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The
TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
Volume 3, Issue 4
December 1, 2014
Goalball Teams Roll on as Lady Tigers Win First Place!
Left: Demi Richards, Tori Harrison, Taylor Grenier, Alyssa
Loggins, Corgan Waters and Shelby West were the winning
combination for the Tigers of Tennessee.
Anxious to improve on last year’s second and
third place finish, the TSB Tigers Girls and Boys
Goal Ball teams boarded the charter bus on
November 8th headed to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Fresh from hosting the TSB invitational meet,
Oct. 17-19, the Tigers were roaring to win. The
competition would be against ten other schools
for the blind and visually impaired making up the
North Central Association of Schools for the
Blind (NCASB). The girl’s team began by defeating Minnesota and then Wisconsin. The next
three games came against Indiana. Winning the
first game, losing the second, and then forcing a
third game in the double elimination competition.
The 2014 NCASB Girl’s Goal
Ball Champions are our
own Lady Tennessee
Tigers! The boys team
brought home 3rd place
after a hard fight
against Ohio and
Indiana.
In tight com
petition the
final scores
just did
n’t quite
go our
way.
Above: Playing center Taylor Grenier fires off a shot in the
championship game flanked by Corgan Waters on her left.
Pictured above: Front- Demi Richards, Tori Harrison,
Alyssa Loggins, Taylor Grenier, Corgan Waters, Shelby
West, Back- Coach Patrick Hector, Craig Heggie, Chris
Cook, Garrett Meeks, Nick Heggie, Tim Tanner, Jacob
Mitchell and coach Alicia Blevins.
Conference finished up the goalball season for
the year, but students and staff are already looking ahead to next season.
Inside this issue:
“We had two teams of dedicated and hard working
2
ELECTIONS
players, they make coaching fun and worthwhile” said HONOR ROLL 2
2
SERVED
head coach Patrick Hector.
And to win a championship
FIRST TEE
3
on the road makes victory
NEW MEMBER 3
especially enjoyable. Mr.
SPOTLIGHT
4
Hector and assistant
coach Alicia Blevins would
5
SPOTLIGHT
like to thank all the students
A. PRATICK
6
who came out for goalball
COOKING
7
this year. In addition, they
8
congratulate the conference CALENDAR
teams on a job well done.
EVENTS
8
Roar of the Tiger
November Election Results Announced
Election Results have been announced for the 2014-15 TSB
Student Council positions. After hearing speeches from a number of the canidates, TSB students voted for their favorite candidates for various offices. The
elections were held on Tuesday
and Wednesday November 11 and 12th. Results of the election are as follows:
President………………….. Brooks Gardner
Vice President …………… Cham Tea
Treasurer …………………. Avery Mayberry
Recording Secretary .…... Jesse Gimple
Brooks Gardner
President
Congratulations to each of the winning candidates as they begin their new responsibilities.
High Achievement Recognized for First Nine weeks
Students making the Honor Roll for the first nine week period of the 2014-15 school year were recently announced. We are proud to congratulate the following:
TMS2- Kaleb Duke, Scott Jernigan, Sydney Little, Alexa Culver, Kevin Fink, Rachel Haynes,
Trenton Smith
THS- Elizabeth Harris, Keundre Mason, Samantha Leech
BEST- Cody Thomas, Emily Bowers, Haddan Lewallen, Kayla Heinicke, Maleka West
Miranda Sullivan
Freshman- Carlos Medrano, Alexandria Williams, Brandt Shipley
Sophomores- Abbey Pace, Taylor Grenier
Juniors- Austin Mayes, Brittany Wolfe, Carrie Carlisle, Cody Spicer, Elle Tuetken, Mishon Breland,
Shelby West, Chamroeun Tea, Corgan Waters
Seniors- Brooks Gardner, Jacob Mitchell, Jerad Carver, Justin Reagan, Kayla Painter,
Morgan Burns, Tim Jones, Holly Angel
TSB Celebrates and Honors Those Protecting Our Freedom
A special Veterans Day celebration was held on Tuesday
November 11 in the auditorium of Tennessee School for the Blind. The 1:30pm
patriotic laced program
sought to recognize and honor the past and present members of the United States
Armed Services, and in particular those with ties to
TSB. Staff and student
desiring to have family members who were veterans placed
on the Veterans Day Honor Roll reported the information
to Mr. Joe Gregory. All veterans in attendance
were recognized and the Annual Veterans Honor
Roll was presented to the audience. Veterans
currently employed at TSB include: Mitchel Delk,
Rick Allison, Harold Dunn, Ken Johns, and
Joe Gregory. Additional aspects of the
program included an explanation and history of
Kevin Fink and his father MSG Eric W. Fink USARMY NG
Veterans Day and several musical perforTNARNG (US) were able to be together during the program.
mances by TSB students under the direction of
Judy Denning. Community members, friends and family members were encouraged to join
the students as they learned of, honored, and remembered those who fight to keep America free.
Page 2
Volume 3, Issue 4
TSB Golfers Receive Pro Instruction and Exposure
Just before the warmer weather headed south,
students from the Tennessee School for the
Blind went on a final golf outing thanks to
The First Tee of Nashville. On Wednesday
October 29th, TSB athletic director and golf
coach, Andy Joiner accompanied the middle
school golfers to the First Tee of Vinnie Links
at Shelby Park. TSB has been the grateful
recipient of interaction with The First Tee of
Nashville a number of times over recent
years and the student golfers always look forward to this tremendous opportunity to learn
from the pros. The professionals spend time
covering techniques and instruction tailored to
each student based on the degree of their visual impairment. Whether covering basics, from
golf etiquette and hand positioning to connecting with the ball in
putting and driving,
the students were
anxious to learn.
And as a bonus, the
pros gave instruction
on the nine core values in life. In a sur- Elijah Collins was interviewed
by WKRN News 2
prise, the event was
covered by Dawn Davenport of Channel 2 News
for their Positively Tennessee News Series. In
the well designed clip a number of TSB students
were interviewed including Avery Mayberry, Adam Carpenter, Craig Heggie and Elijah Collins.
The Positively Tennessee series is an informative
part of the news programming of WKRN News 2
and can be found on their website at the following
link: http://www.wkrn.com/category/207919/
positively-tennessee. Along with the video segment a written article is also posted on the stations website at the following link: http://
www.wkrn.com/story/27168796/nashvilleorganization-teaches-golf-to-those-with-limited-no
-sight.
Newest Member of Our Team
Joining the TSB team in the role of Educational
Assistant during the month of November
was Sheleetha Ferby. Concentrating on helping children, Sheleetha has been a Teachers
Assistant over the past five years at a Head
Start school and most recently worked with
the kids at Nashville’s Woodland Hills Youth
Center. Born in Nashville, she is twentyseven years old. The youngest sibling in her
family, having three brothers and two sisters,
Sheleetha grew up playing many sports. “ I
believe I'm very good in every sport I played”
she exclaims, and those sports included basPage 3
ketball, softball and soccer.
“Overall basketball is my favorite sport.” In addition to
athletics, Sheleetha enjoys
taking care of older people
and cleaning their homes.
This activity, done in her
spare time, gives Sheleetha
a sense of “giving back” and
Sheleetha Ferby
goes along with her desire to
“see other people happy.” She also states that
she is “a very friendly person and honored to now
be a part of TSB.” Make Sheleetha feel welcome!
Roar of the Tiger
December Spotlight On TSB Staff
Three more employees step into the spotlight as we familiarize our readers with the current TSB faculty and staff.
Zack Martin
Zack Martin, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Operations,
has been at TSB for a little over a year.
He’s the go-to guy if you want to hold
an event on campus or reserve space
for a meeting, need travel authorizations or other state forms completed, or
want to know something about TSB
Zack Martin
capital projects. Rumor has it he also
makes a mean latte and is in-the-know about the Nashville
music scene. Zack gained his coffee expertise as a barista
at the Red Bicycle, a coffee shop in the Germantown
neighborhood of Nashville. When he’s not at TSB, you can
still find him in various coffee shops, taking in a caffeinated
beverage while writing for several of Nashville’s music
blogs. Prior to writing professionally, Zack and some Belmont College friends, wrote their own blog, Young Music
City. With some experience under his belt, Zack reached
out to bigger blogs and kept landing assignments, reviewing CDs, concerts, and interviewing the stars. Zack estimates that he attends two shows a week, sometimes more.
He had the opportunity to interview Indie Arie, Grammy
Award-winning singer-songwriter, and several others. Most
are local artists “and they’ve all been super nice and very
gracious,” he said. He has also critiqued shows given by
Beyonce, Sara Bareilles, Lana Del Rey, and worked at
the Grammy’s which gave him the opportunity to meet
Carrie Underwood, one of country music’s superstars.
While Zack’s favorite type of music is R&B, he’ll listen to
just about anything. “I always go to shows with an open
mind and do my best to give an honest critique.” Zack
grew up in the tiny town of Martinsville, Virginia, and entered Coastal Carolina University to study marine biology. On a high school trip to Jamaica, he had the opportunity to swim with dolphins and sharks. “We were in underwater cages when we were in the water with the sharks. It was
fascinating – and a bit of a rush when they came close,”
Zack said. He was hooked – no pun intended – and
Page 4
thought he’d enter a world of tagging sharks and studying
the animals. But, his studies in marine biology “turned out to
be a little too much science and not enough animals,” said
Zack. Following the advice of some friends, Zack decided
to pursue his interest in music and looked west toward Belmont. He visited the university in October and was enrolled
in January, studying the entertainment industry, contract
law, and aspects of social media as it pertains to performers. Zack says he really enjoys living in Nashville – “it’s
has the feel of a small town while being a big city with lots
going on.” And he appreciates his position at TSB. “It has
been a great learning experience as my first professional
job out of college,” said Zack. Zack has one adopted
“child” – a fine fat cat named after his two favorite artists,
Beyonce and Erykah Badu. Three year old, Miss “B,” rescued from the Humane Society, follows Zack around like
dog whenever he’s home. One thing you might not know
about Zack is, that while he enjoys interviewing people, he
gets really nervous when he is being interviewed!
Roberta Woodard
When your nose is assaulted by all the
wonderful smells wafting out of the cafeteria, chances are Roberta Woodard
is at her craft. Roberta has been a
member of the TSB family for three
years, working second shift – lunch and
dinner. She has considerable experience in the kitchen – her own as well as Roberta Woodard
in her work. Prior to coming to TSB, she served in the Clover Bottom kitchen, and she worked for 8 years as the
cook at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, from which
two of her children graduated. TSB is a special place for
Mrs. Woodard. “I love seeing the children. It’s a thrill to
watch their progress and hear their performances. Working
at TSB has been a new and beautiful experience for me,”
she said. Mrs. Woodard has five children and several
grandchildren of her own. “At home, I mostly bake. My 29year old grandson, Cory, who lives with me, likes cakes
and cookies,” she said. “Cory has a twin brother, Marquel,
who likes my baked goods too!” “I love my kitchen,” said
Volume 3, Issue 4
December Spotlight On TSB Staff (continued)
Ms. Woodard, “both this one and the one at home. And it’s
got to be clean! I’m always saying, ‘Wash your hands!
Don’t you touch my clean glasses with those dirty fingers,”
she said with a chuckle. When not at TSB, you can find
Ms. Woodard in a number of places – always doing something for someone else. First, she is a member of the ladies
altar guild at St. Vincent de Paul. They meet every Monday morning to clean the altar, replace candles, and take
care of the linens. Sundays she serves as Eucharistic
Minister, taking communion to the sick and shut-ins. She
and another friend have been visiting a lady with cerebral
palsy for over 20 years. “She looks forward to those visits,
because her family lives out of town,” said Ms. Woodard. “I
really love people, and it gives me a good feeling to make
them happy, to brighten their day, and see them get well.
Ms. Woodard is a native Nashvillian, but from a Nashville
that we might not recognize. She grew up on a farm on
Elm Hill Pike, and drove a wagon into town with her father
and siblings. “We all worked hard,” she said. “I’ve always
worked,” she added, “but we were happy. My life has been
a joyful mystery.” Another activity that Ms. Woodard, her
sister Evelyn, and her sister’s oldest daughter have delved
into is researching their famils’s ancestry. “We haven’t gotten too far yet, but it’s really interesting.” One thing you
might not know about Ms. Woodard is that you can regularly see her granddaughter, Angela Walker, on television!
She works for St. Thomas Hospital and was featured in a
television commercial that is seen on Nashville television
stations. She’s a family celebrity.
Joe Gregory
After 20 years in the army and playing
in military bands, Joe Gregory retired
from active duty at his last post, Ft.
Campbell, just north of Nashville in
Kentucky. Where better for a musician
to land than close to Music City! Not
wanting to lay aside music, Mr. Gregory decided he would like to teach, and
Joe Gregory
after earning the necessary credentials, TSB provided him the opportunity to pursue his
dream. Mr. Gregory has been teaching instrumental mu-
sic, music history, music technology, and band at TSB for
17 years. And for four years running he’s been director of
the Summer Camp program. “I love what I do,” he said. “I
enjoy the kids – every single day. I like coming to work!”
Many of his students keep in touch with him after they have
graduated from TSB. “Some have gone on to pursue musical careers, some have CDs out now, and there are several
that have been accepted into music programs in colleges.
They periodically come back to let me know how they’re
doing. It’s really an inspiration!” When not at TSB, Mr.
Gregory enjoys spending time with his wife Penny, and
the dogs – Harriet, an English Bull, and Polly, a Maltese
– Seamus, their cat, and various fresh water fish. They
also spend time with Mr. Gregory’s children, Joe and
Amanda, and Mrs. Gregory’s children Scotty and Azita,
and five grandchildren. The Gregorys like to garden and
travel – especially train travel, exploring the east coast,
chugging up to Chicago, or west to Memphis. “We particularly like the Boston area for the historical aspects, and DC
for its wonderful museums,” said Mr. Gregory. Being in
the Army from a tender age – his father was a military man
too – Mr. Gregory has had numerous opportunities to travel abroad. “When my dad retired, I knew I wanted to keep
traveling, so I signed up.” Have horn, will travel! Mr. Gregory was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany and traveled extensively through Western Europe. “I remember being
dumbfounded by the sheer age of the buildings in Europe,”
said Mr. Gregory. Our buildings might have a cornerstone
that is a two hundred years old; over there, cornerstones,
identify buildings that were built in 1000. It’s incredible!”
Mr. Gregory can play just about any instrument, but his
specialty are low brass instruments – the trombone, tuba
and euphonium. He has played before three American
Presidents: Carter, Reagan and Clinton. Currently, he is
also a member of the Nashville Community Band, which
sometimes plays at TSB. “I have enjoyed music all my life.
Being able to teach it, inspire people with it, and use it in
my daily life, is wonderful,” he said. However… there is
one thing you would never guess about Mr. Gregory. Despite all the years he has been playing and performed in
front of dignitaries, Mr. Gregory still gets stage fright!
Page 5
Roar of the Tiger
Aaron Patrick Knocks ‘em Dead!
After finishing up summer school and before the
beginning of the fall school session, TSB student
Aaron Patrick experienced an expedition that
had him going hog wild, literally! It all began earlier in the year when Aaron attended the National
Rifle Association (NRA) Show in Indianapolis,
Indiana with his family. Members of the Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) staff
Buck Holly of AAC with Aaron Patrick at the NRA show.
met Aaron and were impressed with his enthusiasm and desire for hunting and guns. Part of the
Remington family of companies, ACC is located in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Advanced Armament Corporation produces silencers,
firearms, accessories and lifestyle products for
the hunter and military.
Now, Aaron’s level of enthusiasm wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for many of the young
people attending the meetings and exhibits, but
something about Aaron was unusual. Aaron had
never been able to go hunting. It wasn’t because he didn’t have the desire for the sport, but
rather his dreams had been on hold due to a
medical condition beyond his control. As fate
would
have it, Aaron suffers from
a terrible disease called
encephalomalacia.
Disadvantages pro
duced by encephala
omalacia have had
negative effects on Aa
ron’s motor skills as
well as developing condi
tions where seizures are
possible. Additionally the
disease has left this young
Left: Aaron Patrick, a
Junior at TSB said
“I had the time of
my life.”
man legally blind. Instead of seeing these as desire stealing obstacles, Buck Holly, of the AAC,
only saw challenges as he talked to Aaron. The
folks at AAC felt the magnitude of Aaron’s desire
and they became “determined to make that wish
come true.” With equipment and accessories
provided by AAC ideal to accommodate the
young, would be hunter, a plan was devised
availing the soon to be “sharp shooter” of all he
would need to live out his dream.
It was determined that AAC Pro Staffer Buck
Holly, John Hollister and Aaron would set out
on a feral hog hunt in Florida. Their mission, to
eradicate some wild hogs detrimental to the
southern Florida crops. And that’s exactly what
they did! Without giving away the complete story, Aaron
equipped with a
semi-automatic,
the new
AACSR7 silencer and a
large-screen
Android phone
attached to an
iScope, knocks
‘em dead! The
complete expedition was video
taped and has
been tagged “a
video well worth
AAC Website featuring Aaron Patrick
watching” by
TFB (Thefirearmblog.com).
See more of what TFB has to say at: http://
www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/10/02/aachelps-young-gun-nut-experience-hunting/
#sthash.gPCWQUT1.dpuf
In addition to the video being featured on the
AAC website homepage, you can find it, as
have over 13,000 others, on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcalqWRabbs.
Buck Holly and John Hollister did a wonderful job coaching the young marksman and making his dream a reality! Their gracious response;
“It was our pleasure to provide Aaron with the
equipment to become a certified slayer of swine!”
Page 6
Volume 3, Issue 4
Cooking Holiday Dinner Sounds Like “Cookin’ Your Goose”
“Mama’s little helpers” were interviewed recently
as to their holiday cooking secrets. These extemporaneous recipes for turkey, sweet potatoes
and pumpkin pie are bound to bewilder taste
buds! Enjoy the creations of these imaginations.
Mikayla Boutz
Don’t wash the turkey. Just put it in a pan.
Then put it in the microwave. Cook it for 35
minutes on high.☻Wash sweet potatoes in a
small bowl and then put them in the microwave.
Cook them for 1 minute on low. Put butter and
marshmallows on them. Melt it in the microwave
and mash them. ☻Wash the pumpkin. Use a
mixer to put some sugar in the pumpkin. Put it
in a pie shell. Cook it in the oven
for 100
hours on low. Then you eat them
up!
Michelle Davis
First, put ketchup on a big turkey.
Put lettuce inside of it and also
raisins. Put it in the refrigerator for
3 seconds. After that put it in
the stove for 2 hours at 2
degrees. Then put it in the
microwave for 7 hours. ☻
Open a can of sweet potatoes. I don’t need help
opening them. Put them in
the refrigerator and make
them cold. Pour some juice
on them. Put them in a blender.
Then drink the sweet potatoes. Make
sure to add some food coloring to make
them pretty. ☻Smash the pumpkin up.
Put some sugar and flour in it. Put the
pumpkin in a pie shell. Put that in the refrigerator. It gets hard in the refrigerator. Eat it up!
Naijyana Hudgens
My turkey weighs 80 pounds. Everybody can
come eat it from TSB. Put salt, pepper, lemons,
and red peppers on the turkey. Put the turkey in
the stove on 180 degrees for 3 hours. Then
make it tender by putting it in the microwave for
5 minutes. Cut out the bones and eat it! ☻
Wash the potatoes. Put some chocolate chips in
them. Put all of that in the oven for 5 minutes on
72 degrees. Put ketchup on them. I also use
barbecue sauce and mustard on them. Eat
them when they are warm. ☻Wash the pumpkin. Smash the pumpkin with a potato masher.
Put it in a pie shell on a plate. Put that in the oven for 5 minutes on 83 degrees. Take it out and
let it cool off. Eat it plain. That’s it!
Alyssa Meachen
Pour ketchup over the turkey. Put it in a frying
pan and then put it in the stove. Cook it for 50
hours at 72 degrees. ☻Cut up the sweet potatoes. Pour barbecue sauce on them. Put the
potatoes in a bowl. Cook them on top of the
stove for 84 minutes on low. Stir and eat. ☻
Open a can of pumpkin. Put some cheese on it.
Heat it up on the stove at 82 degrees for 69
seconds. Stir it. Put it in a pie shell. Cook it in
the microwave for 32 minutes and 55
seconds on low. Eat it with cool whip.
Titus Sage
Put
water on the turkey. Then
put it in
a turkey pan. The turkey
goes in
the stove for 1 day at 500
degrees.
Cut the bones out and eat
it. ☻First,
cut up the sweet potatoes.
Then
put them in a pan in the
microwave. Don’t forget
to add 13 raisins. Cook
them for a long time.
Add butter. ☻Put real
pumpkin in a bowl. Add
some raisins and apples.
Use your hands to squash it
up. Put it in a pie shell. Cook it for 2
hours on hot. Slice and eat it up.
Nevaeh Valdes
Wash the turkey in the sink. My mom does this.
Put pork inside of the turkey. Put the turkey in a
pan and place it in the oven. Cook it for 7
minutes on 300 degrees. Put some gravy on it
and then eat it. ☻Open a can of sweet potatoes.
Pour them in a pan. Cook them in the stove for
1500 minutes on 100 degrees. Mash them up
like mashed potatoes. I don’t like them, but my
family eats them with chocolate and marshmallows. ☻Mix one can of pumpkin with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Put that in a pie shell. Cook it
in the oven on 1 degree for 2 minutes. Put ice
cream on it and eat it.
Page 7
Creating Contributing Participating Members of Society
TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND
Limited
115 Stewarts Ferry Pike
Nashville, TN 37214
Phone: 615-231-7300
Number Left!
Just in time
Tennessee School for the Blind is a state special
for the holischool established in 1844 to meet the unique needs of
day giving
visually impaired students living in the state of Tennessee.
The school provides academic and professional
season
services tailored to benefit students placed in its care
comes a gift
through the Local Education Agencies across the state.
idea you’ll be
Beyond a tradition of academics, TSB specializes in the
thankful for
instruction of expanded core-curricular areas such as
on January
Braille, Mobility, Technology, Career Education, and Independent Living Skills. Students at the school also enjoy
1st … if not
the opportunity to participate in team sports, campus
before.
clubs, organizations and many leisure-time activities. In
Once again this year TSB is offering it’s version of
addition the school provides outreach services to visually
the American Printing House Print and Braille Cal- challenged students, their parents, teachers, schools and
endar. Adorned with beautiful artwork by stuother agencies assisting the visually challenged.
dents these calendars are not only reliable with
keeping you up to date, but are always a conversation piece. Get yours, only $10.00 while they last,
by contacting Mrs. Julia Hedrick.(615) 231-7332 or by email at [email protected]
Upcoming Events Calendar
Day
Date
Event
Location/Information
Tu
Dec. 2
Wrest./Cheer with DCA/Whites Creek
DCA
Th
Dec. 4
Wrest./Cheer with DCA/Sycamore
TSB, 5:00p Streamed Live
Fr-Su
Dec. 5-7
Wrestling/Cheerleading Invitational
TSB/DCA
Sa
Dec. 6
MTSBOA 7-8 Auditions
-
M
Dec. 8
Muffin Monday
TSB, 7:00a
M
Dec. 8
NCCB/TSB Concert
TSB, 7:00p
Th
Dec.11
Winter Solo Recital
TSB, 1:30p Streamed Live
F
Dec. 12
Lion’s Day Celebration
TSB, 9:00a
Sa
Dec. 13
MTSBOA 9-10 Auditions
Tu
Dec. 16
Wrest./Cheer with Mt. Juliet
TSB, 5:00 Streamed live
Tu
Dec. 16
AFTRA Holiday Concert
TSB, 1:30p
F
Dec. 19
TSB Winter Program
TSB, 9:00a Streamed Live
Tu
Jan.6
Wrest. with DCA, MLK and Eagleville
DCA
M-F
Dec. 22- Jan.2
Winter Break
-
Th-Sa
Jan 8-10
MTSBOA Mid-State Bands
-
Th-Sa
Jan. 15-17
MTSBOA Mid-State Jazz/Orchestra
-
M
Jan 19
Martin Luther King Jr. Observed, School Closed
TSB
Sa
Jan. 24
NCASB Wrestling/Cheer
DCA
Sa
Jan. 31
MTVA Freshman Honors
-