Delaware School for the Deaf

Mission

The mission of the Delaware School for the Deaf, a program serving deaf and hard of hearing students from birth through eighteen years of age, is to educate them with rigorous achievement standards, to develop linguistic competence in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, and to prepare them to become contributing citizens, by providing them access to language and information in a safe and supportive learning environment.

History

Margaret S. Sterck began her career in education of the deaf at the age of 17 in 1909 by training with Mary Garrett, a nationally-known teacher and pioneer of the oral method of communication. While teaching at Miss Garrett's school in Philadelphia, Sterck became concerned that Delaware's children had to be educated out of state as there was no school for the deaf in Delaware.

Through the efforts of Sterck and others, in 1929 she opened a one-room school for seven students in Grace Church in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1930, Sterck purchased a house at 1414 Van Buren Street in Wilmington where she established a school on the first floor and private residence on the second. The school was incorporated in 1933 to become the Delaware School for Deaf Children, Inc. Sterck was one of the three founding incorporators and served as treasurer. In 1933, she purchased a house in Lewes, Delaware, to be used as a summer camp. Sterck worked tirelessly to secure private and state funds so that all children with varying hearing levels could attend her school. She believed deaf children had a right to communication and education equal to that of their hearing peers. Like many of her contemporaries, she used an oral approach to education, emphasizing speech-reading and the use of auditory skills.

Sterck taught until 1945, when state regulations forced all deaf children to be taught in schools. Some were transferred to specialized deaf programs in schools across Delaware while others went to Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (PSD) in Philadelphia. In 1960, space restrictions made PSD bar additional deaf children from Delaware from enrolling. Parents of deaf children expressing concern led the Delaware State Board of Education to initiate plans for building a school for the deaf in the state. Funding and planning took place from 1960 to 1968. Construction was completed in 1968 and the school was opened in 1969. The building was named in honor of Margaret S. Sterck.

The old Sterck School building was in use from 1968 to 2010, before moving to a new location in 2011 after the completion of the new building. In the 1990s, the name of the school was changed to Delaware School for the Deaf; then it changed its name again, to Delaware Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind. (DSPDHHDB) The school is situated near the city of Newark, in the northern part of the state where the majority of deaf children are located.

Athletics

Delaware School for the Deaf has a total of three sports teams: girls' volleyball, girls' and boys' basketball. The DSD mascot is the Blue Hawks and the school's colors are royal blue and white. Delaware School for the Deaf is one of members of the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA) and Mid-Atlantic Independent League (MIL).

Since 1996, at least one of the school's volleyball or basketball teams has entered ESDAA championship games every year, until 2007. The three teams won a total of ten championships out of 18 appearances in ESDAA finals during this 11-year span. In 2017, Delaware girls basketball won their school's eleventh championships, their first ever ESDAA Division I title and first sports title in twelve years; last one in 2005.

The Delaware boys' basketball team won Division III twice in 1996 and 1998, finished second in 1997, and placed second for Division II in 1999. The boys' basketball team finally reappeared in ESDAA Division II finals three times in row, in 2010, 2011 and 2012, finished second place each time. During 2016-2017 season, the boys team reached to ESDAA Division I boy's basketball finals for the first time in its basketball program and unfortunately the "Delaware" curse continues; boys basketball program haven't won a title since 1998.

The Delaware girls' basketball team finished second in 2001, and won three straight Division II titles in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The girls' basketball finally reappeared in the ESDAA Division II title game in 2015, finished second behind Rochester. They were then invited to participate in the ESDAA Division I tournament for the first time, and finished second place – again to Rochester. During the 2016-2017 basketball season - Delaware School for the Deaf's girls basketball team won ESDAA Division I basketball title, they became the first DSD sports team to win ESDAA Division I title.

The Delaware girls' volleyball team won five Division II titles in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005. The girls' volleyball team appeared in every ESDAA Div. II championship game from 1999 until 2007. They reappeared in the ESDAA Division II championship games, but finished 2nd place in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Delaware Lady Hawks competed in ESDAA Division I Volleyball for the first time in school history, they finishing second place in the tournament in 2015. Lady Hawks finished second place again in 2016. Delaware School for the Deaf's girls' volleyball team has appeared in ESDAA championship game fifteen times out of the last eighteen tournaments, and has won five Division II volleyball titles. Delaware's volleyball program haven't won a title since, their last one was in 2005.

The current overall total is 11 championships and thirty-one appearances in ESDAA finals.

Delaware School for the Deaf's boys' soccer team program only lasted one year, during the 2014–15 school year.

Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletics Association

Trivia