CSD's 150th anniversary mural series - California School for the Deaf

CSD's 150 th anniversary mural series 

Photographer: Alison Taggart-Barone 

In celebration of CSD's 150 th anniversary, David Call's art class 

created a series of six murals depicting important people in 

CSD history. This mural is of Douglas Tilden working on the 

Bear Hunt statue with present day CSD students admiring his 

work. It is located on the director of instruction’s outside wall. 

The students depicted in the mural are: Odun Akintomide 

(high school student); Rosaura Gomez Rivas (middle school 

student); Alex Garcia (middle school student); and McKenna 

Brentham and Miguel Sombrerero (early childhood education 

students). 


This mural shows first and second graders celebrating 

CSD alumnus Dr. Robert Davila's rise to success as 

Gallaudent university president. Dr. Davila is signing 

“Gallaudet” while holding the Chapel Hall building. The 

mural is located on the elementary building, next to the 

administration building. 

The students in the mural are: Damaiya Daniels, Trevor 

Robertson, Chwa:Kin McCutcheon, Estelina Kovacs, Jaylen 

Johnson, Jaden Reader, and Naomi Brock. 


This mural shows a crowd of excited CSD students bringing 

Donald Parodi to the Bell Tower to show their gratitude for 

his philanthropy. While CSD high school students are carrying 

Donald Parodi on their backs, he is holding a small version of 

the Bell Tower in his hand. The mural is located on the corner 

of the CSD library, by the media center. 

The students in the mural are: Sabrina Firl and Phillip 

Castaneda (kindergarten students), Walter Baldwin (special 

needs high school student), Alivia Alberigi-Speicher, 

Allan Diaz, and Andrey Cherepov (high school students), 

Tivon LeMaster and Kiara Morris-Dadzie (elementary students). 

This mural shows four CSD artists studying Granville 

Redmond’s work in an art studio. 

The students in the mural are: Amelia Bernstein, 

Megan Ketchum, Micah Norris, and Erika Schwehr. 



24 November 20, 2009 | California News

This mural shows Theophilus d’Estrella taking a photo of a 

group of restless middle school students. He was one of the 

first students to be enrolled at CSD in San Francisco. He had 

been an important part of the CSD community for more than 

50 years as a writer, artist, ASL storyteller, traveler, 

photographer, and teacher. He was called “The Magic Lantern 

Man” because CSD students loved to watch the slide show of 

d’Estrella’s photos. He is truly a Renaissance man. 

The students in the mural are: Andre Nathaniel, Jenniferrose 

Jones, Nereyda Rodriguez Meza, Alejandra Cisneros, Natalie 

Brentham, Daniel Cease, and Andrew Cho. 


Ella Mae Lentz is a well-known poet, author, and Deaf 

advocate. She is one of the authors of the hugely popular 

Signing Naturally series (ASL curriculum and textbooks). She 

also produced several popular ASL poetry and story telling 

videos. She is a strong advocate for Deafhood. This mural 

shows Ella Mae Lentz giving balloons to students to enlighten 

them about Deafhood. Several students who got the 

balloons are flying free, while a line of excited students wait 

for their turn to become enlightened. The mural is located on 

the school cafeteria’s side access wall, next to the quad. 

The students in the mural are: Nicky Lim, Ben Joss, Alexandria 

Brinkley-Green, Blanca Barron, Jordan Sandoval, Malvana 

Ramborger, Izcali Esparza, Donny Camp, Luke Bella, Malia 

Zornoza , and Cristina Mabuyo. 

A Labor of Love 

Photographer: Ken Norton 

What have members of the alumni of CSD accomplished 

in their adult lives? Not surprisingly, each individual has 

had his or her own unique way of accomplishing his or her 

dreams and goals fruitfully. Features about their 

accomplishments have been disclosed widely in magazines 

and newspapers, in small towns and big towns, and in 

newsletters across the nation. 

One of the two most important accomplishments of the 

CSD alumni was to install a popular exhibit in the CSD library 

featuring historic photographs of the sports teams. 

The other most important accomplishment is that Eugene 

Rianda, a ’46 graduate, has for the first time, painstakingly 

brought together a collection from the archives of individual 

photographs of CSD graduates circa 1871 to 2010. The 

collection is now on display in the library hallway, along with 

the revolving case of sports photographs. The Donald Parodi 

Memorial Charitable Trust assisted in purchasing the 

revolving cases for these displays. 

Eugene Rianda decided that the collection of photographs 

of CSD graduates was too good to have only in the 

CSD library, so out of his pocket, he ordered the collection 

of pictures be transformed into the form of a book (called 

a scrapbook by Kinko’s). The book is entitled “Album of CSD 

Graduates 1871-2010.” There are a few of these books still 

available. Anyone wishing to purchase an album of CSD 

graduates (from 1871-2010) can send your request to: 

Eugene Rianda 

12108 Gold Pointe Ln 

Gold River, CA 95670 

Email Eugene at: 

genbet@comcast.net 

The books are $25, which includes the cost to ship it to 

you. 

Ken Norton, Class of ‘45 

California News | November 20, 2009 25

This toddler is having a face-to-face 

with the CSD Eagle. 

The preschoolers wish CSD a dynamic birthday! 

The kindergarten class rates the CSD Eagle five stars. 

The class thinks the CSD Eagle was cool! 

During an interview with the kindergarten students, the Eagle 

answered some philosophical questions. 

Pre-kindergarten students reenact the 

roles in the Bear Hunt as they study CSD 

history. 

The toddlers celebrate CSD’s 150 th birthday. 


Toddler Class: 

Happy Birthday CSD was introduced 

in the toddler class by discussing that we 

all have birthdays, including a student who 

had one the very week of homecoming. 

We celebrated the student's birthday 

on Tuesday and CSD’s birthday on 

Wednesday. 

A variety of school celebration 

activities took place including: 

• 

• 

CSD 150 th Celebration 

in Early Childhood Education 

Community watercolor art activity, 

which became the birthday cake for 

our class bulletin board 

Teachers collected birthday photos 

from each student’s family, from 

their most recent birthday, and 

posted them on the bulletin board 

next to the birthday cake 

• Students followed a recipe to make a 

cake in celebration of CSD’s birthday 

• Students put candles on the real 

birthday cake for CSD 

• Students put candles on the bulletin 

board cake for CSD 

• Students and staff signed, “Happy 

birthday to CSD,” and enjoyed cake 

together 

• Teachers 

made a language experience 

book covering this “project” 

Student Remarks: 

• HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

• As an extension of the kindergarten’s 

celebration of CSD, they asked the 

toddlers how old they were. They 

answered proudly, “TWO!” 

Additional Information: 

• We had separate related lessons and 

activities around CSD’s Eagle 

• If you would like a copy of the language 

experience book, let us know! 

Preschool: 

The preschool class was introduced 

to some old pictures of how CSD looked 

many years ago; how the CSD students 

were dressed; and what kind of things 

they used. They compared it to the 

things we use now. There were things 

that they didn’t have, such as computers 

and colored markers. We painted a 

mural using a certain paint brush to 

create a dynamic pattern. The mural 

included a sign showing the “Happy 

birthday, CSD!” in ASL by the preschoolers! 

Pre-Kindergarten 

The pre-kindergarten students 

studied what an “eagle” is, and the Eagle 

pride at CSD. 

We talked about the lifespan of eagles, 

and how they’re now endangered. 

“Eagles” by the Usborne publishing company, 

was signed aloud to the class and 

the class then studied pictures of bald 

eagles. We discussed the anatomy of the 

eagle such as colors of the feathers, the 

eyes, the talons, and what kind of diet 

eagles eat. 

Then, we took a tour of the CSD 

campus to find eagles in different forms 

such as the eagle on the gym and the 

Eagle mascot, etc. After we identified the 

eagles on campus, we came back and 

discussed that the bald eagle is CSD’s 

school mascot, and it is OUR PRIDE at 

the school. 

We had a surprise visit from the 

CSD’s Eagle mascot. It came into our 

classroom, and we were all able to touch 

the mascot’s feathers and talons! We 

were not afraid of the mascot! One 

pre-kindergartener was curious if the 

mascot mask was see-through. The 

student tried it on and found it was 

indeed see-through! 

We chanted three ASL signs 

pertaining to the CSD 150 th celebration: 

EAGLE, PRIDE and C-S-D. 

Then, we made bald eagles from 

brown paper bags stuffed with crumbled 

newspaper. We labeled the front of the 

paper bags with ‘CSD’ and pasted the 

face of an eagle on it, along with wings 

and talons. The students colored the 

eyes, talons, and put together the face 

and the wings. Now, the pre-kindergarten 

class gleans with CSD EAGLE PRIDE! The 

eagles are posted on the class bulletin 

board with photos of the students 

signing “EAGLE- PRIDE” right next to 

their eagles! GO MIGHTY EAGLETTES!!! 

Kindergarten 

The kindergarten class did a 

series of lessons called “CSD – Then and 

Now!” We looked at the history book 

about CSD, written by Ken Norton, a CSD 

alumnus. We learned about how the 

campus moved four times before arriving 

in Fremont; saw how the schools looked 

different; and learned that the number 

of students just kept getting bigger and 

bigger! 

We then went to visit the CSD 

historical museum in the library. The 

students noticed how the clothes and 

pictures looked much different from the 

San Francisco and early Berkeley campuses. 

They were amazed at how many symbols 

and objects had survived over 150 years! 

We made sculptures of the Bell Tower, 

as well as contributed to the ECE quilt 

by drawing eagles, bell towers, Bear 

Hunt statues, and other CSD symbols 

in orange and black. Our students then 

made a bulletin board, with both ASL 

and English components, to show what 

they had learned. 

Finally, during the open house at 

CSD, on November 11, the kindergarten 

class made a production to share with 

visitors on what they had learned about 

the history of CSD. 

Early Childhood Education Office 

The early childhood education 

secretary coordinated an ECE quilt, made 

of paper squares, drawn by all of the 

ECE students. The quilt is in only three 

colors—orange, black, and white—and 

is posted in the ECE hallway. Come and 

visit the quilt and the class bulletin 

boards to see what the ECE students did 

for the CSD’s 150 th celebration! 

—Roberta Daniels, ECE Principal 


150 th Celebration Co-Chair 

Interview with 

Barbara Morrison 

What do you think this event meant to 

the alumni? 

There was an amazing response 

from the alumni for the 150 th celebration. 

At first, we expected about 300 

to 400 reservations for the banquet. 

By last count, we had to reserve three 

banquet rooms for 808 guests. It was 

very exciting that so many of our 

alumni wanted to participate in this 

celebration. It was particularly exciting 

that alumni traveled all the way from the 

East Coast to attend, because they have 

so much pride in our school. 

It was fun to watch the older 

alumni when they toured the classrooms 

and saw how the students learn 

nowadays. Technology, such as Smart 

Boards, are an everyday part of classroom 

learning. They were remarking that 

they didn’t have those tools back in their 

time. They were also happy to see that 

CSD had preserved and kept so many of 

the old treasures from Berkeley—like the 

Bell Tower, the ornate doors outside of 

the theatre, the Bear Hunt statue, and 

the artifacts in the museum. 

This 150 th event was so great for the 

alumni. Particularly, the banquet and the 

Athletics Hall of Fame really gave us a 

glimpse at the caliber of our alumni. 

Could you talk a little bit about the 

impact of this event? 

We were so lucky to have such a 

good committee and dedicated staff 

who worked together. It was particularly 


great for our current students to see 

how many people came to celebrate the 

school’s history. It will make our students 

cherish their school even more. Plus, 

this event was the best thing that could 

have happened for our alumni who are 

reenergized and wanting to reestablish 

the California School for the Deaf Alumni 

Association again. 

I never could have imagined that we 

would have 3,800 visitors. I particularly 

wanted to thank the transportation staff 

for providing the shuttle service to and 

from the hotel; nutritional services for the 

reception; and to the maintenance staff 

for handling the parking for all those cars. 

What about the banquet? 

I felt bad because people had to 

stand in long lines at the hotel just to get 


in, but everyone was polite and courteous 

because they wanted to be a part of 

the celebration. The evening program 

at the banquet really showed that CSD 

does have successful alumni. It was also 

thrilling to see Senator Corbett and the 

California Department of Education staff 

supporting our school. We clearly have a 

wonderful working relationship with the 

people in Sacramento and we are able 

to work closely together. 

• 

• 

• 

Smallest graduating class 

at CSD Fremont: 

27 students in 1981 

Largest graduating class 

at CSD Fremont: 


Smallest graduating class 

at CSD Berkeley: 

1 student in 1877 

Trivia 

We must not forget our wonderful 

sponsors. Because of their support, we are 

better able to serve the Deaf Community. 

Did you get any comments about the 

weekend? 

People thought that the weekend 

was wonderful. They were happy about 

the shuttle service to and from the hotel. 

The alumni was thrilled to see the 

students taking a leadership role and 

• 

• 

• 

Largest graduating class 

at CSD Berkeley: 


Who served as superintendent 

the shortest? 

John M. Francis - 9 months 

Who served as superintendent 

the longest? 

Dr. Warring Wilkinson - 44 years 

running so many of the events including 

guiding the tours, serving food at the 

reception, performing at the pep rally, 

participating in the royalty court, 

doing spirit week, and clearing all of 

those chairs out of the big gym on Friday 

night, after the movie, so that it would 

be ready for the homecoming volleyball 

game the next morning. 

On behalf of the 

Community Advisory Council 

We wanted to share our 

deepest appreciation for all the 

effort that went into the amazing 

150th celebration. Hand waves to 

you all! 

Sincerely, 

Estella Bustamente, President 

Danielle Reader, Vice President 

Julie Navarro, Secretary 

As well as all of the CAC members 


First-ever Spirit Week 

for Jr. Eagles 

Middle School 

Royalty Court: 

Enrico Harmount & 

Marilee Williams 

Logo 

Excitement was running high in middle school during 

Jr. Eagles Spirit Week (October 19-23). Theme days were a 

smashing success with the students, as they treated us to their 

imagination, bringing forth an assortment of colors, shapes, 

and styles. It was a brilliant and vibrant week at CSD indeed! 

On behalf of the Jr. Eagles of the middle school cottages, we 

would like to thank the Principal Advisory Council students for The logo (front cover) is the official logo for California 

contacting the Jr. Eagles to establish the first-ever Spirit Week School for the Deaf’s 150 

for our middle school students. The Jr. Eagles and the 

Principal Advisory Council worked together in making this 

Spirit Week a smashing success for everyone in middle school. 

Spirit Week was organized by the Jr. Eagles in the student 

life division. Its aim was to instill community spirit, school 

pride, and self-esteem. Spirit Week was also a means of 

entertainment for the students during CSD’s homecoming 

week. Members of each class were encouraged to participate 

and keep the excitement fired, up during this special period, 

and to maintain a strong sense of unity. 

Seventh grader Adam Wemmer had fun because the 

activities were cool, and because there was good 

competition against each other. It was a week filled with fun 

events, games, and exciting themes. 

Sixth grader Jenniferrose Jones felt that Spirit Week 

motivated students to bond together. 

The winner of Spirit Week ’09 was the eighth grade class; 

second place went to the sixth grade class; and third place went 

to the seventh grade class. In the end, everyone was a winner! 

Spirit Week provided a great opportunity to make meaningful 

memories for the middle school students and marked some 

important milestones in their development; the event developed 

incomparable PRIDE in the California School for the Deaf. 

I would like to thank supervising counselors Alexander Ash 

and Shirley Dart; and middle school cottage counselors Connie 

Davenport, Alicia Flores, Leslie Hanaumi, Jonathan Hughes, Jeri 

Keller, Sam Reynolds, Jennifer Savage, Brian Strother and Casey 

Burpee. I would also like to thank Clark Brooke, Eugene LaCosse, 

and the PAC committees for the splendid job they did in 

arranging Spirit Week and the royalty court last week. 

Darriyan Thomas and Marilee Williams also deserve special 

thanks for being our middle school Spirit Week chairpersons, 

thank you for all your hard work with the students. 

—Justen AJ Burns 

30 November 20, 2009 | California News 

th anniversary. The winner of 

the logo contest was Andrew Anabu. Andrew is the son 

of Martha Anabu, who works in the business office at 

CSD. Andrew grew up watching his mother go to work at 

CSD and became interested in the school and culture. 

Andrew worked hard on this project; his winning logo 

was his sixth artistic attempt! Andrew is currently a 

student at Academy of Art university in San Francisco. 

Below is Andrew's description of the logo he created: 

under the warm glow of the yellow sun, a community 

of buildings thrives in a green valley. They belong to the 

California School for the Deaf in their 150 years of 

educating and nurturing students from all over the world. 

Down the long, winding asphalt road are the schools 

represented by CSD throughout its incredible lifetime. 

From the left, the Bear Statue stands prominently 

besides the first CSD school of Mission Street, San Francisco 

during the year 1861. Immediately behind lies the current 

Fremont CSD with the Bell Tower standing loud and tall. 

Near the center of the logo is the first of the three 

CSD Berkeley schools. Belonging to the era right before 

the turn of the 20th century, the first educational building 

is recognized by its cathedral-like, Gothic architecture. 

After a half a century later, in the 1950’s, a new 

administration building was constructed. Just as a human 

heart, this vital edifice lies to the center right. The third 

and final structure, with its contemporary clock tower, is 

situated at the very right of the logo. Just under its roof 

it shelters the long-lost Bird Fountain. 

Lastly, the Bald Eagle, the everlasting and 

enduring symbol of CSD, is embossed onto the 

never-ending asphalt road.

1860 

Tehema Street 

San Francisco 

1861 

Mission Street 

San Francisco 

1869 

The Hills of 

Berkeley 

1980 

Gallaudet Drive 

Fremont 

Did you know that CSD-Berkeley lost a building to fire? 

Trivia 

Staff who worked at 

Berkeley that are still 

with us at Fremont 

• Holly Benedict 

• Nancy Brill 

• Joyce Clark 

• Joann Coakley 

• Zannet Coleman 

• Harvey Johnson 

• Vikki King 

• Hank Klopping 

• Eugene LaCosse 

• Sandy Lund 

• Ginny Malzkuhn 

• Ann Moxley 

• Steve Orman 

• Barrett Smith 

• Anthony St. Julian 

• Mike Sutherland 

• Lisa Viall 

• Terry Viall 

• Ellen Winters 

The move to Fremont 


Photographer: Stanley Matsumoto 

www.csdf.k12.ca.us 

BUY NOW! 

150 th 

Anniversary 

Collection 

TO ORDER CONTACT: 

Ma-Ling Chiou 

510-344-6075 Videophone 

866-790-4035 Videophone 

(toll free) 

510-794-2577 FAX 

mchiou@csdf-cde.ca.gov 

DeafLife $5 

History Book $29.95 

T-Shirt $15 

Program Book $5 

Mug $10 CSD DVD $20

CSD's 150th anniversary mural series - California School for the Deaf

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