January 29, 2008

SCSDB News

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

• A Palmetto Gold School • For Immediate Release

Media contacts:

Sharon Goolsby, Public Information Office: (864) 577-7505

Katie Rice, Public Information Office: (864) 577-7506

SPARTANBURG – Organ music resonating from historic Walker Hall located on the campus of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) was once a routine occurrence. However, for many years, the school had been without an organ – but no longer!

SCSDB now has an organ donated by Milford and Melba Blackmon Cooper, Piedmont, S.C., parents of Rep. Daniel Cooper (Dist. No. 10, Anderson County). The instrument will be dedicated during an appreciation event at 11 a.m., Monday, February 4, 2008, in Walker Hall at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, 355 Cedar Springs Road, Spartanburg, SC.

“We are so grateful to the Coopers for this generous donation,” said Heather Patchett, executive director of SCSDB’s Walker Foundation. “We rely on this kind of support from people all over South Carolina so that we can offer our children a strong and broad educational experience."

Highlights of the event will include an organ concert and an SCSDB student musical presentation.

"This wonderful organ gives our students access to a wealth of music,” she said. “In addition to having staff and guests play for the students, several of our students are beginning to learn their way around the organ, and enjoy the rich tones and diversity of accompaniments that it offers. From church music to jazz pieces, the organ is so responsive and the kids just love it.”

The SC Department of Education named SCSDB a Palmetto Gold School for its academic accomplishments and a Red Carpet School for its outstanding customer service. SCSDB is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the SC Department of Education. SCSDB offers programs for preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, sensory multidisabled, vocational and postsecondary education students, as well as a variety of outreach services through regional centers located throughout the state. The main campus is located in Spartanburg. The school’s web site address is www.scsdb.org and its toll-free telephone number is 1-888-447-2732.