The Western Pennsylvania School For The Deaf

Day Six of Our Trip Out West - Class of 2027

We had another early morning. It was time to start another day full of fun adventures. We made our way to Bryce Canyon National Park. When we arrived there, our tour guide, Michelle, took us up to a place in the park called Sunset Point. We saw many gorgeous views! See attached photos for yourself! Then, we walked over to a spot called Sunrise Point. We were able to hike down one of the mountains on a trail, and we had the chance to see Queen Victoria's Hoodoo, a significant rock formation in the park. The scenic hike was finished, and we met up at the lodge to board the bus to travel to our next stop, Goblin Valley.

Once we arrived at Goblin Valley, we officially became goblins, and Johnny was the Guardian of the Goblins. We got to run around and just enjoy being out in nature, even though it was 101 degrees! We ran up the mountains and explored the hoodoos. Once all of our energy was out, we hopped back on the bus and were on our way to dinner. Stay tuned for more!

--Paityn G., Class President and Kathy Bartholow, Class Advisor

WPSD's Residential Program is something special. WPSD strives to make this state of the art living space a home-away-from-home for our Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students who stay here during the week. Our staff care for our students as if they were their own. Check out all the wonderful opportunities our Residence has to offer!

https://youtu.be/Bym7Gf5teyM

First Annual Senior “Assassin” Day!

The WPSD seniors were given an extra mission during Field Day today! After putting on their goggles for immunity and four lion lifelines, the 2026 senior class was given one task - avoid your staff water assassins! 🦁💦🔫

The day was full of strategizing, by students and teachers alike! Spying, hiding, ambushing, and lots of laughing! The best part of the day was witnessing the seniors protecting each other to stay alive! Truly - amazing sportsmanship!

Congratulations to Elisha, Luel, Jada, and Sebastian for making it to the final duel with all 4 of their lifelines! And to Luel for being the last senior standing! Congratulations, Class of 2026!

Day Five of Our Trip Out West - Class of 2027

We began our day early in the morning and started it off by eating at a breakfast buffet. Once our bellies were full, we began our trip to Zion National Park. On the drive, we saw some bison in the field. After we made it to Zion National Park, we took a shuttle to the lodge where we had lunch. From there, we went on a hike to the Emerald Pool trail. On the hike, we saw some waterfalls and some beautiful Navajo sandstone. Then we hiked back to the lodge and caught the shuttle down to the river. We got down to the river and some of us even swam there! After we cooled ourselves down in the river, we walked back to the shuttle and went back to the visitor's center. We hopped on the shuttle where they took us up to the East Canyon and we got to drive through the famous Zion Tunnel, which is a mile long, by the way! We searched for bighorn sheep, but unfortunately didn't see any. After that, we made our way down the scenic route to our hotel back in Bryce City. Stay tuned for more fun and exciting adventures!

--Paityn G., Class President

One last round of pictures capturing the bittersweet emotions that high school graduation brings. What a wonderful evening spent with family, friends and WPSD staff.

Enjoy some more pictures that captured the joy and nostalgia that Graduation Day brings. Our seniors hugged their families, friends, and teachers extra tight during those special moments. More pictures to come!

Graduation Day 2026! Tears were shed, smiles were shared and friendships were strengthened. Just a short time after they received their official diplomas, our seniors spent some quality time with each other, their families, friends, and staff who came to cheer them on. Stay tuned! More photos are on the way!

Day Four of Our Trip Out West - Class of 2027

This morning started off with a hearty breakfast. Then, we went shopping for some souvenirs. Afterwards, we went to the Navajo Coding Museum. Tony Dumblosky explained how the American soldiers and the Navajo code talkers collaborated and fought against Japan. We were all interested in how the Navajo helped the soldiers keep their secrets so the Japanese soldiers would not understand their battle plans. Just as interesting was learning about the American soldiers protecting their Navajo Coders.

Our adventures then continued when we arrived at the Grand Canyon! There, we took a Jeep and toured around the park. We got to see stunning views of the Grand Canyon from many different angles. We also learned about a neat acronym used to remember how the canyon was formed. This acronym is DUDE. D stands for deposition, U stands for uplifting, D stands for downcutting, and E stands for erosion. After touring and learning about the canyon more in depth, we decided to have lunch. Our tour guide took us to a phenomenal spot for lunch, with extraordinary views of the canyon in front of us. We enjoyed learning new things about the Grand Canyon and we made sure to ask lots of questions!

Kathy Bartholow (Class Advisor) and Paityn G. (President), Class of 2027

Check out this final round of photos from WPSD's commencement ceremony!! We will miss this group of students but we are so excited to see all they will achieve! Keep it here for more pictures from that special day!