Opinion: Community support has allowed St. Rita students to thrive
For 107 years, St. Rita School for the Deaf has educated children, pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, across the Greater Cincinnati region from our classrooms in Evendale. We are blessed to be able to be a part of the Greater Cincinnati community.
The "heart" of the school is the faculty and staff who carry out the mission each day so each child who walks through our doors has the opportunity to grow academically, socially and spiritually. Their love, expertise, patience and dedication create an environment where students feel safe, have a sense of belonging, can communicate freely and carry the message of Christ’s love to all they encounter.
St. Rita educates children with hearing loss as well as hearing children who are trying to express themselves and be understood. St. Rita owes it longevity to its faculty and staff, its innovativeness as well as community support.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and staff found ways to continue learning online and using American Sign Language despite the limited access to resources and tools. All students were given a technology device to learn online with their teachers, schedules were adjusted and speech and language therapies continued. We adjusted and put in long hours to make sure students had access in their language with online resources, videos and other learning tools. This meant teachers and staff going the extra step to interpret the videos so they could be understood by the students.
We were able to deliver and accomplish our mission although it looked different. We continued to educate and serve our community of deaf children, or hearing children who need sign language as their main mode of communication.
Now, we’re back in the classroom where we resumed our excellent standard of small class sizes (no more than eight children per class) and speech therapy. Students have direct communication with all of their teachers, which means we don’t use interpreters, everyone can sign.
Educating goes beyond our classroom walls and into the community. We offer a free playgroup for children with special needs who are up to three years old. During the playgroup, parents have the opportunities to meet with other parents and caregivers of children with special needs while the children can interact and play with each other. Parents can also learn strategies to support their child’s language and communication development.
Continuing our innovative programming and education as a private institution takes community support.
This holiday season, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those who for years have supported our legacy. This season of giving reminds us to be grateful for gifts that have been given to us and for those gifts that are yet to come.
May this season of giving allow us to listen with our eyes, ears and hearts to bring goodness and light to all so our children can learn in an environment that allows them to thrive.
Angela Frith is president at St. Rita School for the Deaf. For more information, visit www.srsdeaf.org/giving.aspx.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Community support has allowed St. Rita students to thrive
