Welcome to Hardin County Schools'

DEAF EDUCATION PROGRAM!

The Hearing Impaired Program at New Highland Elementary School is home to all elementary students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Hardin County.  We  have 2 teachers of the deaf and 3 interpreters working as a part of our Hearing Impaired Program Team.  Currently we are a program in which all students are mainstreamed into a homeroom classroom.  These students receive collaboration and resource services as well as accommodations specific to their hearing loss.  All classrooms with a deaf/hard of hearing student are equipped with a Sound Field System to amplify the speech in the room (the teacher has a microphone and there is a hand held microphone that allows our students to hear their peers when they read aloud, present, etc.).  We also make sure that closed captions, preferential seating, and visual representation are a part of every classroom that we work with.  At New Highland we do have our own Deaf Education room that is used for resource time as well as group projects.  In our room we have a all the amenities of a regular classroom (TV, DVD player, marker board, etc.) as well as an ActivBoard and projector which allows the students to present and interact with technology.

Our program serves a diverse population of deaf students ranging from hard of hearing students who speak for themselves to deaf students who only use sign language.  We encourage all communication styles in conjunction with families' wishes and the students' needs.  Students have access to spoken English, total communication, Signed Exact English, and American Sign Language.  If parents have the desire for their students to learn sign language even though it is not their primary language, we do have sign language time in their classrooms as well as Sign Club after school. 

In Hardin County our Hearing Impaired Program is on a continuous campus.  This means that all of the deaf and hard of hearing students throughout the county come to New Highland (if they qualify for services).  These students will then travel (together) to Bluegrass Middle School and on to John Hardin High School.  These three schools are on the same road and within walking distance of each other.  This enables all three schools to work together to create a learning community for our hearing impaired students.  For example, we could have a mentor from the middle or high school come to volunteer to read with one of our elementary students.  Also, we take an annual trip to Hands Alive in Louisville together. 

At New Highland we strive to serve the child outside of the school setting as well.  We have a quarterly program newsletter, host Deaf Nights, hold a sign language club after school.  Check out Classroom News for a recent issue of the Hardin County Sound (newsletter) to see what we are up to.  You can also find us on Facebook where our group Hardin County Schools - Deaf Education Program  has updates, events, and pictures. 

Meet our Staff

Elyse Pickwick (Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

elyse.pickwick@hardin.kyschools.us

Becky Krantz (Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

rebecca.krantz@hardin.kyschools.us

Robin Simpson (Interpreter)

robin.enlow@hardin.kyschools.us

Melissa Parrish (Interpreter)

melissa.parrish@hardin.kyschools.us

Lindsey Swetlik (Interpreter)

lindsey.swetlik@hardin.kyschools.us

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