In This Issue... ¤ More Than The Earth ¤ Superintendent's Corner ¤ A Valentine Dance . . . ¤ . . . And A Snow Ball ¤ Archives & Preservation ¤ Old Gym Renovation ¤ Town Hall Meeting ¤ Food Drive ¤ Appalachian Outreach ¤ E-X-P-E-R-I-M-E-N-T ¤ Lady Vikings Volleyball ¤ Lady Vikings Mason-Dixon ¤ Viking Swimming ¤ Did You Know . . . ¤ A Correction At right: Justin Shell rules the world in "Recycling Super Heroes". Below: The Wal-mart Stadium is full of players and fans.

Repeating last year’s success of a first place win in the Wal-Mart & Coca-Cola competition was going to be rough. Once again, Wal-Mart of South Knoxville (located on Chapman Highway) and the Coca-Cola Company of Knoxville chose the Tennessee School for the Deaf to compete in the annual contest. TSD was selected because of our special school spirit and the amazing talents and creativity that our staff and students possess. "They just love us!" said TSD high school teacher Rebecca Houser. "What’s not to love?"

Rebecca Houser viewed this opportunity as an unbelievable educational experience and teaching tool. Her high school art students were able to integrate photography skills, design elements, layout, and cooperation techniques to follow this year’s "Recycling" theme for the contest. "We were in competition with Farragut and Maryville High School. The fact that we competed and won proves that we can compete based on our creativity and ability. To win two years in a row is phenomenal!" commented Houser.

With the help of our students and the Media Department – Rick Alexander, Beckki Brine and Debbie Lowe, an idea was conceived around the Coca-Cola stadium display located in the South Knoxville Wal-Mart. TSD decorated the cans of coke display by creatively making "people" out the cans. Each can was individualized to look like a person sitting in the stands or a player on the field. The football players even had helmets on their heads!

The second component to the contest was to develop a book that showed the Spirit of Recycling. Students chose a comic book theme entitled "Recycling Super Heroes". Students took photos of other students signing to create the book. Photos were taken and a special computer program was used to convert the photographs into comic book type pictures. Students from the yearbook staff who contributed the photographs and helped to create the storyline of the Recycling Super Heroes were Justin Shell, Jessica Webb, Delvoskee Bond, Ashley Kelly, Chelsea Hawthorne, Megan Chiaroni, Chris Parker, Amanda Wonofsky and Anthony Bender

TSD teacher Michel Swafford was the signing expert and everyday the students would show her pictures and she often made them take them again as the sign might not have been clear or the background was distracting. It was fun watching them discuss how to set up the signs. As the project progressed, they learned so much and Michel was deleting fewer and fewer of their pictures.

The students had many obstacles to overcome. They had to carry with them a piece of gray drop cloth so the background would be consistent. They had to invent several of the scenes especially the one of Justin Shell holding the world. They tried using a table, but it could be seen in the picture so they had Delvoskee sit on the floor holding the bottom of the globe as Justin stood and leaned over. The shot turned out great! Then they scripted the book and finished the pictures. Art Director Rick Alexander made his magic by turning them into cartoons for the students.

Special thanks to everyone who was gracious in letting the students take the pictures and especially to Michel, Rick, Bekki and Debbie. A copy of the bound comic book will be located in the Marr Library. This was quite an accomplishment for TSD staff and students! Congratulations!

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The editors for The Tennessee Observer are Shelley King and Lisa Queen.
The Tennessee Observer is adapted for on-line publication by Rick Alexander.