Dates to Remember
November
26: Students depart for Break @ 1:00 p.m.
27: Thanksgiving Day —No school
28: No School
30: Students return to campus

Congratulations Mr. Dan Thompson!
Mr. Thompson is a graduate of ISVI and he later graduated from SIU in Carbondale. He is the Assistive Technology Instructor at ISVI. On 10-18-08 Mr. Thompson was honored by the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of the Blind at their annual conference held in Bradley, Il. He was awarded a plaque in recognition of his 17 years of service as an Educator of the blind and visually impaired. ISVI is privileged to have Mr. Thompson on their staff. His knowledge and his dedication are an asset to ISVI.

ISVI Student Addresses  NFB's Annual Convention
An ISVI student spoke at the Illinois chapter of the National Federation of the Blind annual conference held in Bradley, Illinois on October 18, 2008. He spoke about the honor of being accepted into the Teen Empowerment Academy. As a member of the Teen Empowerment Academy he had the opportunity last summer to, along with 14 other teenagers, go to different cities in the U.S. The ISVI student spoke about this summer trip which included visiting the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Ground Zero in New York City, going to the NFB national conference in Texas, and camping for a week in South Carolina. He also had classes in advanced cooking and home living, assisted technology, and orientation mobility. He said that he was grateful to the NFB for this wonderful experience.

Field Trip to the Farm
Twenty-two students took a field trip to Robinson’s Family Farm and Pumpkin Patch. They got to pet llamas, a miniature pony, goats, sheep, pigs and rabbits. They had their faces painted, toured a haunted house, played bean bag toss, went through a maze built out of bales of hay, took a bumpy hayride and brought home complimentary pumpkins. They later used markers and stickers to decorate the pumpkins and they are now on display in the dorms. Everyone enjoyed the farm experience!

Smile Illinois at ISVI
Smile Illinois came to ISVI on October 21^st. Their Mobile Dental Clinic was in the Health Center and they treated 25 students. A thorough dental exam and screening was completed by the dentist. Then the dental hygienist gave fluoride treatments. Students who had evidence of cavities had a sealant applied to those teeth. A dental report card was sent to each student’s parent or guardian. The Health Center is already working on the necessary paperwork required to have Smile Illinois return next year.

Jukebox Classics - 2008
On October 23rd the ISVI chorus led by Mrs. Kerhlikar and accompanied by Robert Sampson (graduate of ISVI), performed in the auditorium at ISVI. Mark McDonald of PBS (Public Broadcasting System) was here along with a cameraman. They taped several interviews of students and then taped the performance. The chorus gave a very impressive performance. We have great talent here at ISVI.!

Mr. McDonald said that the concert will air on PBS sometime in November. Their website is Click on Local Programs and then click on Illinois Stories and you will see a week by week listing of what "Illinois Stories" will be aired on PBS.

Halloween Dance and Costume Contest
On Oct. 31st the Halloween Dance was attended by pirates, cowboys, clowns, witches, ghouls, etc. They danced to the music provided by Mr. Dan Thompson. Students played music trivia and they received one dollar for each correct answer. Two winners of the costume contest were Anthony Baldwin and Cameron Davis. They tied for scariest costume. Chris Mankowski, dressed as a Japanese Super Hero, won for most original. And the award for prettiest costume went to Shola Doyle who was dressed as a fairy princess. The dietary staff decorated the dining hall for the dance and provided cookies, nuts, and punch for the event. Each student received a pot full of candy. Everyone enjoyed the party!

WCIA Sports Coverage
WCIA (Champaign) covered ISVI's home goalball game on November 5, 2008. A reporter came and interviewed some of the ISVI players. If you would like to view the news clip that aired, it can be seen by going to this link on the WCIA website– http://illinoishomepage.net/content/fulltext/?cid=46731

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