Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - Do More. Be More. Achieve More.

Congratulations to Marie Sisk on her new position! Marie previously served as a Senior Residential Instructor at Vaill Hall and is now the Overnight Deaf Boarding Supervisor. She is excited about this new chapter, which presents both challenges and opportunities for personal and team growth. Originally from Lawsonville, North Carolina, Marie enjoys visiting art museums and galleries. We are all so happy for you! #FSDBFam #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB

Our cheerleaders are heading to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) today for the weekend to participate in the National Deaf Cheerleading Competition (NDCC). Follow our stories to stay updated on their travels and their first day at RIT! #FSDBTakeoverThursdays

For March, we will be celebrating Women's History Month! Mary Inez McCollough Mauldin, FSB ' 57: - First Blind Alumane on the FSDB Board of Trustees 1976-1988 and 1990-2001; includes six years as Vice Chair - Retired public school teacher - Founder of the FSB Alumni Association - Graduated from Stetson University in Deland, FL, in 1961 - First blind public school teacher who taught 5th grade in Duval, Brevard, and Bay Counties - The first woman appointed to the Florida State Council by the Florida Governor in 1966 - In 1982, she received an Alumni Distinguished Award from Stetson University Source: FSDB Museum, Florida School Herald #FSDBWayBackWhensdays #FSDBHistory #HappyWomensHistoryMonth

In February, the young men's apartment was busy! As a group, they have discussed and reviewed several of the independent life skills curriculum topics they discussed at the start of the year. Some that stood out this month were the oral discussions regarding "Kitchen Safety and "Applying For Jobs/Interviews."  The young men have also become more social since adding two students to our apartment. Students were involved in different sports activities in February and began developing great meal plans. They recently all sat down in our Apartment Weekly Meeting and discussed the importance of table manners and the expectation for eating out in public with friends or family. As we move into March, they will continue to expose the students to all the valuable life skills. This month, we continued preparing meals from different cultures. The students love this approach to cooking. This also taught the students different cooking techniques and foods they hadn't heard of before. The week of February 9, we took an off-campus trip to Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. This allowed the Young Men to learn and explore the world's unique things, like the world's tallest man and optical illusions. Next month, they plan on having the apartments do a social event before spring break. They plan to visit the local hardware store to see what tools can help them when working on home projects. This will touch on the life skills of "Managing a Household." #FSDBCampusLifeTuesday

We are thrilled to share both departments' Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the Class of 2025! Blind: Valedictorian: Logan Cake Salutatorian: Sara Griley Deaf: Valedictorian: Kyra Hollerman Co-Salutatorian: Annabelle Abenchuchan Co-Salutatorian: Vanessa Waldhof Congratulations! #FSDBAcademicMonday

Welcome, Cassie Jarrell, to FSDB! Cassie will be joining the Healthcare Center as a Registered Nurse. Before arriving at FSDB, she worked as a Pediatric Allergy Nurse. Cassie looks forward to interacting with the deaf community and combining her nursing expertise with her communication skills in her new role. She hails from Winter Springs, Florida, and is a Harry Potter fan! We are excited to have you here at FSDB! #FSDBFam #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB

On Thursday, February 27th, students in the Blind Department set sail on the grand adventure of the FSDB Regional Braille Challenge. This annual event is a unique competition designed to motivate students who are B/VI and celebrate Braille literacy! Every participant (there were 57!) was a true pirate at heart - courageous, determined, and ready to conquer any obstacle! We restored the Pirate Queen's lost treasure, and the secrets of the Braille Code remained safe. We were also reminded that true treasure lies not in gold, but in the knowledge we share!   Congratulations to our winners!   Rookie Group (unique learners) 1. Demitri 2. Juniell & Danna   Foundational Group (all grade level beginning braille readers) 1. Jehieli 2. Brianna 3. Aidan   Apprentice Group (1-2 grade) 1.. Aubrey 2. McKenzie 3. Luke   Freshman Group (3-4 grade) 1. Jude 2. Penelope 3. Dino   Sophomore Group (5-6 grade) 1. Maely 2. Kessler 3. Whyatt   JV Group (7-9 grade) 1. Khloe Miller 2. Nicholas Lanutti 3. Vivienne Matos   Varsity Group (10-12 grade) 1. Alden Porter 2. Calli Larison 3. Logan Strickland To view the photos from the event, click the link shared below: https://zenfolio.page.link/1GhRn #FSDBRecapSunday

Our Wrestlers headed to Palm Bay High School for the FHSAA 1A Region-2 tournament. Regionals did not go as planned, unfortunately none of our wrestlers qualified for states. Tyler W, Joshua N and Robert M all won one match before they were knocked out. However it was still a  great experience, a fun weekend full of good wrestling and quality team bonding time. This marks the end of the 2025 wrestling season-We are very proud of our Dragon and Cobra wrestlers this season, it has been an amazing and memorable season. A new all-time school record 22 dual wins, First time in school history winning Willigan IBT(Deaf Nationals) with 9 in the Finals, 4 Individual Champs, 8 FHSAA 1A Region 2 Qualifiers and 3rd place at FHSAA Districts overall as a team. A very admirable season indeed. The coaching staff could not be more proud of this team. A big thank you for all the support from the FSDB community. Heading into next year our motto will be “unfinished business”. - Coach Dayton Newman #FSDBSportsSaturday

This is Justyn Keller. He attended FSDB as a student from 2004 to 2006. While there, he made great memories, like winning goalball championships, going on trips to Snowmass, Colorado, and becoming a finalist in the National Braille Challenge in California. In 2016, Justyn returned to FSDB. He started as an Instructional Assistant in the Blind Middle School (BMS). He coached the Boys' Goalball team from 2017 to 2021 and the Wrestling team from 2020 to 2022. By 2020, he became a teacher, and he currently teaches Mathematics for grades 6 through 8. He has also taught Science, English Language Arts, and learning strategies. Justyn takes on many roles at FSDB. He coaches the girls' goalball team, mentors other teachers, and sponsors clubs and extracurricular activities. He also serves as an ambassador for FSDB in the Outreach Department. One of his favorite moments since returning has been hearing success stories from his former students. When asked why he came back to FSDB, Justyn said, "I came to FSDB broken, and FSDB gave me so much! While I thought I was destined to practice Political Science and Law, it is only a dream to return and pay it forward." Justyn loves Peru and the Amazon Rainforest. He has spent several summers there and mentioned, "Who knows, I may move there one day!" We love having you as part of our FSDB Family! #GrowingUpAtFSDBFridays #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB #ThisIsFSDB

Congratulations to Dominique Tanaka! Dominique has been a part of the FSDB Deaf Department for seventeen years, starting when she was just five years old. She has decided to defer her diploma in order to pursue further education. Dominique plans to find a job and work until summer, after which she will start college. Some of her favorite memories at FSDB include spending time with her friends, who she considers family, making FSDB feel like home. She also appreciates her teachers for preparing her for the future and teaching her how to become successful. Her favorite subjects are Unique Skills with Zachary Bridget and English with Lauren Fox. In Unique Skills, she learned how to write a formal email and gained financial knowledge. In English, she enjoyed expanding her vocabulary. We will miss seeing you, and wish you all the best! #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB #ThisIsFSDB (If you were wondering why President Snow is dressed up, she participated in the Blind Department Braille Challenge and was still dressed up in character as a Pirate Queen.)

Welcome Rory Lewis to FSDB! Rory will be joining the High School Deaf Department as the Biology Teacher. He is very excited to collaborate with other staff members and work with our deaf students. Rory is from Frederick, Maryland, and he is the fourth generation in his family to be deaf! We are thrilled to have you here at FSDB with us! #FSDBFam #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB

Congratulations to Katherine Youngren on her new position! Katherine previously worked as a Deaf Overnight Boarding Program Supervisor and is now the Boarding Program Supervisor for Vaill Hall. She is looking forward to her new role, especially since she started her career at FSDB in Vaill Hall and is excited to return to her roots! Here are some fun facts about Katherine: she is from Black Hawk, South Dakota, and she sang as the lead in a sea shanty group for six years! We are so happy for you, Katherine! #FSDBFam #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB

Today is the thrilling Braille Challenge for our Blind Department! Get ready for an exciting day filled with adventures as our incredible pirates take on fun challenges! Don’t miss out — follow our stories for all the amazing moments! #FSDBTakeoverThursdays

To wrap up Black History Month, we share the FSDB campus buildings named after former Black students & staff! 1. Cary White Complex: 1990- Present - Cary White, FSD' 1925, First Black Deaf Graduate, worked at FSDB for around 46 years as a teacher, farmer, driver, and maintenance staff. 2. Knowles Hall: - Old Knowles Hall: 1915-1979 - New Knowles Hall (Gym): 1980 to Present - Inez Knowles, a black deaf teacher, worked 26 years at FSDB. She graduated from Georgia School for the Deaf in 1920 and had two deaf sisters. 3. James Hall: - Old James Hall for Boys Dorm: 1952-1979 - New James Hall for HS Girls Dorm: 1980- Present - Virginia James, a hearing female, worked long as a dorm teacher. 4. Gregg Hall: - 1st Gregg Hall for Girls Dorm: 1949-1979 - 2nd Gregg Hall: renamed in 1980, 1974-2023 - New Gregg Hall: 2024- Present - Katie Gregg, a black-hearing female, worked long as a dorm teacher. 5. Ray Charles Apartment Center: - From 2005- Present - It was named after a Blind Alumni, Ray Charles, who is also a notable musician. Source:  FSDB Museum  #FSDBWayBackWhensday

Our six Close-Up adventurous blind and visually impaired students embarked on an exciting journey to explore part of the vibrant city of Washington, D.C., from February 8 to February 14. To read more about what our students learned and did on the trip, click the link below: https://www.fsdbk12.org/article/2051016 #FSDBCampusLifeTuesdays

The Deaf Middle School 7th grade class visited St. Augustine’s Mosquito Museum a few weeks ago. They learned a lot about mosquitoes, and our students enjoyed feeding mosquito larvae to the mosquitofish. They also knew that scientists bred and released Elephant mosquitoes as a form of natural mosquito control. The Elephant mosquito does not drink blood; their larvae feed on other mosquito larvae! It was a great educational trip for our students! #FSDBAcademicMondays

February zoomed by, and it’s almost over! The Blind Department had an amazing month filled with fun and excitement! - Second and third graders participated in Kindness Week activities with Braille Specialist Michelle Sminkey. Aubrey, Luke and Penelope created tactile hearts on their braille, reviewed braille contractions, and then transferred their designs to greeting cards for members of a local community retirement home. - Third through fifth-grade students visited the Anastasia Mosquito Control Center, where they delved into the fascinating world of mosquitoes. - Our students created cards and messages in print and braille, tactile graphics, and shared artwork bedazzled with jewels and stickers for a local senior/retirement facility. - For Valentine's Day, Kramer students created candy bags and thank you cards and presented them to the middle school students in Gregg and McLane Hall, thanking them for all they have done. #FSDBRecapSunday

Our Wrestlers attended the FHSAA 1A D5 District Tournament this past Wednesday, February 19, at Crystal River High School. Daniel Healy - 1st  Dino Juedy Jr - 2nd  Robert McCullogh - 2nd  Ivan McAlphin - 2nd  Antonio Riggins - 2nd  Khayree Lofton - 3rd  Tyler Whitman - 4th  Joshua Newman - 4th  These results are from individual performance based on weight class in district tournaments. However, based on personal performance contributes to team points that a team can win altogether. Therefore, FSDB won third for team points in the FHSAA 1A D5 District Tournament with 146.5 points. #FSDBSportsSaturday #GoDragons #GoCobras

This is Addison Allen. Addison is a junior at Blind High School and has been with us for six years. One of his favorite memories at FSDB is becoming a District Champion in Track and Field during his freshman year. He has expressed his determination to win many more championships and break school records, but he will always cherish that first victory. A fun fact about Addison is that his mom was born in Colombia, and his dad was born in Chicago, making him half Colombian and half African American. He grew up in Chicago until he was ten years old. We love watching you grow over the years! #FSDBGrowingUpAtFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB #ThisIsFSDB

We are pleased to welcome Samantha Kennedy to FSDB! Samantha will work as a Residential Instructor for our Apartment students. She is eager to embrace new experiences, collaborate with students, and participate in FSDB events. An fun fact about Samantha is she is a cat mom! We are excited to have you here at FSDB! #FSDBFam #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB