How MSD Protest Started
Send by a readerÂ
Interesting about the protest at MSD. How it went down: Students eating in cafeteria for lunch….they had signs ready, but they were locked in Geoffrey Boyd’s car trunk. Victorica stood up and said to all the students, “Ready.†Then they all got up and started to walk back to class, but instead of going up the sidewalk, they walked across the grass to go around to the front of the school. The social worker woman (who signs poorly and the kids hate) stopped them and told them that the police would be called if they didn’t go back to class. They got scared and went back to their classes. In the meantime,
Victorica was called to the office and threatened with expulsion. The kids were ready to give up because their leader was not there. Then another student, Cortland Clay, rallied the students by telling them that this was their chance since they saw the news car outside. He then asked to go to the restroom, but went by the classes telling students that at 1:17, class change time, they would go out to the front of the school. Another girl, Sameerah O’Quinn, went to the classroom where the seniors were staging a “sit in.†They had their heads down on the desk covered with their jackets. Their teacher was one of the new ones who couldn’t communicate effectively. She had asked for a pass to go get a book from another class, so when she went in, she bent over to get the book, and while she was down, she signed “1:17…GO!†down low so the students saw her, but the teacher did not.
So when the bell rang, they all went out the side door of the gym. Victorica, in the meantime, was hysterical due to the threat and had gone into the office with Dr. Daphne Buckley, who was consoling her and telling her that she was not expelled. Victorica could see what was happening out the window, and she told Dr. Buckley that she was going out….then she left and ran out the front door and across the yard to the gym door to meet the other students.
It was a thrilling moment when the students saw her running out! They all cheered and hugged. Then they were told to go back inside by Dr. Buckley (while the supt. Dr. Delores Mack Smith stood by watching and not taking charge). Ironically, Mrs. Pamela Hervey, the principal who hired all the people and started the whole thing, was nowhere to be seen because she was closed up in her office. Again, no leadership. No wonder they were fired so soon….they didn’t even handle the situation….they let Dr. Buckley do it. And both women could sign enough to get that message across.
In the meantime, the newsman, Bert Case, and his cameraman had been shuffled off into another room and kept from seeing the students. Geoffrey Boyd, who had the signs in his car, was held in another office against his will by the supt. and principal, so the kids couldn’t get their signs. So he didn’t even get to participate in the protest at all.
 There were several “heroes†of the day. It was thrilling to see the students bonding together to accomplish such a major challenge. Since that day, they have been buoyed by the accolaldes they have received from the Deaf community all across the nation via the internet. Their self-esteem and confidence have sky-rocketed. Thank you to all who have supported them. A new has come to MSD! They are presently at Alabama School for the Deaf at a basketball tournament. It will be interesting to see what the reaction was from other deaf students and adults in person!
Curious
Commentary: Curious, thank you for sharing with us how this protest began. I feel for Victoria. I hope her parents and ACLU is aware of how she is threatened with expulsion for wanting to have better communication so she can learn. Tell her and other students, not only I, but countless others are very proud of them, including the Michigan School for the Deaf protest, Ryan Commerson. I’ve been made aware that the poor communication were festering for years, including teachers not being able to sign, and that both MSD and MS Dept of Ed ignored many complaints from MSD Community. elizabeth
email contact: mishkazena@aol.com
Send by a readerÂ
Interesting about the protest at MSD. How it went down: Students eating in cafeteria for lunch….they had signs ready, but they were locked in Geoffrey Boyd’s car trunk. Victorica stood up and said to all the students, “Ready.†Then they all got up and started to walk back to class, but instead of going up the sidewalk, they walked across the grass to go around to the front of the school. The social worker woman (who signs poorly and the kids hate) stopped them and told them that the police would be called if they didn’t go back to class. They got scared and went back to their classes. In the meantime,
Victorica was called to the office and threatened with expulsion. The kids were ready to give up because their leader was not there. Then another student, Cortland Clay, rallied the students by telling them that this was their chance since they saw the news car outside. He then asked to go to the restroom, but went by the classes telling students that at 1:17, class change time, they would go out to the front of the school. Another girl, Sameerah O’Quinn, went to the classroom where the seniors were staging a “sit in.†They had their heads down on the desk covered with their jackets. Their teacher was one of the new ones who couldn’t communicate effectively. She had asked for a pass to go get a book from another class, so when she went in, she bent over to get the book, and while she was down, she signed “1:17…GO!†down low so the students saw her, but the teacher did not.
So when the bell rang, they all went out the side door of the gym. Victorica, in the meantime, was hysterical due to the threat and had gone into the office with Dr. Daphne Buckley, who was consoling her and telling her that she was not expelled. Victorica could see what was happening out the window, and she told Dr. Buckley that she was going out….then she left and ran out the front door and across the yard to the gym door to meet the other students.
It was a thrilling moment when the students saw her running out! They all cheered and hugged. Then they were told to go back inside by Dr. Buckley (while the supt. Dr. Delores Mack Smith stood by watching and not taking charge). Ironically, Mrs. Pamela Hervey, the principal who hired all the people and started the whole thing, was nowhere to be seen because she was closed up in her office. Again, no leadership. No wonder they were fired so soon….they didn’t even handle the situation….they let Dr. Buckley do it. And both women could sign enough to get that message across.
In the meantime, the newsman, Bert Case, and his cameraman had been shuffled off into another room and kept from seeing the students. Geoffrey Boyd, who had the signs in his car, was held in another office against his will by the supt. and principal, so the kids couldn’t get their signs. So he didn’t even get to participate in the protest at all.
 There were several “heroes†of the day. It was thrilling to see the students bonding together to accomplish such a major challenge. Since that day, they have been buoyed by the accolaldes they have received from the Deaf community all across the nation via the internet. Their self-esteem and confidence have sky-rocketed. Thank you to all who have supported them. A new has come to MSD! They are presently at Alabama School for the Deaf at a basketball tournament. It will be interesting to see what the reaction was from other deaf students and adults in person!
Curious
Commentary: Curious, thank you for sharing with us how this protest began. I feel for Victoria. I hope her parents and ACLU is aware of how she is threatened with expulsion for wanting to have better communication so she can learn. Tell her and other students, not only I, but countless others are very proud of them, including the Michigan School for the Deaf protest, Ryan Commerson. I’ve been made aware that the poor communication were festering for years, including teachers not being able to sign, and that both MSD and MS Dept of Ed ignored many complaints from MSD Community. elizabeth
email contact: mishkazena@aol.com
December 14th, 2006 at 9:49 am
This is utterly outrageous and obscene that the student leader would be threatened with expulsion over a free-speech issue.
Maybe she was breaking school rules, but no one was harmed in any way. To the contrary, it was a tremendous lesson in activism and self-actualization.
Not only would I fire those administrators, but I would pass a special law to take away the matching funds provided by the state in their pension funds. If I was the Governnor, I would fire the state officials who hired those administrators at the school. Heads would roll.