Hearing-impaired students competing in academic bowl

From: Fitchburg Sentinel - Fitchburg,MA,USA - Dec 17, 2004

By Caitlyn Kelleher

FITCHBURG -- A group of nine hearing-impaired students, a teacher and two interpreters are rising to the challenge of a regional academic bowl.

Students involved in the deaf and hard-of-hearing support program at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical High School are preparing a team to compete in the Gallaudet University Academic Bowl. They are also raising enough money to host that bowl.

The students are drilling once a week in practice sessions for the Northeast Regional Academic Bowl sponsored by Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., which will be held at the area technical high school in March.

The students said they enjoy learning the different facts and the friendly competition.

"The other nice thing is we feel motivated and got to socialize with other deaf students," said senior Raquel Perez of Fitchburg.

The school has eight students competing at this point to make the five-person team, said Chris Adshade, the coach and a sign language interpreter at the school. Adshade and assistant coach Marcia Rongeau interpret for the students, who are profoundly deaf and can only speak through American Sign Language.

Team members agree the math questions and the deaf culture questions are the hardest.

"We don't really study (deaf culture) that often," said Courtney Hisman, a sophomore from Clinton. "We have to study it on our own."

The students also need to raise more than $8,000 to cover the costs of food, entertainment and interpreters for the event. The students are selling candy bars, planning a dinner show with Irish-American step dancers in February and organizing a school-wide fund-raiser also, said Adshade.

Daniel Magennis Jr., the learning support teacher at the high school, is working to coordinate the bowl scheduled for March 17 to 20. Sixteen teams from throughout New England and New York will compete in what is basically single-round elimination, said Adshade.

"Mr. Magennis encouraged us to join before our freshman year," said senior Jillian Roche of Orange. "We learned so much it was great."

Senior Matt Clamare is going to be working with the officials from the university to run the computers, troubleshoot any technology problems and to "make sure it all runs smoothly," he said. Clamare also runs the computer, which flashes the questions on the screen during the practices.

Clamare is in the industrial technology division of the vocational school.

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