Louisiana School for the Deaf

Louisiana School for the Deaf
"What was that?"
Location
Baton Rouge
Information
Type	Public
Established	December 8, 1852
School district	Serves all school districts and deaf or hard-of-hearing children in LA
Director	Dr. Monita G. Hara
Principal	Mr. Rayburn Boland
Grades	Pre-K -12, plus 0-3 years
Color(s)	Kelly Green & White
Athletics	Football,Basketball,Volleyball,Cheerleading.Powerlifing,Track & Field,Cross Country
Athletics conference	Mason Dixon Conference
Mascot	War Eagles
Affiliation	CEASD
Website	Louisiana School for the Deaf

The Louisiana School for the Deaf is a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Louisiana in Baton Rouge. It was established in 1852.

Mission

The mission of the Louisiana School for the Deaf is:

• To enhance the academic, vocational, physical, emotional, social and cultural development of each student.
• To provide a visually accessible, positive and nurturing environment that emphasizes literacy and effective communication skills.
• To be a caring community where students can achieve personal excellence and become independent lifelong learners.

Admission/Enrollment

Louisiana School for the Deaf offers a comprehensive pre-K–12 education for Louisiana's deaf and hard-of-hearing children ages 3–18 at no cost to their families.

Enrolling at the Louisiana School for the Deaf is possible by:

• Parental application: At each IEP conference, parents have the right to review the choices of educational placements available to their child. Louisiana law (Act 433) empowers parents to choose between the program offered by their local school system and the program offered by LSD. Parents can apply directly to LSD at any time during the school year.
• State Department of Education (SDE) referral: The local school system can refer a deaf/hard-of-hearing student to LSD through the SDE.
• The local school system can refer a deaf/hard-of-hearing student to LSD for an evaluation by the LSD Statewide Assessment Center for the Hearing Impaired (SWAC-HI) to determine levels of performance and program needs. The student attends LSD during the evaluation process.

LSD Campus Lawn

History

LSD North Campus Mayflower

Before 1838, wealthy families provided tutors for their deaf children or paid for the children to attend a school for the deaf outside Louisiana.

The 1838 Louisiana legislature passed an act on January 16, 1838 to provide state-supported education of deaf children. As a result of this act, 11 children from Louisiana were enrolled at the Kentucky School for the Deaf.

In 1852, a member of the General Assembly, Mr. Francis Dubose Richardson, introduced a bill to provide $25,000 and empowered a Board of Administrators to oversee the establishment of the Louisiana Institute for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind. The bill was passed on March 1852 and approved by the governor. The seven board members were authorized to buy land, make contracts, or do whatever was necessary to begin the school.

LSD North Campus in the 1800s

The first school was in the former Baton Rouge College (located where the Mayflower campus is). The board recruited James S. Brown from the Indiana Asylum of the Deaf and Dumb as superintendent. On December 8, 1852, the 11 Louisiana students and Brown arrived in Baton Rouge.

Notable achievements during 1852–1860 were completion of the state Administration Building, acclaimed as one of the most elaborate and elegant buildings for that era, the hiring of a woman teacher, and including vocational training as part of the program.

The new Administration Building was completed in 1858 and stood for 99 years, Money was appropriated for the purchase of a printing press and fonts, thus printing as a vocational skill began. A carpenter on campus was enlisted to teach carpentry skills.

In 1860, the school had 60 students. By 1862, there were 72 students. As the war drew closer to Baton Rouge, the only ones at the school were the orphans. Early in 1862, gunboats were sighted on the Mississippi. The school was an easy target. It is said that a cannon ball shot through the wide ball and landed at the rear of the school. The front facade was shot at many times before principal Martin and matron Mary Dufrocq could run the half-mile to the riverbank and beg the commander to save the school. The soldiers were ordered to stop shooting and to convert the school into a hospital to care for federal soldiers.

In January 1863, the federal troop again seized Baton Rouge and the school, using the building for hospital purposes again. Schooling continued. The soldiers ruined the printing equipment. But one advantage — General Augur permitted full rations to the school. From 1863 to 1867, the children had enough food and fuel.

Original front gate of LSD

On October 15, 1869, a fire destroyed the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy at Pineville. After the fire, governor Warmoth asked the board and administrators and superintendent J.A. McWhorter for the use of half of the school building for the seminary.

Major John Patton, professor of Greek at Louisiana State University, was appointed superintendent. Among his first tasks, was to arrange for the deaf students to be removed to another location. The old Heroman Building on Church and Florida Streets (opposite the former State-Times and Morning Advocate building) became the third location of the school.

In 1884, there were only 56 students and Dr. John Jastremski was appointed superintendent. Jastremski assumed superintendence in 1885. He immediately appointed Edith S. Rambo who was trained at the Clarke School for the Deaf as the first oral teacher. The Deaf Mute Pelican, the forerunner of The Pelican, began publication in 1859. In 1892, the print shop and sewing department were enlarging. Carpentry, cabinet making, and glazing were taught. In 1892, another articulation teacher was hired and a shoe shop installed.

The 1898 act separated the two schools, set up two boards, and specified that the children receive a good education, instruction in hygiene and physical culture (physical education), and industrial training. Basketball was bought for the girls and the boys played football.

Superintendent S.T. Walker lobbied for changing the name of The Louisiana Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. On July 8, 1908, a bill changing the name to the Louisiana School for the Deaf became law.

LSD South Campus

The goal has been to prepare the students for full, useful and happy lives after finishing school.

Southern School for the Deaf (SSD) (1938-1978)

Louisiana's only black school for the deaf (SSD) was founded in 1938 on the Southern University campus. In 1978, state of Louisiana forced SSD to merged with LSD and relocated to Mayflowers Campus (North Campus).

The State School for the Blind and Deaf for Blacks, also under the supervision of Southern University, was separated into two schools: the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf. In 1938, Dr. J.S. Clark was succeeded by his son, Dr. Felton G. Clark.

Athletics

Football and Homecoming was brought back in 2010. Other sports offered include: girls' volleyball, girls' & boys' basketball, girls' & boys track and field, girls' & boys' and powerlifting. LSD has several gyms an indoor swimming pool and a rackeball court. LSD is in the process of renovating the tennis courts and the bowling lanes.

School mascots

• Mustangs (1???-1978): the first school mascot.
• Wolves (1938–1978): Southern School for the Deaf mascot.
• War Eagles (1978–present): When LSD and SSD merged, school officials asked the students to vote the new mascot.

Superintendents/Directors

Name	Duration	Years in Service
James S. Brown	1852–1860	8 years
W.W. McCain	April–October 1860	6 months
Dr. L.L. Laycock	1860–1862	2 years
Adolphins Martin	1862–1869	7 years
J.A. McWhorter	1869–1877	8 years
Major John Preston*	1877–1880	3 years
Adolphins Martin*#	1880–1883	3 years
R.G. Ferguson	1883–1884	1 year
Dr. John Jastremski*^	1884–1904	20 years
S.T. Walker	1904–1908	4 years
S.M. Robertson*	1908–1912	4 years
W.S. Holmes	1912–1916	4 years
Grover C. Huckaby	1916–1931	15 years
A.J. Caldwell*	1931–1935	4 years
Mrs. A.J. Caldwell@	April–May 1935	1 month
Louis R. Divine	1935–1940	5 years
Lang Russell@	Nov. 1940-Jan. 1941	3 months
Spencer Phillips	1941–1950	10 years
John Patton*	1950–1961	11 years
Mrs. Lillan Jones@	Oct. 1961-Feb. 1962	4 months
Dr. Lloyd Funchess	1962–1972	10 years
Dr. Harold Denning	1972–1973	1 year
Lt. Col. Jimmie Wax@	June–July 1973	2 months
Elton Lampkin	1973–1976	3 years
Ben Phillips@	November 1976-June 1977	7 months
Dr. Harvey J. Corson	1977–1990	13 years
Dr. John Radvany	1990–1993	3 years
Luther B. Prickett	1993–2006	13 years
Kenny David@%	2006–2008	2 years**
Kevin Lemoine&	2008–2009	1 year
Dr. Donna Alleman@	2009–2010	1 year
Dr. Monita G. Hara	2010–Present

Note: * died in office, # reappointed, ^ longest years in service, @ acting, % superintendent title has been dropped and renamed director to the title as of 2006, **' retired as of October 10, 2008, & interim director

External links

• Louisiana School for the Deaf