Please welcome John Ramstad, Senior Safety Specialist, to FSDB!

Previously, John worked for thirty-five years for the Department of Defense as a Firefighter and Emergency Management Specialist.

John is looking forward to starting a new, rewarding experience, being part of something greater.

He wanted to share that he has spent many years dealing with emergencies and planning, and looks forward to being part of a new team.

We are so happy to have you here with us at FSDB!
#ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
John is wearing a light gray color shirt with "FSDB Safety" on the right of his shirt smiling for his photo with a silver backdrop and purple background. Below the photo is a white textbox that says "John Ramstad, Senior Safety Specialist"
Congratulations to Valerye Ward on her new position as the 4th Grade Teacher at Deaf Elementary School!

Previously, she was the 7th Grade English and Language Arts teacher at Deaf Middle School. Valerye is excited about the opportunity to help young minds grow in fun and meaningful ways.

A fun fact about Valerye is that she participated in reading challenges with the Medieval Times Dinner Show during her school years. As a reward for achieving her challenge goal, she was knighted by the king.

Valerye also wants to share that by the end of the school year, all her students know about her obsession with cacti and Buc-ee's.

We are proud of you!
#ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Valerye is wearing an olive green shirt smiling for her photo with a silver backdrop and green background. Below the photo is a white textbox that says "DES 4th Grade Teacher"

The art cart is overflowing with canvases! Boxes of sculptures are packed and ready to go!

October is National Sensory Processing Awareness Month. FSDB is partnering with the St. Augustine Art Association and the Florida DeafBlind Association again this year to host the Tactile Art Show at the STAAA gallery.

We are excited that many of our BHS art students will have an opportunity to showcase their work alongside the work of local artists.

We hope you will check out the show in person or online. We have so much to celebrate!

Exhibit Opens: October 3, 2025, during First Friday Art Walk from 5:00 pm-8:00 pm.
Gallery Hours: Tuesdays through Sundays, 12:00 pm-4:00 pm
Admission is free.

Here’s a link to the STAAA website for more information:
Tactile Art Show – St. Augustine Art Association

Image 1: The blue art cart is stacked with canvases. A blue canvas with a tactile octopus sits atop the cart. A canvas with a yellow sun and sky of blue squares peeks out from behind.

Image 2: A red, white, and black plaster cloth sculpture of an arm is tucked in a brown box with a black and white "mystery creature" sculpture.

about 1 month ago, Blind High School
The blue art cart is stacked with canvases. A blue canvas with a tactile octopus sits atop the cart. A canvas with a yellow sun and sky of blue squares peeks out from behind.
A red, white, and black plaster cloth sculpture of an arm is tucked in a brown box with a black and white mystery creature sculpture.

Students in D&B Designs are applying skills they have learned working in Photoshop to design and print their t-shirts.

#FSDBCTETuesdays

about 1 month ago, FSDB
Six photo collage of six D&B Design students holding their white shirts with the design they created inside the D&B Designs classroom.
Welcome, Mariajose Perez P, to FSDB! Mariajose previously worked as a referral coordinator at Island Doctors before taking on the role of Instructional Assistant at the Deaf Elementary School at FSDB. "I am most excited about learning ASL and becoming part of such a vibrant and welcoming community," says Mariajose. "As I develop my skills, I hope to share lessons with the children I work with and support them in meaningful ways." Here are some interesting facts about Mariajose: - She is originally from San Cristóbal, Venezuela, but has been living in St. Augustine since 2016. - Her first language is Spanish. - She has a corgi named Cooper, who believes he runs the house—and he actually does! We are so thrilled to have you here with us! #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Mariajose is wearing a brown shirt with black vest smiling for her photo with a silver backdrop and red background. Below her photo is a white textbox that says "Mariajose Perez P, DES Instructional Assistant".
Margie Galligan-Prater, a teacher at the Blind High School, shares her favorite memory below:

"My favorite memories have always been planning several proms with the kids and working alongside my colleagues during the senior carnivals to provide fun games and memories for the students and their families."

 #FSDBMemoryMonday #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Margie is wearing an olive green shirt smiling for her photo with a black and white background. On the left side of her is a white textbox that says "My favorite memories have always been planning several proms with the kids and working alongside my colleagues during the senior carnivals to provide fun games and memories for the students and their families."
Last weekend, BEMS Social Studies Teacher, Mr. Ferguson, traveled to France for the bicentennial of braille! The bicentennial festivities were held in Coupvray (the birthplace of Louis Braille) and included numerous tactile activities, information tables, demonstrations, lectures, vendors, and games adapted for the BVI community. Mr. Ferguson visited the home of Louis Braille along with his original grave and national monument in Coupvray. In Paris, Mr. Ferguson visited the National Institute for Blind Youth, the Association Valentin Haüy, and Louis Braille’s second grave at the Panthéon, where all but his hands are buried (his hands remain in an urn in Coupvray). Mr. Ferguson also dined at Le Procope, the oldest café in Paris, where blindness was intensely debated among Enlightenment philosophers and Diderot’s Encyclopedia and Letter on the Blind were reportedly conceived.

“Walking in the footsteps of Louis Braille and other founding figures in the field of visual impairment was sensational, and continuing their work with students today is a great privilege,” Mr. Ferguson said. Mr. Ferguson has enjoyed sharing meaningful conversations about the importance of braille and ECC areas with students while enjoying assorted French cookies and chocolates, tactile graphics, and braille which he brought back as concrete experiences for students. As a former student of FSDB, Mr. Ferguson hopes that his travel experiences will inspire students to Do More, Be More, and Achieve More by pursuing their passions and overcoming obstacles.


#ThisIsFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Photo of Mr. Ferguson smiling for his photo inside the home of Louis Braille.
Inside a restaurant named "Le Procope" which is the oldest car in Paris.
Mr. Ferguson smiling with a wax figure of Louis Braille wearing a navy suit.
Demonstrations with tactile on each of the shelves.
Photo of Mr. Ferguson smiling for a photo with Louis Braille's grave.
Photo of cookies, chocolates, tactile graphics and braille that he had brought back home to share with his students.
FSDB Homecoming 2025 was a great success! Our swimming, volleyball, and football teams performed exceptionally well, and we are incredibly proud of them.

We want to thank the staff, students, their families, and all our fans for coming out to support us. We look forward to seeing everyone next year!

Below are the links to the football and volleyball albums from Homecoming:

Volleyball: https://fsdb.zenfolio.com/p867075543

Football: https://fsdb.zenfolio.com/p610163142

#FSDBSportsSundays #GoFSDBDragons
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Top photo is the football team running through the red banner that the cheerleaders were holding on the field, and the bottom photo is an action shot of the volleyball teams playing inside Settles Gym.
The SOAR Program sold Mexican candies at the Homecoming football game last Saturday. We hope you visited our booth, said hello, and purchased some candies!

#FSDBSOARSaturdays
about 1 month ago, FSDB
SOAR student smiling with a SOAR teacher at their booth selling Mexico candy outside Usina Field during the Homecoming football game.
🎓 This week's Question of the Week is for all FSDB alumni! When did you graduate from FSDB? Where has life taken you since then? We want to know! Share your journey with us in the comments. 🌟

#FSDBQuestionOfTheWeekFridays
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Faded photo of President Tracie Snow in a yellow dress smiling with the Blind and Deaf Class of 2024. On the top left is a blue speech bubble that says "Alumni! What year did you graduate? Where has life taken you since then?"
Welcome, Melissa Brasic, Director of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Early Intervention, to FSDB!

Melissa was previously a parent advisor with the Parent Infant Program before taking on her current role.

She is excited to join the DHH Early Intervention team, which includes parent advisors, to continue serving children and families throughout Florida.

Melissa enjoys nature and spends as much time outdoors as possible. Her favorite places include Lake Superior, areas with Giant Redwoods, and Tybee Island.

We are so happy to have you here with us at FSDB!

#ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Melissa is wearing a maroon color suit smiling for her photo with a silver backdrop and purple background. Below the photo is a white textbox that says "Melissa Brasic, Director of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Early Intervention"

Media Moment!

Some days, I get to do something a little different — like being interviewed on live TV! Yesterday, I had the honor of speaking with Tiffany Salameh from @news4jax as part of their "4 Your Neighborhood" series. Each month, they leave the studio to spotlight communities across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia — and this time, they chose beautiful Flagler College in St. Augustine!
 
It was a gorgeous Florida fall day on the West Lawn, and I had the pleasure of chatting with Tiffany about FSDB — who we serve, what makes our school so special, and even a few of our notable graduates. I always LOVE talking about FSDB, though I’ll admit… going live on the news definitely brings a few nerves! I just want to make sure I represent our incredible school and community well.

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPk2TW-9rwY 

One question we didn’t get to in the 4-minute segment was:  How can families learn more about FSDB?
- Well — if you’re reading this, you’ve already found us on social media! 🙌
- Visit www.FSDBk12.org to explore our programs, services, and more.
- Interested families and students can also sign up for a campus tour to see firsthand what we do.

A huge thank you to Alvina LaPlante for joining me so we could represent both Spoken English and American Sign Language. Love my team! 
 
#ThisisFSDB #4YourNeighborhood #DeafEducation #BlindEducation #ParentChoice #FSDBStrong #CommunitySpotlight #ThePrezSnowPost

about 1 month ago, FSDB
Tracie is wearing a white with green flowers scattered all over her dress pointing to the camera crew outside on Flagler College campus.
Left to right: News4Jax anchor, President Tracie Snow, and Alvina, Interpreter, smile for a selfie on the campus lawn of Flagler College.
Welcome, John Holman, to FSDB!

John brings with him an impressive background as he previously served as a Master Sergeant, dedicating thirty years to the City of Port St. Lucie Law Enforcement. He is excited to join FSDB as a Law Enforcement Officer!

John looks forward to interacting with students ranging from preschool to young adults and is eager to learn Sign Language.

Here are a few fun facts about John:
- He is a passionate animal lover and has two dogs and two cats.
- He is an expert on snakes and other reptiles.
- During his time as a Police Officer, one of his cases was featured on "America's Most Wanted," and he is proud to say that the suspect was caught.

We are thrilled to have you as a part of the FSDB family!

#ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB
about 1 month ago, FSDB
John is wearing his officer uniform smiling for a photo with a silver backdrop and purple background. Below the photo is a white text box that says "John Holman, Law Enforcement Officer"
In Koger Hall, the juniors are off to a great start in the kitchen! Over the past two weeks, students have been actively learning about kitchen safety, the importance of maintaining a clean cooking environment, and the value of taking turns preparing dinner.

These foundational skills are helping students build confidence and responsibility as they begin their journey toward independent living.

#FSDBAfterSchoolHoursWednesdays
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Three photos of blind juniors learning on their independence skills shopping in the grocery store and cooking food in the kitchen.
In Culinary Arts, students have learned to prepare stocks, soups, sandwiches, and a variety of desserts this semester, including cheesecake, custards, and tarts.

#FSDBCTETuesdays
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Three photo collage of culinary art students working on preparing and cooking various of meals this semester inside the kitchen.
Daniel Pletenets, FSDB's Class of 2022 and a Deaf Middle School teacher, shares his favorite memory as a student.

"My favorite part of FSDB as a student was walking on campus, feeling the beautiful, warm sunrise and seeing its light shining on the buildings and vibrant plants every morning. I still enjoy that moment every morning as a teacher."

#FSDBMemoryMondays #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB #FSDBFam
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Daniel is wearing a gray FSDB Athletics collar shirt smiling for his photo with the white text box on the right that says "My favorite part of FSDB as a student was walking on campus, feeling the beautiful, warm sunrise and seeing its light shining on the buildings and vibrant plants every morning. I still enjoy that moment every morning as a teacher"
The FSDB Dragons Football team have secured a victory last night against the California-Riverside Cubs!

FSDB: 34, CSDR:14

Great job, Dragons!

#FSDBSportSundays #PassionPridePerserverance #GoFSDBDragons
about 1 month ago, FSDB
A FSDB football player is scoring a touch down while the other team tries to tackle him on the Usina Football field.
Our SOAR students had the opportunity to participate in our Homecoming festivities! They collaborated as a class, created the SOAR banner, and walked in the parade!

#FSDBSOARSaturdays
about 1 month ago, FSDB
Two SOAR students wearing a red shirt walking with their banner that they created as a class during the Homecoming Parade.
In honor of the 85th Homcoming Football game tomorrow, when was the first FSD Homecoming Football game, and who did they play?

#FSDBQuestionOfTheWeekFridays
about 2 months ago, FSDB
A quote white box with the question "When was the first FSD homecoming football game, and who did they play?" with the photo of the first homecoming flyer beneath it.
We are less than a month away from our Fall Open House! Registration closes on October 5. Learn about FSDB programs, watch performances from FSDB music groups, and participate in a Q&A session with staff and students. Special guests include FSDB President, Tracie Snow and D&B Designs with unique gifts and apparel. If you are unable to attend, the event will be livestreamed.

Click the following link to register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/k8fz32c
about 2 months ago, FSDB
Open House – Fall 2025 Graphic