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Mr. Val Wojton, Athletic Director at WPSD, offers an overview of the coming basketball and cheer leading seasons. On December 9th and 10th, as a part of the 2016 Homecoming celebration, the School will host a basketball tournament involving the Deaf schools from Kentucky, Delaware, and Ohio and the annual Senior Recognition, which is a long-standing tradition at the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Best of luck to all of our student-athletes as the season starts and in the coming tournament. Go Lions! We are #wpsdproud!

The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is proud to host the 2nd annual Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA) Soccer Tournament.  The teams that will be participating will include – American School for the Deaf, Fanwood (NY), Ohio School for the Deaf, Lexington, Marie Philips, and the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

The mission of the ESDAA is to provide all member schools and respective athletes with challenging tournament and championship meet-competition. These competitions will center on good sportsmanship, ethical behavior, and integrity as advocated by the National Federation of State High Schools Athletics Association.

Parking.  WPSD will be enforcing a temporary parking restriction on our campus until 1:30 pm on Friday October 21st.  Competing schools (teams only) will have access to reserved places prior to the start of the tournament.  All other parents, friends, and guests are asked to park off campus. Guests will be able to walk onto campus at the gates located on East Swissvale Avenue and School Street to access the soccer field. Once school has dismissed for the weekend and all of the buses have cleared, we will lift the parking ban on campus.  This will happen around 1:30 pm Friday.  Please note until the ban is lifted, there will be additional parking available adjacent to WPSD at the Deaf Lutheran Church, at the corner of Swissvale and Walnut street.  Once the WPSD staff depart for the weekend around 2pm, more parking will also be available in the campus lots. Thank you for your cooperation, and your support of our schools. We look forward to a wonderful event!

WPSD will attempt to offer coverage of each game online through the School’s LIVESTEAM CHANNEL.  We have been experiencing technical difficulties with the LiveStream service today (Friday) but will attempt to offer the service on Saturday.  Thank you for your patience.  The entire tournament schedule is as follows…..

Friday, October 21st 

• 12:00 pm  – POOL B             American vs Marie Philip – Final Score – ASD 4 – MPS 2 [overtime]
• 1:00 pm – POOL A                Lexington vs Fanwood (NY) – Final Score – Lexington 3 – Fanwood  0
• 2:00 pm – POOL B               Ohio vs Marie Philip – Final Score – OSD 0 – MPS 1
• 3:00 pm – POOL A               WPSD vs Fanwood (NY) – Final Score – WPSD 2 – Fanwood 0
• 4:00 pm – POOL B               Ohio vs American – Final Score – OSD 2 – ASD 3
• 5:00 pm  – POOL A               WPSD vs Lexington – Final Score – WPSD 1 – Lexington 0

Saturday, October 22nd

• 10:00 AM – POOL A 2nd place (Lexington) vs POOL B 1st place (American) – FINAL – Lexington 2 / ASD 1
• 11:00 AM – POOL A 1st place (WPSD)vs POOL B 2nd place (Marie Philip) – FINAL – WPSD 2 / MPS 1
• 12:00 PM– POOL A 3rd place (NY-Fanwood) vs POOL B 3rd place (Ohio) – FINAL – OSD 2 / Fanwood 0
• 1:00 PM – American vs. MPS – FINAL – ASD 2 / MPS 0
• 2:00 PM – WPSD vs. Lexington – FINAL – WPSD 2 / Lexington 0
• 3:00 PM – AWARDS 

Tournament Results.

1st Place – WPSD
2nd Place – Lexington
3rd Place – American School for the Deaf
4th Place – Marie Philip School
5th Place – Ohio School for the Deaf
6th Place – Fanwood (NY)

Tournament Awards

• Team Sportsmanship – MARIE PHILIP SCHOOL
• ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
  • Ray M., Lexington
  • Andrew Ray T., American
  • Dylan C., Marie Philip
  • Jamie Pavia C., Lexington
  • Kyle D., WPSD
  • Ali A., Ohio
  • Anthony L., Lexington
  • Omar S., American
  • Carlos V., NY-Fanwood
  • Antoine H., WPSD
  • Seth R., WPSD
  • Goalie of the Tournament – Braden E., WPSD
• Most Valuable Player – Chad D’Amore, WPSD

Post-Gazette.com
New CEO for Western Pa. School for the Deaf hopes students will be ‘lifelong learners’
August 22, 2016 12:00 AM
By Tim Grant / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steven E. Farmer, the new CEO of the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, spent most of his early childhood in deaf schools, but when he transferred to a public school in ninth grade, the experience gave him a new appreciation for the benefits of deaf students attending deaf schools.

“When I reached high school, I could only speak to others through an interpreter,” he said. “I had very few friends. While the opportunities were vast, if I could do it over, I would have explored staying in a deaf school. At a school for the deaf, there is open communication among students and staff.”

He said his parents moved him to the public school in ninth grade so that he could be with his siblings.

One of the things that appealed to Mr. Farmer about taking the helm at WPSD is that every student can communicate with any administrator or faculty member without requiring the assistance of an interpreter and that no student will have to suffer the frustration or isolation he endured every day of his high school experience.

Mr. Farmer took over WPSD on July 1, when former CEO Donald Rhoten retired from his position after 23 years. Mr. Farmer, who was picked after an eight-month search process, holds a doctorate of education in education leadership and policy studies, which he earned from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

“My vision for the school is to create lifelong learners out of all of our students,” he said through an interpreter. “I want to get to know folks here. I’ll be visiting every classroom and every department. I will get to know the people here and get to know the students here. This is a wonderful school already. And I will try to find areas that need improvement. There is always room for improvement, but it is already an excellent school.”

A native of Frederick, Md., Mr. Farmer and his wife Heather have four children. Their oldest child attends college in Tennessee; one is a senior in high school; one is a high school sophomore; and their youngest child is in the sixth grade and will be attending WPSD due to a hearing impairment. The family will live on the school campus in Edgewood.

WPSD operates two campuses in the state. The main campus in Edgewood is K-12 and has a student body of 185. The Scranton School for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children goes to eighth grade and has a student body of 60. Students from the Scranton campus can transfer to the Pittsburgh campus when they reach ninth grade.

Mr. Farmer said the two schools are not limited to using sign language.

The schools provide speech therapy and auditory therapy. About 30 percent of students have cochlear implants, which are devices that are surgically implanted behind the ear to provide auditory assistance. They are different from a normal hearing aid. About 60 percent of the students use regular hearing aids and 10 percent are unaided.

Prior to accepting his new position, Mr. Farmer worked for 17 years at Tennessee School for the Deaf as director of student life, where he supervised a staff of 85 and managed the independent living curriculum. After earning his doctorate, he was ready for the challenge of leading a school and he sees this as an exciting opportunity.

“The transition from a state-run school to a private school will be my biggest challenge,” he said. “Private schools are different. The fact that WPSD is a private school and Tennessee School for the Deaf is state-run, I have a lot to learn coming from a state-run school to a private school.”

Tim Grant: tgrant@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1591.

Read the story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf was proud to host their annual Summer Leadership Camp on June 25 and 26.  The Camp is designed to challenge students’ skills and abilities through a variety of activities, including serving as counselors for Session 1 of Camp Discovery.

In the video below, Noah, Ryane, and Cassie share their experiences from Summer Leadership Camp, what they learned during the Camp, and encourage other WPSD students to apply next summer.

We are #wpsdproud.

The Western Pennsylvanian is the quarterly magazine produced by the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.  It provides information about student accomplishments, events on campus and efforts by WPSD to promote the achievements of deaf and hard-of-hearing students throughout the Commonwealth.

In this issue, enjoy articles about our boys and girls basketball seasons, Bots IQ team, Academic Bowl and a farewell to our long-time CEO, Mr. Don Rhoten.

Is there a friend or a family member who would benefit from the programs and services offered by WPSD?  Take a moment and share The Western Pennsylvanian with them today.  You never know the lives that you may change!

We are #wpsdproud!

2016 Summer Reading Program

Student Book Report Form

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Dr. Steven Farmer to succeed Don Rhoten on July 1

March 11, 2016 (Pittsburgh, PA) – The Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) is proud to announce the appointment of Steven E. Farmer, M.S., Ed.D., as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Dr. Farmer comes to WPSD from the Tennessee School for the Deaf, where he had served as Director of Student Life. In that position, Farmer supervised a staff of 85 and managed a complex independent living curriculum, among other responsibilities. Dr. Farmer has earned Doctor of Education and Masters degrees in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the University of Tennessee and has a wealth of experience as a leader and educator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students and teachers-in-training.

“We’re thrilled that Dr. Farmer has accepted our offer to become our new CEO,” says Melissa Scheffler, Chair of the WPSD Board of Trustees, which was responsible for overseeing the recruitment process in close collaboration with WPSD’s Alumni Advisory Committee, Staff Advisory Committee and Parent Advisory Committee as well as search firm Littleford & Associates.

“The decision was the result of an intensive 8-month search process during which our Board interviewed numerous candidates, introduced them to students, parents and alumni, hosted site visits and evaluated what each candidate could bring to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community at WPSD,” adds Scheffler. “Ultimately, we found that Dr. Farmer would best position our school for the future due to his vast management and leadership experience and his steadfast commitment to deaf education and communication throughout his career.”

“It’s a true honor, privilege and a great responsibility to be chosen to lead the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf,” says Dr. Farmer. “I look forward to helping to grow what I believe is already the greatest asset to deaf children in the state of Pennsylvania.”

On July 1, 2016, Dr. Farmer will succeed current CEO Donald E. Rhoten, who announced his retirement in August 2015. Rhoten has been a central figure in the WPSD community for more than 23 years, starting as its Superintendent in 1993 and spending the last six years as CEO. Rhoten will step down as CEO on June 30, 2016.

“I cannot express in words my appreciation for the support, guidance and trust I have received from the WPSD family and the Board of Trustees over the past 23 years,” says Rhoten. “It has been a privilege and honor to work on behalf of deaf and hard of hearing students throughout Pennsylvania. I have no doubt that students, families and staff of WPSD and the Scranton School are in good hands with Dr. Farmer.”

During Rhoten’s tenure, WPSD grew from a single school in Pittsburgh’s Edgewood borough to an institution that spans the state, now with a school in Scranton, Pa. and an outreach center in Camp Hill, Pa. WPSD is currently the largest employer of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the state of Pennsylvania.

“Mr. Rhoten’s contributions to the WPSD community will not soon be forgotten,” says Scheffler. “We chose Dr. Farmer because we believe he is fully capable of building upon WPSD’s success over the past 20 years. We look forward to a new era for deaf education in Western Pennsylvania, Scranton and beyond.”

In the coming months, Dr. Farmer will begin transitioning into his new role by meeting with WPSD students, staff, families and alumni at WPSD’s Pittsburgh and Scranton campuses.

“We are confident that WPSD has a capable, hard-working and agile leader for the foreseeable future,” says Scheffler. “We can’t wait to see the great ideas that Dr. Farmer will bring to the table—and most importantly, to our students.”

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Contacts
Ben Korman
PR Manager
Pipitone Group
bkorman@pipitonegroup.com

Matt Campion
Director, Institutional Advancement
Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
412.244.4250
mcampion@wpsd.org

A copy of the annoucement can be downloaded by clicking on CEO

Enjoy the September 2015 edition of The Children’s Center News. Discover what exciting things are happening at The Children’s Center at WPSD.  Simple click on the cover below to download your copy.