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July 2015
Dear Friends and Supporters of Escuela de Educacin Especial,
Thanks for your ongoing wonderful support and encouragement!

2015 continues to be very productive, educational and joyous for the students of EEE! Aside
from regular classroom learning activities, we continued with professional Mexican Sign
Language classes conducted by Laura from the Universidad Politecnico de Queretao as
well as by internet conferencing with Professor Tricia Wilmore from Flagler College, St
Augustine, Florida and our newest sign language instructor Ernesto Escobedo Delgado of
Mexico City.
Our Vocational Training Program continues to flourish with some excellent volunteer support
from various skilled craftsman and instructors. The vocational programs focus on sewing,
carpentry, silversmithing/jewelry and cooking. The older students are becoming very
proficient in many of these areas and we can hardly wait to introduce for sale many of the
crafts that they have designed and made with their own hands.
The students and faculty are now on summer vacation after celebrating 2014/2015
graduation ceremonies on July 3rd. This year's event was a big success with all of our
students progressing into new levels and with two of our students, Laura and Juan,
graduating from middle school. We hope that you enjoy viewing some of the smiling faces of
students at the graduation event and will have a moment to view others at:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/ronfel/0258H2 .
Read on for more details and please take a moment to Visit Our Website

Professional Interpreter of Mexican Sign Language Gives Classes

The students were ecstatic with the extra-curricular classes for LSM (Mexican Sign
Language) held at the school each Saturday morning during February and March. EEE was
honored to have Laura Navarro Tejeda, professional sign language interpreter from
Universidad Politcnica de Quertaro, instruct our students and teachers. The classes not
only provided an enrichment of sign language used by the students but also allowed a wider
range of subject material (including a sex education class) and helped to better standardize
the LSM used by the students and staff at the school. We hope to continue these classes in
the future, perhaps using internet conferencing.

Maddy & Paige Helping Make School

Fun!

Thank You Eugene Southtowne Rotary

Volunteers!

Volunteer Visits
In November 2014 the school once again
welcomed friends from the Flagler College

Among many other things, our teachers

were introduced to an important teaching
model, Language Experience Approach, to

Deaf Awareness Club, St. Augustine,

Florida. During this return visit, Flagler
students created special learning activities
to expand our students vocabulary and
knowledge of other subjects, such as
geography and history.
Also in November, a great group from the
Rotary Club of Eugene Southtowne
visited San Miguel from Oregon. They spent
time at the school and after taking a
Mexican Sign Language class worked with
the students and got to know them better.
They also enjoyed a special Rotary
luncheon at the school and participated in
many other local activities and adventures.
In January 2015 a group of 12 students
from Illini Hillel Chicago participated in a
week long volunteer visit. The Hillel group
took a basic sign language class given at
the school and then used what they had
learned to help teach computer skills to EEE
students, it appeared that lack of verbal
communication was not an issue (everyone
understands smiles and hugs). The cultural
exchange and learning week was topped off
with the creation of a beautiful mural by Hillel
and EEE students,commemorating the
special place sign language holds in all our
hearts.
March was a busy month for volunteers,
with good friends of the school,
Dr. Margaret Finnegan and Trisha Wilmore,
returning from Flagler College to provide
training to our faculty.

help improve written Spanish language

instruction in the regular classroom
environment.
Maureen Stuart, experience sign language
interpreter and her friend, Kate Hersberger
joined us from Saskatchewan, Canada. In
addition to sharing their knowledge they
helped with sewing classes and introduced
Canadian culture in a fun way to the
students.
Laura Ramirez Blakney, professional chef,
traveled to San Miguel from Quertaro to
provide instruction in Mexican cooking to a
group of EEE students. Her husband, Ray,
accompanied her and was instrumental in
creating a new Power Point presentation
that will be an invaluable tool in making
others aware of the school. The best part
came when we got to eat the delicious food
prepared by our students!
During the month of July, special friends,
Maddy Rynne and Paige Kelly, joined us
from Flagler College, Deaf Awareness
Club. This young duo contributed in an
amazing fashion by running special learning
activities and programs, often leading
classroom instruction on their own. Activities
included a garden project which culminated
with a field trip to the San Miguel Botanical
Gardens (El Charco del Ingenio). Well done,
Maddy & Paige!
Thank you to all our volunteers, we couldn't
do it without you!

As always, we would love to hear from you or if you happen to be in San Miguel, have you
come visit the school to meet the students. Feel free to email us at info@eeesma.com
In gratitude,
John Doherty
President, Board of Trustees