June 2011
Oster students assist Japanese school for deaf
Fold by fold, crease by crease, a flock of colorful paper birds hatched from the hands of students enrolled in the COE' s Special Education deaf and hard of hearing program.
The students used origami, the Japanese art of paper folding, to
construct 1,000 paper cranes that will serve as a handmade message of hope, love
and support for deaf students affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in
Japan.
"The 1,000 cranes symbolize hope in Japan, and a feeling of goodwill," said Karen Mason, a teacher at Oster Elementary. "We thought it would be really nice to give some encouragement after the tsunami and earthquake."
Sayaka Adachi, a deaf volunteer from Japan, used her lunch hour to teach the deaf and hard of hearing students at Oster, Dartmouth Middle and Leigh High schools to fold the cranes.
Students and staff quickly mastered the technique, and with about 90 people working on the project, they crafted 1,000 cranes in about two weeks, Karen said.
"I'm amazed at how quickly we made 1000 cranes," she said.
Twenty-five strands of 40 cranes will be anchored to a wooden ring that can be hung from above. With the help of a Japanese colleague of Karen's, the colorful cascades of paper birds will be delivered, along with some money raised by sales of cookies, pinwheels and Japanese crafts to the Miyagi School for the Deaf, which has been affected by the disaster.
Though the monetary contribution is modest, and the cranes are symbolic, the contribution is invaluable for our students, Karen said.
"The kids are excited because they know it's going to go to a school that needs some cheering up," she said. "We hope that will inspire them and encourage them."
Also, the project has served as a powerful learning opportunity, particularly for the younger children. Not only have they learned more about natural disasters, but their understanding of the world and others with a hearing loss has significantly broadened, Karen said.
The project also resonated strongly with some of the older students. Last summer, a group of teens who attend the DHOH program at Leigh toured the country and also met with other Japanese deaf students there.
The earthquake and resulting tsunami did not affect the school that our DHOH students visited, but the connection has provided the students a finer grasp of the devastation, said Karen, who accompanied the students on the trip.
"It's hard to believe that we were there last summer, and then this huge disaster happened," she said. "The students are concerned. It's been a global thing for all of us, so it's neat that we've all tied it together, and are able to participate as the DHOH program from SCCOE.
Date last updated: March 21, 2011