Welcome to Good News!
Highlighting Achievements and Successes at
the Texas School for the Deaf.

Volume 7, Issue 6

TSD Hosts Successful Central Region Academic Bowl

Do you know what the chemical element name for Mn is, or the South American country that has Santiago as its capital? These kids do.

Seventy-seven students from twenty deaf schools and deaf programs from as far away as Minnesota and Florida descended on TSD for the Central Region Academic Bowl in late February.

After a nail-biting final match between Indiana School for the Deaf (ISD) and Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB), ISD ended with the win.

TSD's team finished 4th and secured a spot at the National Academic Bowl at Gallaudet where the team reached the final eight on April 20, 2023. Max H. was awarded All Star player, Peyton Y. placed second in the individual competition, and Lydia C. won the Debate Bowl Championship.

Congratulations to our team: Jeanique D., Payton Y., Max H., and Lydia C. as well as their amazing coaches Michelle H. and Claire O.

Photo shows the TSD Academic Bowl team with the U.S. Capitol in the background.

TSD Teams Compete in Underwater and Aerial Drone Tourney

TSD teams set a new record for attending their first STEM tournament, sponsored by NTID Regional STEM Center, Mechatronic Engineering Leadership in Deafness (MELD) and Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB), held at the American School for the Deaf (ASD) in West Hartford, CT in early March.

TSD high school and middle school students competed in two courses designed for the second annual SeaPerch underwater ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) obstacle and mission as well as the 1st annual Aerial Drone’s two competitions in autonomous and pilot.

The competitions consisted of Deaf schools from across the United States. The TSD students worked hard on assembling two underwater obstacle courses, designing and building their ROVs, as well as creating their own engineering notebooks that reflected on their strategies and mission goals for the past two months after school and on the weekends. They also assembled the aerial drone field inside one of the facilities to code and operate their drones.

The Overall Drone Excellence award was given to Team Yoga for their pilot skills, autonomous coding, engineering notebook, and team interview. Team Water Dora was recognized as Tournament Championship (1st place). Both teams were able to advance to the World Aerial Drone Championship in Mississippi on April 20th.

In an interview with NBC Connecticut, TSD student Xavier E. said, “It was very exciting to be in a competition like this for the first time against other Deaf competitors. I usually play against hearing peers. I felt normal to use sign language in this type of environment because usually there would be communication barriers that I couldn’t naturally talk to the hearing peers. So, this has been exciting.”

TSD is pleased to announce that the STEM tournament will take place again on our very home turf Spring 2024. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcements.

CONGRATULATIONS TO TSD!

Middle school students pose for the camera. One holding a placement medal.

Photo shows middle school students navigating their underwater ROV in a swimming pool.

Photo shows a photo of a student flying a aerial drone through an obstacle.

Photo shows two TSD students being interviewed by NBC Connecticut.

TSD Hosts 45 Athletic Directors at Largest Bi-Annual Conference

While many of us were enjoying Spring Break, forty-five athletic directors from 36 different schools gathered at TSD for its 7th Bi-Annual National Deaf Interscholastic Athletic Association conference.

Topics discussed during the three-day event included critical conversations in sports, equity, and energy in the new generation of student athletes. Also discussed was how to prepare athletes for the next level, and some challenging issues in athletics among Deaf school.

It was not entirely professional development. These athletic directors got the opportunity to get a personalized tour of the University of Texas basketball and football facilities. They even got to enjoy food from Crepe Crazy and Lotz BBQ. And rumors are some even got to ride a mechanical bull at Bull and Bowl on 6th Street.

Congratulations Chris Hamilton for hosting a successful event!

Photo shows one of the athletic directors addressing the other athletic directors during a discussion.

Photo shows TSD athletic director Chris Hamilton taking a selfie of him and the other athletic directors in a "party" bus.

Group photo of athletic directors on the University of Texas Longhorns football field.

TSD Teams Win Big at the SOTX Basketball Area Competition

Submitted by John Moore - The SOTX Basketball area competition at the Jowers Center on the Texas State University campus was a thrilling event for all involved. In the end, SOTX TSD Blue team emerged as the gold medal winners, while SOTX TSD White team took home the silver medal.

In the first round of the competition, TSD Blue faced off against the BES Eagles, ultimately defeating them with a final score of 35-24. This victory set the stage for the gold medal match, in which TSD Blue faced off against the San Antonio Fire Sparks. It was a close game, but in the end, TSD Blue emerged victorious once again with a final score of 43-32.

Meanwhile, in the first game of the competition, TSD White faced off against Judson, but unfortunately, they were unable to secure a win, losing with a final score of 14-18. However, in their second game, TSD White came back strong, defeating San Antonio Premier with a final score of 38-17, ultimately securing the silver medal.

Congratulations to SOTX TSD Blue and TSD White teams!

One School, Two Books

Submitted by Leslie Hussey - Our third annual One School, Two Books (OSTB), a community-wide shared reading event, ran from February 13th - March 10th at the Elementary department.

In the fall, our K-2nd and 3rd-5th grade students voted for the titles they most wanted to read, and the winning titles were revealed at our OSTB kickoffs on February 13, 2023.

There were happy handwaves and cheers all over the auditorium when the winning titles were announced! The winning title for our K-2nd grade students was Rainbow the Koala by Remy Lai, an award-winning graphic novel about a koala that survives the wildfires of Australia.

Our 3rd - 5th grade readers went on a wild and exciting ecological adventure with The Aquanaut - another award-winning graphic novel by a popular and well-liked author/illustrator Dan Santat.

At school, all students explored their books through book club discussions with their peers, a mix-it-up lunch at the cafeteria with delicious pizza and sundaes, mix-it-up centers, and a wonderful OSTB Gallery at the library that showcased creative projects all students created at the end of the event. The four-week event was a wonderful experience for everybody involved, and we look forward to our fourth annual One School, Two books planned for February 2024!

A special thank you to the TSD Foundation for making this project possible. We were able to purchase Rainbow the Koala and The Aquanaut graphic novels for all of our students to read and keep.

Photo shows student-made books on a display.

Photo shows one of the elementary teachers talking to students about the book, The Aquanaut.

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Published April 28, 2023 Print