FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2021
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org
John Quaglione
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org
CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS LEARN BRAILLE AS PART OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH PROJECT
This year, to mark Women’s History Month at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy in Gravesend, Brooklyn, the fourth-grade students focused on learning about the life and legacy of Helen Keller. To complete the educational experience, teacher Christine Latona introduced the Braille alphabet to the students. The 19 students were then assigned a project to write their first and last names in Braille using green pigeon peas.
“The objective of teaching students about Helen Keller was to highlight the challenges Helen Keller suffered because of her disabilities. The students learned how difficult it is to communicate and write in Braille. They also learned that no matter how difficult their life is, anything can be accomplished with hard work, dedication and perseverance,” said Ms. Latona.
In addition to the Braille name card projects, currently on display in the hallway outside of the classroom, students were asked to prepare reports “All About Helen Keller.” Through their research, students had to explain why Helen Keller is an important historical figure, the obstacles she faced, the impact she had on the world, and identify interesting facts and characteristic traits about her.
“When my teacher told me we were going to learn about Helen Keller, I became very excited and interested. Her life was fascinating. I couldn’t imagine being like her. We learned that Helen used Braille to read and write, so when we did a project on Braille, it gave me a little experience of what it was like. Helen Keller is an inspiration and interesting person to learn about,” said fourth-grader Isabella Vizcarrondo.
Members of the media are invited to visit Our Lady of Grace Catholic Academy to view the student work and for interviews. Attached is a photo of the Helen Keller bulletin board displaying the students’ Braille projects. On-site and virtual interviews can be arranged.
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