The Spectacle

March 2003

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A MESSAGE TO PARENTS: These are Difficult Times

Phil Hatlen, Superintendent

As TSBVI is both a school and a state agency, it is important to remember that we have both roles. As a school, we are often treated in similar ways to local school districts. As a state agency, we must meet certain requirements made of all state agencies. Right now, as a state agency, we have been called upon to adjust our budget in order to help the state have a balanced budget. There are two actions required: first, we have been asked to reduce our budget for the current school year by 7%. Second, we have adjusted TSBVI's budget for the next two years. These two actions are being required of all state agencies, although the actual outcome will not be determined until the legislature has all its hearings and considers all the information it receives. At the present time, we are appearing before legislative committees and meeting with individual legislators in order to be certain that they are fully informed regarding the good work of TSBVI, and that they are aware of the effects of any reduction in our budget.

If the two proposed reductions become a reality, the services provided by TSBVI will be affected.

We will do everything possible to keep services to your children at the highest possible level. However, it would be irresponsible for me to say that everything will be the same next year. If the proposed reduction occurs, we will notify you immediately regarding any changes in your children's education program.

Each of you might consider whether you would like to share with your own legislator any thoughts or ideas regarding your experiences with TSBVI.

TSBVI Student Council Hosts High School
PAL's Group from Abilene

By Shelly Allen

Student Council Sponsor

The TSBVI Student Council, under the leadership of President Nicole Penn, Vice President Chasmon Demus, Secretary Jessica Varnell, and Treasurer Minnie Contreras, were joined by members Randy Brawner, Jon Ardoyno, Rachel Watkins, Victor Rubio, Austin Peyton, Jessica Biggert, and Courtney Alspaugh to host a group of high school students from Abilene on January 24^th. The students were part an organization called PAL's, which stands for Peer Assistance Leadership. The group focus is to provide support and mentoring to their high school peers.

Our council treated the visitors to pizza in our Recreation Center, a tour of the campus, reading to some of our elementary age students in both print and Braille, and various group games in the gym.

Everyone involved said that it was a wonderful experience. Students made new friends and learned a little more about the day in a life of another high school peer.

As the group was leaving there were some tears and plans were made to do this again in the future. Having sighted peers join us on our campus only shows us how much we are all the same.

Parent Weekend 2003

By Marcela Contreras and Michael Clinkscales, Social Workers

The second annual TSBVI Parent Weekend was hosted late January at our campus in Austin, Texas. More than 120 family members attended the event.

TSBVI assisted many families with housing and transportation. After traveling from across the state on Friday, families were treated to a welcome reception. We saw many friendly faces at the parent social this year. Parents always tell us they enjoy meeting other parents and sharing experiences. Several families took the opportunity to have their family portrait taken by Denise Elliott-Jones, our art teacher.

Parents and families had a busy Saturday schedule. They attended breakfast with their child, followed by a welcoming ceremony with Superintendent Dr. Phil Hatlen. Keynote speaker Dr. Brian Abery rounded out the morning events. His discussion focused on encouraging families and students to promote self-determination.

Families participated in O&M activities, teacher team meetings, an IPC meeting, and transition to adult life sessions. Late afternoon events included Marathon Kids Final Mile, mini therapy horses, dinner, student fine arts presentations, and a concert by nationally known Blue Mist, a former TSBVI student band.

Dr. Abery's message was continued in our afternoon Transition to Adult Life sessions, which were tailored to each age group and their individual needs.

Parents, students, staff, and staff's children met outside to enjoy two afternoon events: the Final Mile and the arrival of the miniature horses. "I'll never forget the look of utter delight on one of our student's faces as she tactually explored the head, ears, mane and back of one of the mini horses," said Marcela Contreras, TSBVI Social Worker. "It was truly a moment to treasure."

Sixty-three students participated in completing the marathon final mile. Beginning in November, the students began logging their miles - walking, jogging or running.

With the final mile, students completed a marathon - a grand total of 26 miles! Students, parents and staff all shared in the pride and joy our remarkable students felt as they crossed the finish line under an archway of colorful balloons.

The Student Fine Arts presentation was held Saturday evening. Casey Grimm showcased her students in a Power Point presentation that included photos of many of her students. Robert Pierson's drama students performed two thought provoking contemporary dramatic scenes. Jane Rundquist brought down the house with her student rendition of "Give a Little Love". The evening ended with a concert by Blue Mist. Families and students enjoyed R&B, Pop, and Jazz favorites.

Family and staff response to Parent Weekend was positive. One TSBVI staff said, "It was a great opportunity for the TSBVI family (staff, our children, students, their parents and siblings) to be together."

Marathon Kids Complete "Final Mile"

By Roy Martz, Social Worker

Marathon Kids is an Austin based program started by Runtex, an Austin running shoe business. As part of our efforts to promote physical fitness at TSBVI, we began our own Marathon Kids program. Participating students ran or walked a marathon through February 1, 2003.

Students were encouraged to walk or run every day, log their miles, and turn their documentation in to the TSBVI Recreation Center where their distances were recorded. Our gym teachers devised equivalent systems for those students wheelchair dependent or otherwise health impaired.

Thank you for encouraging your children to get out there to walk or run when they were home with you, documenting their miles and sending their distance recordings back to school with them.

It's all a part of getting fit, staying healthy and having fun.

Career Education Spotlights Working Wildcats

By Mark Ramirez, Job Coach

Wildcats have been accessing the TSBVI Career Education Department for many years. Some work with job coaches on various job seeking skills and experience on-campus and off-campus jobs during their school day. Others work in the after-school jobs program. The Career Education Department delights in featuring two of its workers; students Aaron McLeod and Humberto Castillo.

Aaron McLeod is a 17 year old native Austinite. And though he has spent, "a bunch of summers at TSBVI" this is his first year as a full-time student. When asked what he enjoys about being a student at TSBVI Aaron answered, "I like that there are a lot of people here to help you explore what you want to learn. There is a lot of freedom. And I like that the classes are small, you get to learn who your teachers really are like."

Additionally, this is Aaron's first experience in Career Education. Regarding his early impressions about Career Education, Aaron says, "You really get to learn how to work and how tough it can be to get a job. You get to learn what you need to get out in the real world."

In addition to his classes, Aaron works at the Learning Resources Center as an Assistant to Diane Nousanen. When asked about his job, Aaron says, "I like my job and that Miss Nousanen gives me so many responsibilities. It's really cool!"

Aaron also participates in athletics. He is on the track team and also swims for the school. Aaron likes to spend his free time skateboarding, surfing and eating his favorite food, sushi.

Humberto Castillo is a 20 year-old student born in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. This is Humberto's seventh year at TSBVI and is in his second year in the Career Education Program. He has turned his class time in Career Education into very successful "real work" experiences.

Currently, Humberto holds two positions; a Laundry Room Attendant at LaQuinta and a Trainer in the Shrink-Wrap Production Room. Both positions held by Humberto reflect his responsibility, skill and enthusiasm.

In relation to TSBVI and Career Education, Humberto states, "I like that the teachers take time to work with each student. I've learned a lot of aspects of what it takes to find and hold a job."

When not hard at work at school or at one of his jobs, Humberto enjoys listening to music and being alone to allow himself time to think and relax.

TSBVI Tandem Team Rides With Several of USA's Elite

By Mark Gronquist,

Recreation Manager
February 2003

Eleven students from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired participated in the Tandem Bicycle Race in the Powerhouse Pace Bend Road Race. Just two days before the 2003 Texas Ice Storm, we all enjoyed the beautiful warm weather on a sunny Sunday. The 6 1/2 mile race course at Lake Travis in Pace Bend Park is amazing. It curves around a peninsula, in and out of the lakes and coves, and is quite hilly. The students participating were Mike Sanchez, Billy Specks, Bryan Maffett, AJ Reed, Chasmon Demus, Ramiro Rodriguez, Chris Brandon, David Herrera, Jose Zapata, Cody Gootee, and Luis Ramirez.

The race started at 12:30, with eleven tandem teams at the start line. At the start, the groups stayed close for the first mile, when the team of Ramiro and JB broke away and were soon out of sight!

Sensing the action was about to begin, everyone wanted to be near the front of the pack. We wondered if there would be a chase to catch the team of Ramiro and JB. Leading the pack was the team of Chris Brandon and Kevin Livingston. Chris and Kevin set a rigorous tempo and pushed the group of tandem teams hard. A mile later, Chris and Kevin established a large gap. They pushed on and widened their lead. At mile three, they saw Ramiro and JB over the hill -- and the chase was on!

It took a little over a half mile for Chris and Kevin to reach them. The two tandem teams rode together, drafting off each other to cut down on the strong winds coming off the lake. With about a mile to go, Chris and Kevin took the lead and never surrendered it, rolling across the finish line in first place, with Ramiro and JB following in a close second. The rest of the group followed to end a great ride.

Each student rode with experienced tandem riders from TSBVI, volunteers from the Junior League of Austin, and United Youth Sports. In addition to these volunteers, the ride had several professional riders and local celebrities to captain some of the tandem teams.

David Herrera rode with 2002 First Union U.S. Pro Champion and Austin resident Chann McRae. David and Chann finished in fourth place. Ramiro Rodriguez rode with cat-4 master and local radio personality, JB, from MIX 94.7 (JB & Sandy in the morning). Ramiro and JB finished in second place. On The Morning Show the next day, they aired a recap of their fun and exciting racing stories.

Billy Specks rode with local triathlete Jen Ohlson. Jen Ohlson is one of the sports reporters on KXAN 36 News. Billy and Jen finished the race in sixth place. Winning the tandem ride was the team of Chris Brandon and Kevin Livingston. Kevin Livingston rode with team Telekom in the Tour de France last year finishing 56th over all and 43rd over all in 2001. From 1999-2000, Kevin was with the U.S. Postal Service finishing 37th over all in the Tour de France in 2000 and 36th over all in 1999.

The TSBVI Tandem Club practices weekly and participates in 4 to 6 rides per year in and around the Austin area. The team is made up of 15 students who love to ride. The Junior League of Austin is the primary source of funding for the Tandem Club. In addition to volunteers from the Junior League of Austin, United Youth Sports and individuals from the community support the club.

Sounds of Spring Inspires Residential Music Program

Juliana Cumbo, TSBVI residential music teacher, works with students throughout the campus. The music curriculum in the residential program is structured to fit each student's strengths and interests. The structure helps students gain confidence in making choices of what kind of music activities he or she prefers. For Diana and Sarah, deaf/blind students, music is interpreted with sound sensitive lights. Experiencing different kinds of musical instruments, Jose is learning to play guitar. Angela is learning to sing her favorite song from the radio.

Juliana works with each student, residential instructor, and academic teacher to create a challenging and fun environment for individual lessons or group lessons. Some of the music activities on campus include learning a variety of new music, incorporating movement with songs, and creating a musical yearbook that the students may take home at the end of the school year.

Music is a very large part of student life on the TSBVI campus. The residential program gives students a venue to actively participate and provides a positive recreational activity that everyone can enjoy.

Greetings from the Art Corner

Hi, my name is Gabel Karsten, the after school residential art teacher. In my four years of this position, my goal has been to provide students with fun, tactile experiences using as many familiar and accessible materials as possible. We use empty paper towel rolls to make small rainsticks full of beans and corn. We adorn the outside of the rain stick with paint, feathers and rubber bands.

Clay is one of the students' favorite materials. We make everything from clay faces to hang on the wall, to coil bowls, free form sculptures, and different shapes to be made into wind chimes. We even have a ceramics wheel in the classroom, which you can imagine is tons of fun! With egg cartons, we make painted caterpillars complete with pipe cleaners as legs, antennas, and google eyes. We paint items such as old records, canvas with shapes with raised outlines, and wood or clay we have fired.

When the weather is nice, we go outside and mix cement in big bowls and scrape it into molds. We then decorate with marbles, clay chips, springs, nuts and bolts to make stepping-stones. With cornstarch, water, and food color we make paint and decorate sidewalks with large paintbrushes.

These are only some of our projects. We also have art shows where students can choose to sell their work. My hope is that some of these projects will inspire students to create on their own in their free time.

Health Center Report

By Janice Friend

Acanthuses Nigricans is a skin condition that signals high insulin levels in the body. Insulin carries sugar to cells. High insulin levels may indicate that the body is resisting insulin being produced. This causes the pancreas (the organ that produces the insulin) to work harder and produce even more insulin, and in time can completely stop producing insulin.

Acanthosis Nigricans helps identify persons at high risk for developing diabetes. Possible identifying markers are: darkened band on back of neck, on knuckles, under the arm, being overweight, and high blood pressure. Once identified, exercise and proper nutrition can help the body become more sensitive to insulin and the markers will fade.

The school nurse will screen your child for Acanthosis Nigricans and send you a form to take to your doctor. When you visit your doctor, ask for insulin levels (not blood sugar levels), nutritional counseling, and an exercise program. School staff will assist you in any recommendations given by your doctor. These steps can reduce risk of developing further problems associated with high insulin levels, such as cardiovascular problems, hypertension, increased cholesterol levels, and obesity.

Editor: Ellen Grimmett

Phone: 512-206-9171
Fax: 512-206-9148
Email: ellengrimmett@tsbvi.edu

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

1100 West 45th Street
Austin Texas 78756-3494

Phone:512-454-8631