 Staff
| Diane Shepherd |
Principal |
| Roxanne Askew |
Nurse |
| Steve Ballou |
Engineer |
| Deborah Butts |
Custodian |
| Rebecca Croskey |
Teacher |
| Lori David |
Teacher |
| Lamonte Evans |
Custodian |
| Marie Gerhart |
Literacy Coach |
| Sandra Goulart |
Educational Tech |
| Gayle Harden |
Special Ed. Aide |
| Ms. Carolyn House |
Secretary |
| Rhonda Jackson |
Pre School Special Ed. Aide |
| Celeste Johnson |
Teacher |
| Lynzi Johnson |
Teacher |
| Julie Julien |
Teacher |
| Michelle Keeble |
Sign Language Interpreter |
| Sonia Labby |
Teacher |
| Angela Lowry |
Teacher |
| Cynthia Makielski |
Teacher of Speech and Language
Impaired |
| Richard Manus |
Volunteer |
| Rhoda Nichols |
Food Service Worker |
| Michael Pryde |
Art / Gym Teacher |
| Tia Richardson |
Social Worker |
| Norma Scott |
American Disability Act Accommodator - ADAA |
| Alethea Webster |
Food Service Worker |
| Tanya Wyatt |
Social Worker |
Greetings! I am Diane Shepherd, your new Principal at Detroit Day School For The Deaf. I am honored to have been selected to serve this community, and will work hard as DDSD principal, and look forward to meeting students, staff, parents, and community members.
Please feel free to stop in and introduce yourself to me. I look forward to meeting all of you!
My name is Rebecca Croskey, and I have been a teacher in Detroit for
the past six years. I graduated from Michigan State with a Bachelor's
degree in Deaf Education. I then attended University of Virginia to
obtain my Master's degree. I truly feel blessed to be teaching at
Detroit Day School for the Deaf. Our school provides a wonderful
academic environment to help Deaf students reach their goals, and
teaching lower elementary students is always a joy. It is wonderful to
see their growth and progress over time.
Hi! My name is Marie Gerhart, and I am the Literacy Coach at Detroit Day School for the Deaf. I was hired in December of 2010. I was brought on board to help all of our children in becoming better, stronger, more fluent readers and writers. Before joining the DDSD staff I was a classroom teacher with the Detroit Public School system for almost twenty years. I have previously taught at Ann Arbor Trail K-8, Halley Magnet Middle School, Sanders Elementary, and originally at Paul Robeson Academy. My educational background includes a bachelor’s and master’s degree from The University of Michigan.
My goals include becoming immersed in the Deaf Community. I am learning sign language from our principal, co-workers, and most important - from the children themselves! I encourage all parents and family members to join me at our Sign Language class during lunchtime to learn sign language from our interpreters. Most importantly, I believe that without a plan, we plan to fail. Accordingly, my plan is to help each child maximize their potential and develop a lifelong love of learning!
Sandra Goulart was born deaf due to German measles. She grew up in Strathroy, Ontario. Ms. Goulart attended the Robarts School for the Deaf in London, Ontario, Canada from 1974 until she graduated in 1985. She studied business at Madonna University and graduated with an Associates Degree in 1989 and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1992.
Ms. Goulart has worked at Detroit Day School for the Deaf since 2000. She currently works as a deaf/blind intervenor. She is a member of the American Association for Deaf and Blind (AADB). Ms. Goulart is working towards certification as a deaf interpreter – CDI. She enjoys working with deaf and deaf/blind students. She also likes working with computers.
My name is Celeste Johnson and I have always wanted to be a teacher growing up. My mother is an educator and so was my father. I found out that I wanted to be a teacher of the Hearing Impaired when I was in high school. My next door neighbors growing up were Deaf and they inspired me to work with Hearing Impaired children.
I am from Saginaw, Michigan. I taught in the public schools there for three years. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor degree in Special Education with a focus in Hearing Impairment. I have also taken sign language classes at Washtenaw Community College.
Now, I am currently at Detroit Day School for the Deaf. I am elated to here! I truly believe to teach once is to learn twice!
My name is Julie Julien I have been teaching in Detroit and the hearing impaired program for ten years. I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Deaf Education and received my master’s degree from Wayne State in Early Childhood Education. I started my career in Detroit in the fall of 2000 at Schulze Elementary school where I taught a K/1 class. Then in the fall of 2006 I was transferred to The Detroit Day School for the Deaf as the preschool teacher.
I love being at The Detroit Day School for the Deaf! It is a great place to teach and for students to learn! It is here where students have the opportunity to be the leaders in their own school and openly communicate with anyone in the building. I have seen many great friendships form and extend into high school and beyond. We are a close community of staff, students, and parents and because of that I enjoy coming to school every day!
Hi, my name is Angela Lowry, and I was hired by DPS and started here at DDSD in November 2010. I grew up and still live in Redford and went through Redford Union schools. It was in elementary school where I first met and shared classes with oral deaf students, (Redford Union schools have the oral deaf education program for part of Wayne County). Working with and alongside these students is something that I would remember for the duration of my youth and college years.
I graduated from Oakland Community College (OCC) in June of 1998 with an Associate degree in Liberal Arts. It is at OCC that I took my first two American Sign Language (ASL) classes and decided that I wanted to work with the deaf community. I enrolled at Madonna University with a major in the Sign Language Studies and Deaf Culture program and minor in Sociology. I graduated in December 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors. I worked as an Educational Interpreter for the next 5 ½ years, mostly in Macomb County. It was at this time that I decided to return to school to obtain my teaching certification in Deaf Education. I graduated from Michigan State University in August 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Education and completed my Student Teaching in April of 2010.
After joining the DDSD team, I helped the school become only one of Detroit’s five Green Schools for the state of Michigan. I plan to continue the Green School activities and recycling programs, by incorporating more information into classroom activities and student involvement. I also had the pleasure of join with my co-worker Celeste Johnson to start and become the facility advisors for the Middle School Student Council.
Away from teaching, I have a part time position as a Historical Presenter at Greenfield Village since March of 2000. I also enjoy reading, gardening, traveling, camping, hiking, backpacking, cooking and baking, crafting, and making my own natural body products.
I am a Speech-Language Pathologist with a keen interest in providing services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. I have provided speech therapy to the students at DDSD since the Fall of 2001 and to other schools in the district that have HI classrooms. Therapy primarily includes: auditory training, speech reading, articulation therapy, language/vocabulary development and reading/writing skills. Most therapy is on a one to one pull-out format whenever possible, but sometimes I go into the classroom and help the children with their tasks while addressing their goals.
I always enjoy working with the kids with hearing and language differences. It’s a challenge to me to find their inner strengths and bring about their best capabilities. My goal is always to help them achieve their best communication skills and motivate them to want to learn. As well, I love what they teach me. I continually strive to improve my sign language and understand their culture.
My first school setting working for DPS began in l998 at a center based program for students with severe multiple disabilities. I also worked for a year at Michigan School for the Deaf in Flint. Prior to the school setting, I worked in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers and clinics. I have been and currently am a field placement supervisor for a dozen plus Wayne State Graduate students through their internship training.
I have many interests which include: the sport of competitive dressage, photography, gardening, dance and travel… I love to draw and do lots of arts and crafts in my therapy. I prefer hands on activities so that the kids get multi-dimensional input to their therapy activities.
My education is diverse. I have several degrees: Mental Health, Veterinary Medical Technology and my Bachelors and Masters in Speech Pathology-Special Education. I passed the Michigan Teacher Certification Test while in graduate school. I am a professional member of the American Speech and Language Association, the Michigan Deaf Association and Deaf C.A.N. My clinical interests are very much focused on Deaf education and therapy. As well, I am a Shared Reading Project Site Coordinator. I continually take courses in sign language; I am never done learning and improving my skills.
I have only have one thing to say to parents/caregivers and that is…embrace your children for who they are, not who you want them to be…have high expectations, but be flexible and patient. Learning two languages at the same time takes a lot of time and is frustrating, but you can help make it fun and achieve their full potential. Allow and encourage your child to be part of the culture they were born into and help them be proud of who they are.
READ ! READ ! READ! to your children.
Hi. My name is Richard Manus and I am a Sign Language student at Madonna University. My goal is to become an interpreter. This is my third year volunteering at Detroit Day School for the Deaf (DDSD). I enjoy working as a volunteer because it enhances my ability to learn/understand American Sign Language and Deaf culture. I love people and my interaction with the students and staff at DDSD is fantastic. Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to your community.
I am a retiree from the US Postal Service (30 plus years), married (Carolyn) 31 plus years, have one son (Brandon, age 27) and a dog (Link).
My name is Michael Pryde and I am the Art teacher at the Detroit Day School for the Deaf. I have been teaching Art in the Detroit Public Schools for 25 years. But last year marked a new beginning for me, as I was invited to teach at DDSD. I am so glad to have been given this opportunity.
My first year at DDSD was exciting and rewarding. Even as a newcomer to the deaf community with limited communication skills, I quickly connected with the students. We explored many art forms, from painting and collage, to sculpture and ceramics. With the invaluable assistance of our excellent interpreters, we had a very productive year. Many pieces were selected for the prestigious annual art exhibit at the Detroit Institute of arts, and Myron Pittman’s castle piece was recognized as one of the best sculpture works in his age group city-wide. This year we will continue our explorations, expanding our understanding of the language of art.
I believe that art is the universal language, reaching across barriers that the spoken word cannot. For this reason I consider myself honored to have been chosen to bring creative visual art expression to the students of DDSD. Every student will find success in my classroom, with daily opportunities to express their individuality through art.
Outside of school I enjoy mountain biking, roller blading, kayaking, scuba diving, skiing, snowboarding, motorcycling, camping and being outdoors. So I will see you at Belle Isle…..
One thing I know for sure: you gotta have Art!
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