. Teams arriving in Nashville on Friday for the beginning of the evening activities includ-ed: Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Wiscon-sin, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, and Minne-sota. The two day event was planned with cheerleading competition being held on Friday evening after dinner at the school’s physical fitness center. The two hour event was ex-tremely enjoyable and packed with enthusiasm generated by all seven participating teams. Streamed live and recorded by the school’s media director the video is available for view-ing from a link on the front page of the schools website. The clip has received nearly 10,000 viewing minutes since being posted a week ago. After the evening competition, teams

were accommodated and able to spent the night on the campus in preparation for the wrestling competition being held the next day. In an effort to facilitate holding two simultaneous matches at a time, TSB acquired the use of the Donelson Christian Academy gymnasium. The facility is located just a short driving distance from the school. Wrestling activities on Saturday began around 10:00am and concluded with trophy presentations by 3:30pm. Competition results are as follows: Cheerleading- Team Competition, 1st Tennessee, 2nd Arkansas, 3rd Illinois Out-standing Cheerleader: 1st Tennessee 2nd Arkan-sas 3rd Wisconsin Team Mascot- Missouri, Wrestling- 1st Indiana, 2nd Arkansas, 3rd Ten-nessee Thanks and gratitude goes to the many teachers and staff who gave of their time and talents to host a quality event. Comments such as "Always like coming to Tennessee for the tournament because of the hospitality." and "One of the best in several years." are a reflection and testament of the hard work and sacrifice given to the task. Congratulations on hosting a successful conference tournament!

New Year Brings Change and Challenges (cont. from front cover)

very, good order. As someone who has a visual impairment, I have been legally blind my entire life, I know the kind of discrimination that our kids are going to face when they leave here. It’s a fact of life, it happens, and it’s not a great thing. But I also know the power of education. Educa-tion can overcome that. The students who at-tend school here are getting a great education. They are going to use that as a tool in their lives no matter where they go or what they do, and they will have a firm foundation in education be-cause of their time at this school. Every single year that I have been here test scores have in-creased. In fact, I was looking at data just last week that shows our students, for every year that they attend school here, they grow more than one year academically. So great things are hap-pening for kids here.” Dr. Monson went on to state: “Enrollment is increasing and test scores are going up. It all testifies to the great work that is being done here for kids. We start the day

with kids on our minds and we end the day with students on our minds. Great things happen for the kids that go here and that work will continue with the next superintendent.” He concluded by saying that, “It’s a great staff that works here, it’s a great bunch of kids that go here and we have great support from our fami-lies.” Officials from the Edu-cation Department an-nounced in a meeting with staff on Wednesday the 17th, that TSB Superintendent Emeritus Jim Oldham had agreed to be Interim Superin-tendent during the second half of the school year. The work of educating those visu-ally impaired moves forward in very experienced, caring and competent hands. And, the challeng-ing search has begun to find a superintendent for the school to carry on the tradition of excellence.

Jim Oldham

Roar of the Tiger

Page 4

New Semester Brings New Students Make welcome our new stu-dents: Ricky Wentz A wonderful addition to Miss Laura’s classroom is Ricky Wentz. This six year old and his mother moved from Knox-ville, TN to the Nashville area. We are glad to have Ricky join us from the Nashville Metro Public School System. Ricky enjoys explor-ing his new classroom and making new friends.

Kaylee Yarbrough Kaylee comes to TSB from Clarksville in Montgomery Co. This thirteen year old celebrates her birthday on August 8th. Raised in North Carolina, Kaylee’s step-dad is in the mili-tary and the family moved to Tennessee following his army assignment. Kaylee was not

fond of leaving her North Carolina family. She likes music on her tablet, watching TV, playing outside, reading, swimming, and playing with her younger sister. Kaylee has a lizard named Earl. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese “As I am visually impaired, I use both braille and a cane.” Kaylee said. She continued by saying,

“To help me find locations, I fol-low people’s voices.” Savannah Copithorne Fourteen year old Savannah Copithorne is a day student who travels to TSB by way of the Montgomery County bus from Clarksville. She is in Mr. Grafton Cupid’s 8th grade class and her favorite subject is science. Among her favorite hobbies Savannah lists drawing, listening to mu-sic, and playing sports including basketball, swimming, and football. Savannah has one brother and three sisters. She is excited about

the way that TSB is helping her excel in her academics. Her future aspirations include being a singer. Korey Nettles Korey is also a day student from Clarksville in Montgomery County. This fourteen year old, also in Mr. Cupid’s eighth

grade class, enjoys science, math and social studies. In his spare time Korey enjoys listening to music. Korey has one broth-er. Korey is enjoying meeting many new friends from all across the state of Tennessee.

SeTina Banks

Ricky Wentz

Korey Nittles

Kaylee Yarbrough

Savannah

Copithorne

Joining the TSB as a YSW is SeTina Banks.

Originating from the small town of Kenton, TN,

SeTina is mother to one-year old Elijah. To-

gether they enjoy their dog Foxxy. SaTina has

a sister and two brothers. As a certified nursing

assistant, she has worked twelve years caring

for geriatric patients. SeTina

transferred from Woodland

Hills where she was a De-

partment of Children Ser-

vices Officer. In her leisure

time SeTina enjoys being with

her son, and also assisting with

errands for her uncle, a former

Welcome Our New Team Members TSB student. SeTina is

“honored to be at TSB.”

Allen Huang “ I grew up in

New Jersey with a close fam-

ily that consists of my parents,

who are both from Taiwan, and

a younger brother. Despite his

“Yankee roots”, Allen has lost

most of his accent since moving down south.

He attended Vanderbilt University, becoming

certified as a TVI during his undergraduate

work. As a graduate student, Allen added an

endorsement in severe disabilities and conduct-

ing research in using pre- (continued on pg.7)

Allen Huang

Page 5

From the Principal’s Pen January was a month full of excitement at TSB.

There have been a variety of activities and

events at TSB that have made some of the

colder, gray days seem more cheery. The TSB

Cheerleading and Wrestling teams had a

great season! It was so much fun to watch and

participate in the

Conference

cheer competi-

tion with other

schools for the

blind. Watching

students help

each other to ac-

complish a goal

always reminds

me of the special

characteristics of

our TSB stu-

dents.

In the newsletter,

you are also go-

ing to read about

a student, Elle

Tuetken, whose artwork will be featured in

the 2016 Art InSights Calendar that is produced

by the American Printing House for the Blind.

TSB has been well-represented at the Art In-

Sights competition and it’s wonderful to

have another student show their talent in such a

prestigious event!

I do a lot of walking around TSB and stop in

classrooms as much as possible. I was walking

to a classroom in B-wing when I heard some

laughing and loud squeals. In the play atrium I

found Ms. Wolcyzk’s and Ms. Bird’s language

groups having a great time with some parachute

play. It was easy to see and hear how commu-

nication activities were linked to playing with the

parachute. One of the pictures I took from this

activity is above.

What to do if your child is sick or has a doctor

appointment

If your child is absent, please call the Principal’s

office at 615-231-7397 to report the absence.

If your child has been ill or has a doctor’s ap-

pointment, please bring in a note from the doc-

tor or write a note yourself indicating why your

child was out of

school . All ab-

sences are con-

sidered unex-

cused unless we

have documenta-

tion of why the

child was absent

and know the ab-

sence meets the

criteria to be ex-

cused.

If you have any

questions about

the TSB attend-

ance policy,

please contact

the Principal’s of-

fice at 615-231-7397.

There are number of exciting events coming up

in February. I am looking forward to the King-

dom of Hearts Dance, Braille Challenge and

Academic Challenge. Swimming and Foren-

sics will be in full force at TSB. Please take

advantage of the events that are offered via the

LiveStream option on our website.

Thank you for sharing your children with us at

TSB! I look forward to greeting students

when they get off the bus in the

morning, chatting with kids at

lunch and observing in class-

rooms where great teaching

is taking place! Have a terrific

second semester!

Susan Brennan Principal

Volume 3, Issue 6

Ms. Bird shares Lily Norris’s excitement as they pass under the big, bright,

colorful parachute.

Page 6

Roar of the Tiger

Some may recall the account in the 2014 April edition of the TSB Roar of the Tiger newsletter of TSB chorus teacher Judy Denning receiving a new piano. On March 5, 2014, a new Yamaha, digital piano, stand, bench, and rolling cover had been donated to the school by Matty's Vision. Matty’s Vision, a newly formed foundation honoring legendary pedal steel guitarist Hal Rugg and his great grandson Matthew Aaron Maynes, provided the musical instrument. What was the very first donation of any kind for the organization has become a wonderful, useful and much depended upon addition to the music

Being “In Tune” Means Never Again Being Out of Tune

Elle’s Appetite in Art Secures a Place in Time “What's On The Menu" , a painting by TSB’s

Elle Tuetken has been selected to become

part of the APH InSights Calendar. Elle’s

painting, submitted last March, will be printed in

the 2016 edition of the calendar. Elle's painting

was part of the 2014 competition. In all, over

450 entries were submitted from across the na-

tion. "What's on the Menu" was also on display

as part of the "Accepted Artist" collection at the

National American Printing House Confer-

ence in Louisville, KY in October. In January

Elle received a letter stating that her painting

was chosen for the upcoming calendar.

depart-ment. Keep-ing “in tune” with addi-tional needs of the school Jack and Tammy Rugg-Klinefelter of Matty’s Vision have made a sec-ond contribution to the school’s music program. Wednesday, December 10th saw the delivery of a brand new Yamaha NU1 hybrid piano to meet the needs in voice teacher Georgette Seay’s classroom. Combining the traditions of an acoustic instrument with the innovation of digital technology, this beautiful instrument never even needs tuning! The donation was able to be com-pleted in part due to the gracious hearts and generosity of the folks at Miller Piano Specialist of Franklin. Miller Piano worked out a won-derful deal with Matty’s Vision making the trans-action possible. Talk about harmony and being on key… Wow, this is truly music to ones ears. Thanks guys! Additional information on their work and is available at www.mattysvision.com.

Martin Monson, Tammy Rugg-Klinefelter, and Jack pause for

a photo as Georgette Seay strikes a cord on the keyboard.

Pictured above is a photo if the Yamaha NU1 hy-

brid piano donated by Matty’s Vision.

Elle Tu-

etken’s

winning

painting

depicts a

cat gazing

at a fish

through

the top of

an open

fish bowl.

Page 7

Volume 3, Issue 6

Mid-winter as the skies were gray and a chill was in the air, the atmos-phere at TSB was bright and cheerful because of a wonderful tradition begun by Friends of TSB and Bob Parks Realty. The culmination of months of planning and labor through the Parks Brunch and Bid Event had yielded wonderful results. Presented in the form of a huge check to benefit the visually impaired students at TSB, the surprising total was revealed. $17,700… Wow!

Bob Parks Makes Exciting Check Presentation

teaching as an instructional strategy for braille

readers. Allen has spent some of his summers

volunteering with Camp Abilities, a sports and

recreation centered camp for students with visual

impairments. He enjoys hiking and being out-

doors with his wife Catie. “I am definitely a tech

geek, and I cook a pretty good homemade burg-

er.” Allen said. He is excited to join the Outreach

Welcome Our New Team Members (continued from pg.4)

Carrie Carlisle

Department as the Assistive Technology TVI,

supporting the AT and vision needs of students,

families, and schools across the state and at

TSB. “I believe in positive collaboration that val-

ues everybody involved, so ask me any ques-

tions you might have about AT and we’ll work to-

gether to figure it out!” he states. You’re bound

to meet if your future involves using AT devices.

Pictures at the Parks check presentation is: Jody Baker (TSB teacher), Pat Galvin (Friends Board Member), Kaleb Duke

(student), Trenton Smith (student), Scott Jernigan (student), Donna Richmond (Friends Secretary), Ralph Brewer (Friends

Vice President), Kevin Fink (student), Rachel Haynes (student), Jim Oldham (TSB Interim Superintendent), Sydney Little

(student), John Harris (Friends President), Michael Leach (Parks), Stacy Gee, Susan Brennan (TSB Principal), Sue Glore

(Friends Treasurer), Michele Friedrichsen (Parks)

Linda Salaam Unless you’re a night owl, you might never see Linda Salaam, but she has an important job making sure everyone is safe and taken care of during the wee hours. As night supervisor Ms. Salaam starts her “ day” at midnight and leaves about 7:30 a.m., the time most of us are just getting started! “Most of the time, it’s pretty quiet, but you never know – every night is different. You would be surprised how busy the campus can be at night,” she said with a laugh. Periodically, Ms. Salaam visits the Youth Service Workers (YSWs) in the cottages, checks log books, and every half hour she checks the hallways. She is alerted when students have to go to the clinic, and or have to be transported to a local hospital in an emergen-cy. And there are the occasional lock downs which always makes things exciting! Ms. Salaam has been night supervisor for about 6 years. Prior to taking on these additional responsibilities, she was a YSW and YSWII for 18 years. “I love working with the kids,” she said, recalling that she was house parent to Joe Gray when he was a student. “Sometimes they would get frustrated when we encouraged them to do better or more. But it was necessary to get them ready for the real world, and that’s exactly what I told them,” she said. The YSWs helped the cottage students with cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and making beds – as well as had fun with them. “There was no pity party with us,” she said. The students would be so pleased when they accom-plished something new, telling her “I didn’t know I could do that!” All her hard work pays off when TSB graduates return to thank her for all she did for them. “It’s been a fascinating career,” said Ms. Salaam. “At one time I wanted to be a nurse – I’ve always wanted to work with people. Working at TSB I got it all! I love it!” Ms. Salaam’s life has been one of service to people. Prior to coming to TSB, she worked at

TSB Staff in the Spotlight

Page 8

Roar of the Tiger

Clover Bottom, caring for several elderly la-dies. Others would question why she would want to do such work, but she said, “Who else is going to take care of them? I’ve always enjoyed what I do.” So, how do you deal with an upside down time schedule? It’s much like everyone else’s, she said, just flip-flopped on the clock. After leaving TSB in the morning, Ms. Salaam usually heads to the “Y” where she swims and exercises. At home she might watch a little television before falling asleep for a few hours. The steady thrum of rain on the roof however, will put her right to sleep for the whole day. She gets up about 6 p.m., has dinner with her husband, and heads to work. Ms. Salaam and her husband, Ali, an inde-pendent insurance agent and limo driver, have been married for 30 years. While they have no children of their own, they have lots of nieces and nephews, and of course, Ms. Salaam counts all her cottage kids as her own. One thing you might not know about Ms. Salaam is that she won an art contest when she was about 17. “I was always interested in drawing. One of my elementary school teachers would draw a picture on the blackboard with colored chalk every holiday. I always wanted to be just like Ms. Silvertooth. She was the one who really influenced my ability and desire to be an artist,” said Ms. Salaam” Later, seeing the opportunity in a magazine to enter a drawing contest, she did so. And she won! Her prize, from the art school hosting the contest, was an array of supplies – colored pencils, an easel, paints. Later, when she visited family in Minnesota, she had the chance to visit the school that had encouraged her to continue drawing. She still loves to doodle and draw, she said. “Maybe after I retire I’ll take it up again.” Andy Joiner For almost two decades Andy Joiner has been a familiar face at TSB. Since embarking on his TSB journey in 1998, Mr. Joiner has taught Spanish, Business, Technology, Typing, Person-al Finance and PE, and has been the Athletic

Linda Salaam

Andy Joiner

Page 9

Volume 3, Issue 6

Director since for the past two years. His favorite classes are those which allow him to teach real life skills to TSB students. As Athletic Director, he coordinates all sporting events that take place on and off campus through the North Central As-sociation of Schools for the Blind and Ten-nessee Secondary School Athletic Associa-tion (TSSAA) . “My favorite thing about TSB is working with the students, figuring out how to best meet each in-

dividual’s vision needs so that they can be successful in the classroom and beyond,” said Mr. Joiner. A sports enthusiast, Mr. Joiner enjoys watching students’ skills in various TSB sports develop from the begin-ning of school through the end of the year. “Sports can be a great way to increase one’s self-confidence. It’s very rewarding

to watch them grow,” he said. No stranger to challenges in learning, Mr. Joiner was diagnosed with dyslexia in the fourth grade. Dyslexia is characterized by difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words. Be-cause of this disability, he was told by a teacher that he would never graduate from high school, much less college. “That made me even more determined to prove them wrong,” said Mr. Join-er. Not only did he graduate from high school, but went on to earn two bachelor’s de-grees in Business Administration and Business Education from Middle Tennessee State Uni-versity (MTSU), and later a Masters in Special Education with an endorsement in vision as well. “When I was 12, my grandmother, who was a reading specialist, helped me every morning dur-ing summer vacation. I was rewarded with join-ing my grandfather at the Bent Tree Golf Course in the afternoons,” said Mr. Joiner. His father was a golfer, too, and it didn’t take long for Mr. Joiner to develop an excellent game. He had a handicap of 3! He played golf at MTSU.

Mr. Joiner said he never thought about teaching the visually impaired. “I really didn’t know much about visual impairments or TSB,” said Mr. Joiner. However, when he was looking for a teaching position, TSB called him. “I quickly went to the library, found the book on the history of TSB and skimmed it, “so at least I’d know a little bit about the school before my interview.” He was hired the same day he interviewed – and has never looked back. “I know what it’s like to face a challenge, and how great it feels to overcome it. I hope I impart that lesson to my students every day and help them achieve the same success,” he said. As you might guess, when not at TSB, Mr. Join-er enjoys playing golf, though he doesn’t play nearly as much as he’d like! He also enjoys spending time with his children, Emily 16 and William, 13. Taking after their father, both Emily and William enjoy attending sporting events. The Predators, the Sounds, basketball at MTSU and their high school are favorites. Emily plans to go into sports marketing. It’s a family affair!

TSB Staff in the Spotlight (cont.)

Plan now to participate in the Junior Class sponsored Kingdom of Hearts. Nominations for the royal court are $2 each and must be turned in by February 6th. Students and teachers can nominate individuals for the title of King /Queen (14 years of age or older) and a Prince /Princess (13 years of age or young-er). The Kingdom of Hearts Dance will be held Thursday, February 12th when the royal winners will be crowned. Voting for the royalty of your choice is done with a fifty cent donation. Votes will be collected between 7-7:30am Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings in the auditori-um lobby. Votes may also be given to Ms. Blevins or Mr. Baker any time through the 11th. Proceeds will benefit the American Heart Association and the Junior/Senior Prom.

Kingdom of Hearts Coming

Page 10

Roar of the Tiger

So what do you do when learn- ing our nation’s history and you just can’t travel everywhere? Well… you come up with a representative and have them check things out for you! That’s exactly what Mrs. Atwell’s class did in creating Flat Stanley and sending him to Washing- ton DC. With a few Cray- ola's, a marker and paper they brought Flat Stanley to life. The very sharp dressed, twelve inch char-

acter traveled first class by air to Virgin-ia. There Mrs. At-well’s sister, Krista

Carrie Carlisle performs with the Mid-State Choir.

MAP1 Class Gets Scoop on Washington DC From Stanley

Reese, graciously became Stanley’s chauffeur and companion. Teaming up with a friend they began their historical excursion. From Mount Vernon, to the national monuments and to the Smithsonian Museums, Stanley’s pres-ence created quite a stir. People all around the famous town seemed to recognize who he was and showed interest in his mission. While visit-ing the Smithsonian, Stanley received space ice cream, pencils, and stones for the class. At Mount Vernon he learned that Washington's false teeth were not wooden but made from an-imal and human teeth. While at the National Mall, Stanley went to the spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech. At Arlington Cemetery, Stanley saw the changing of the guard and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Stanley returned to Nash-ville and with Mrs. Atwell’s help was anx-ious to share the wonderful things learned.

Above: Stanly poses for a photo.

Below: Stanley has his photo

taken in front of Mount Vernon,

George Washington’s home.

Above: A waitress at a tavern George Washington fre-

quented holds Stanley’s hand. Above right: Krista takes

Stanley to visit the National World War II Memorial.

Above: Stanley makes his appearance at the Lincoln Me-morial and in front of the Reflection Pool and the Wash-ington Monument. Left: Celebrity Stanley becomes edu-cator Stanley as he is welcomed back to Nashville. Class members are: Mikayla Boutz, Nevaeh Valdes, Titus Sage, Levi Dykes, Michelle Davis, Alyssa Meachen, not pictured but a participating class member is Naijyana Hudgens

WTSB Studio B Becomes a Reality

TSB is glad to an-nounce that on Thursday February 26, it will again host the Tennessee Re-gional Braille Chal-lenge. The Braille Challenge®, a national program of Braille In-stitute, is a two stage academic contest. It is designed to motivate school-age braille readers to excel in this vital medium. Hundreds of stu-dents will participate in over forty regionals which will be held in at least twenty-nine states in America and three Canadian provinces. Stu-dents from across the state of Tennessee and the surrounding area are invited to participate in the ninth regional contest. The contest is divided

Page 11

Volume 3, Issue 6

Nevaeh

Valdez

Thanks to the Friends of TSB, the school now has a wonderful new fa-cility to teach and em-power students. Recent-ly the finishing touches were placed on “Friends” latest project. “WTSB Studio B will be used in multiple ways to enrich the lives of our students.” said band director and teacher Joe Gregory. Joe whose responsibilities also involve teaching music technology to the students will find this space as a wonderful new “classroom”. The new computer, software and sound equip-ment are some of the tools playing into the mix. Along with the design and creation of a sound sensitive room, the students have been provided a quality environment for engaging and recording studio productions. On the horizon is the imple-mentation of a school radio station. The station is scheduled to begin digital broadcasting over the schools intranet for the on campus pleasure of listeners. Aspirations for the station could make broadcasting to a larger audience a reality in the

future. How wonderful is this… students have a great new space to expand, their knowledge, ex-perience and world. And best of all, they have caring, discerning and giving friends!

Braille and Academic Challenges Coming to TSB into five academic levels and all students are encouraged to participate. In order however, to be eligible for the National Finals held in Califor-nia during June, students must compete on their own grade level. The date, if inclement weather becomes a factor, will be March 5, 2015. Applications, enrollment forms and infor-mation are all available from a link on the front page of the TSB Tigers website. TSB will simul-taneously host the Academic Challenge for non-braille students. The Academic Challenge will test the knowledge of the remaining academic students. For additional information contact Julia Hedrick by email at julia.hedrick@tsbtigers.org. Additional in-formation on the national program can be found at: http://www.brailleinstitute.org/

Chris Cook and George Guerrero man the boards recently in

the new WTSB Studio B, made possible by Friends of TSB.

Left: Plaque

outside the

studio en-

trance. Right:

Joe Gregory

assist Nick

Heggie and

Tim Tanner

with setup.

Despite the changing winter weather of Middle

Tennessee the capitol improvement projects

continue making good progress on campus. With

warm comfortable air from the new geothermal

heating/cooling system now circulating through

the buildings, the project is closer to completion.

Design has been submitted for the installment of

reinforcements on roof support system for place-

ment of the new AAON unit. Progress should be

seen within the coming weeks.

Much work has been done on

the installation of the Emer-

gency Notification Sys-

tem. The project,

scheduled to be com-

plete around

at the end of

February, is

Tennessee School for the Blind is a state special

school established in 1844 to meet the unique needs of

visually impaired students living in the state of Tennes-

see. The school provides academic and professional

services tailored to benefit students placed in its care

through the Local Education Agencies across the state.

Beyond a tradition of academics, TSB specializes in the

instruction of expanded core-curricular areas such as

Braille, Mobility, Technology, Career Education, and In-

dependent Living Skills. Students at the school also enjoy

the opportunity to participate in team sports, campus

clubs, organizations and many leisure-time activities. In

addition the school provides outreach services to visually

challenged students, their parents, teachers, schools and

other agencies assisting the visually challenged.

115 Stewarts Ferry Pike

Nashville, TN 37214

Phone: 615-231-7300

Creating Contributing Participating Members of Society

T E N N E S S E E S C H O O L F O R T H E B L I N D

Progress on Capitol Projects

currently on task.

Several future projects are in the making. If

plans go forward, one such project will be the

installation of a sprinkler system for building 1A.

The project is currently still in the design stages.

Upcoming Events Calendar

Day Date Event Location

- Feb. 2-25 TCAP Writing Assessment TSB

W Feb.11 Souper Bowl Mid-south Ceramics

Th Feb. 12 Kingdon of Hearts Dance TSB

Sa Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day -

F Feb.20 Black History Month Assembly TSB, 2nd period

Th Feb.26 Academic and Braille Challenge TSB

F-Sa Feb. 27-28 University of Louisville Jazz Festival Louisville Ky.

Tu-F Mar. 3-6 ACT When Available

Th Mar. 12 Transition Fair TSB

Sat. Mar. 14 Home Swim Meet TSB

W Mar. 18 Elementary Talent Show TSB Auditorium

W Mar. 25 High School Talent Show TSB Auditorium

W Mar. 25 Jr. Class Silent Auction TSB

M- F TBA Spring Break TSB