Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 127 No. 3 Spring 2006 | Page 6

Middle/High School News
by Rene Ambrose and Maryann Barnett

GTC Annual Deaf Awareness Day

For Sale: A Variety
of Valentine Gifts

Wednesday, March 22 was a busy day in nearby Elkhorn, Wisconsin as the students
in the Interpreter Training Program (ITP) sponsored the annual Deaf Awareness Day.
People from all over southeastern Wisconsin visited the Gateway Technical College
campus, mingled with the crowds, enjoyed the free lunch and fabulous entertainment
and learned something new at the exhibit tables. WSD’s own Sign Song Dance Troupe
performed twice with solo performances by Anessa Wohlfarth, Clifford Robinson,
Dia Xiong, and Mayra Castrajon. There were duets by Clifford Robinson and Nick
Shaw. They encouraged audience participation with YMCA, patriotism with God Bless
America, and smiles with the Grinch, and Twisted Angel.

Students Visit Chicago
On a brisk March Monday morning our World History and American History classes loaded onto a bus and headed to Chicago,
Illinois to the famous Field Museum.
The featured exhibit was Pompeii. This is the city in Italy that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius covered with lava, ash, lapilli and
toxic gas, killing tens of thousands of people in the year 79A.D. The city was discovered by accident under 75 feet of stone and
rubble in 1711 while mining for limestone.
Unearthed were gold, silver, gemstones, money, pottery and kitchenware, frescoes, columns, and bodies. All were preserved in
hardened lava making molds easy to capture the horrors of the day. Besides the city of Pompeii, the cities of Herculaneum, Oplontis,
and Terigno were also completely destroyed.
One survivor, Pliney the younger, wrote, “A fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame and parted to reveal
great tongues of fire…darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a dark room.”
Teachers Chris Woodfill and Karen DeFalco led the students through the history changing events of the volcanic cataclysm. Our
agenda was tight since we arrived at 10:00 am and knew we had to leave by 1:00. The two WSD teachers were also able to give
a condensed tour through Egypt and the pyramid exhibit as well as the African exhibit. It seemed a full month inside the exhibits
would only scratch the surface of these fascinating topics. We hope to visit the Field Museum again!

Lunch was a delicious spread of hotdogs, sloppy Joes, salads, dips, chips, beverages, and
a sweet dessert table.

Test Your Knowledge of Pompeii

Exhibits included art by Irisne, a raffle and a fun table of products by Universal Link,
two interpreting agencies (PIE and SWITS), three relay services (Sorenson, SCS VRS
and Hamiltion), and the Captioned Media Program. The GTC students also had a table of
goodies. They gave away cotton candy and popcorn. They sold handmade cards and sign
language items, as well as jewelry.

Match:

Lots of acquaintances were made and friendships renewed. Several staff from WSD
were spotted as well as many WSD alumni including Cathy (Cochnet) Schenning, Albert
Covelli, Lisa Leonard, Betty and Guy Kelly, Charles Harper, Joshua Wakefield, and
Marvin Coleman.

Gared Gannon with assistance from Donna
Palenske works on a craft project for the
Valentine Day sale.

A. papyrus scrolls
B. the temperature of the lava, ash
1. Mosaic
and gas
2. Pliney th