ISVI’s Birthday Celebration
On January 19, 2007, ISVI students and staff celebrated the school's 157th birthday. Principal Jan McGovern started out by speaking to the students about some of the magnificent history of the school. Former-Interim Superintendent Joan Forney spoke about ISVI's birthday and the agenda of the party. The celebration was emceed by the Student Council President. There was a poetry contest that was held prior to the event. The three winners of the poetry contest were announced and read their poems aloud to all staff and students. The pre-k and kindergarten class presented some items they made to represent ISVI's history to Mrs. Forney and Mrs. McGovern. The celebration even included an ISVI birthday cake that was brought out while the whole school sang "Happy Birthday" loud and proud to their school. The party concluded with 4 students singing, then everybody went to the teen center to enjoy cake, punch and treats that were made by the students.

The 157th birthday of ISVI was a great celebration!

Most Outstanding Poem
"Happy Birthday"

Tall trees and large buildings
Small children not seeing
Goal ball and wrestling
Which many have never seen
Auditory clues and tactile assistance
The help is there with such persistence
Raised dots and large print text
Who knows what we’ll use next
New kids in, old kids out
The typical school without a doubt
From all the girls and all the guys
We wish you a happy birthday ISVI
 

In April’s spring of 49 a precious gift was born.
Just like the burning, glowing sun upon an early morn.
Brave Samuel Bacon had a dream, a dream so pure and warm.
But little did brave Samuel know, a legacy was formed.

A school was built upon this dream with a plan in mind.
Let’s give out education to those people who are blind.
As you know, with every plan come negativity,
but brave Samuel did not give up the dream he dared to seek.

Because of him we have a place of opportunity,
to be the best that we can be to face reality,
a place to build our confidence, and make our hearts feel new,
a place that builds a strong foundation inside of me and you.

The evidence is here today, to dream is worth the fight.
Don’t throw away your vision just because of little sight.
If someone tries to brake your dream by saying it can’t be.
Prove them wrong. It won’t be long before they’ll finally see.

Poet with the Most Potential
"ISVI Bell"

There is a bell.
A very old bell.
But now that bell has nothing more to tell.
That old bell would ring loud as it could.
Telling you to go to class like you know you should.
That old big bell.
Is the one bell that we could never sell.
That old bell rang loud.
That old bell rang proud.
That old bell is a symbol of the past.
So that old bell has to last.
It went through cold and hot.
So our school it should mean a lot.
That old bell is a memory of the past.
Because now we have a new bell.
How long will that last?

(Three pictures of individual students reading their winning poetry for the students and staff present in the Joshua Rhoads auditorium for the 157th ISVI birthday celebration.

Dots for Tots
ISVI hosted the Dots for Tots reception on January 29, 2007. The new Dots for Tots program, which was created to promote Braille literacy, is guided by a committee of people from numerous organizations and agencies, including the Illinois Council for the Blind (ICB) and Vision quest. The Dots for Tots program is supported by generous contributions from Wal-Mart. All ISVI students ages 5-15 were invited to the reception where the Braille readers received a free Braille book from Dots for Tots. The students were very excited to receive their Braille books and started reading them right away. Throughout the year, each of these children will receive one book every other month and one on their birthday at their home address. The main goal is to help these students create their own Braille libraries at home. The non-Braille readers also received a book for them to keep for their personal libraries. Many guests attended the reception including: ISVI alumni, ICB members, and representatives from DHS, Blind Vendors, Vision quest, and Wal-Mart. The event was a huge success. The success was very evident by seeing the smiles on the children's faces!

(Picture of students reading their Braille books)

Cake Baking Contest
ISVI residential students were very busy in January making cakes for the cake baking contest. All dorms participated in the contest making all kinds of cakes. It was the first time decorating cakes for a lot of students. They were very excited about it and enjoyed the experience. The winners of the contest were the high school girls making a carrot cake in the upstairs of Unit 18. The contest was held in the teen center and was judged by staff members that were selected. The students got to sample all of the cake that they wanted and had a great time doing it. Needless to say, nobody walked away from the contest with an empty stomach!