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After DeafNation’s tour of Indiana School for the Deaf, I picked up an ISD booklet on the way out. Flipping it open, the first page bore an inspirational quote in neat italics:

“Through unity, identity; through identity; pride.”

After reflecting on our day at the institute: meeting devoted faculty and staff, socializing with some of the best and the brightest Deaf students in the nation, and seeing the campus blanketed in Hoosier orange and black – I realized that this quote could have not been more fitting. The school did indeed have it all – unity, identity, pride…and much more.

Our Day at ISD
The DeafNation crew pulled up to the campus just before lunch, setting up a Viable booth for demonstrations on the VPAD, a videophone made by deaf people, for deaf people. As the Assistant Vice-President of Business Development for Viable – and a 2002 graduate of ISD – Anthony Mowl presented to both middle school and high school students on his experiences at the deaf-owned – and deaf-operated – Viable, crediting much of his success to his institute for his diligent work ethnic and commitment to giving back to the community.

After the DeafNation crew mingled with students – and took several photographs with the RV – we had the opportunity to sit down and interview Superintendent Dr. David Geeslin to get a background on the institute. Geeslin, who graduated from Indiana School for the Deaf in 1983, remembers talking with his friends during his school years on how they could make ISD a better place. “You could say that’s when my flame started then,” Geeslin chuckled.

Geeslin then enlightened us on the institute’s staunch stand on the bilingual/bicultural philosophy at ISD, which you can read more about at (http://www.deafhoosiers.com/AboutISD/BiBi.asp), or watch our DeafNation video clip below!

In addition to Geeslin’s boasting points on the bilingual/bicultural institute, Student Development Educator for middle-school and high-school students Garrett Wooten regaled the DeafNation crew with a tour of the must-see and must-experience features of ISD, which included:
•    The magnificent $1.3 million playground;
•    The spectacular Caskey Gym adorned in school colors, with championship banners hanging from the ceiling and walls, giving a nod to the institute’s fully comprehensive sports program;
•    The bowling alley in the basement;
•    The student-run snack bar in the dormitories;
•    ISD’s own charter bus;
•    And a brief overview on the institute’s inclusive Student Life Division, which offers a wide array of after-school extracurricular activities, such as a Biking Club, and workshops where students are able to apply their classroom knowledge to hands-on activities.

Some of the must-know facts about the institute:
•    ISD was the first deaf institute to be established by a deaf person;
•    The founder of ISD was William Willard, who was previously a student of Clerc at American School for the Deaf;
•    Currently, the institute has nearly 400 students from nursery school to high school level;
•    ISD became the 2008 national Academic Bowl champions in the spring, beating out Maryland School for the Deaf for the championship title;
•    ISD’s student-run Multimedia Lab ranks as one of the top labs out of all the institutes in the nation, hosting ISD TV and often broadcasting sports games live;
•    Because DeafNation nomad Anthony Mowl had a hard time concentrating in class when taking an English exam, his teacher created a closed-off corner in her classroom, which she fondly dubbed “The Mowl Corner”. Mowl’s little brother, Jon, also often sat in the Mowl Corner after Anthony’s time! and is still in use by students when taking exams!

And it doesn’t end here – far from. To learn more about Indiana School for the Deaf, you can find everything you need to know on www.deafhoosiers.com!