School for deaf celebrates five years of change

Celebrating their five year anniversary, Scranton State School for the Deaf have a lot to be thankful about as they reminisce about as they made their way from signed petitions and rallies to an actual school.

With many feeling that deaf education would cease to exist, advocates rallied and petitioned for a school of their own. In 2009, those petitioners got their wish when the state gave them the private Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in 2009 located in the Green Ridge section of Scranton.

Although there were many fears about how successful the school would be when it was first opened, five years later all those fears have been quashed as the now called Scranton School for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children has had been improving their teaching styles and enrollment has doubled in these past five years.

With students who are not completely deaf but range from hard of hearing and having hearing aids and cochlear implants, teachers now use both spoken and sign language within the classroom with teachers who are deaf and cannot speak having an interpreter with them in the class room.

Now with their enrollment at an all-time high, officials are looking towards the future where they are hoping to raise money in order to renovate the campus and include additional space for the increase of students. Officials hope that with the additional renovations, the school can enroll up to 70-75 students in grades ranging from preschool to eighth grade.

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