CID ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONORS
YOUNG ALUMNI FROM IL AND MO

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, July 2006 - At the Central Institute for the Deaf Alumni Association (CIDAA) reunion luncheon in St. Louis on June 22, CID board of managers member and school alumnus William B. Sheldon presented five outstanding young people from St. Louis and Southern Illinois CIDAA Young Alumni Awards:

16-year-old Kevin Ahrens, a profoundly deaf student who lives with his family in Staunton, Illinois, has maintained a steady A-B average while playing drums for his high school band and serving as a kicker on the football team. Kevin graduated from CID in 2002 after spending 10 years learning to listen and talk. He enjoys rural life and plans to attend college to study agricultural science. He received a CIDAA High School award. (Kevin’s older brother, Steven, is also a CID alumnus.)

14-year-old Allison Guerra, who lives with her family in Elsah, Illinois, is a straight-A student who plays on her junior high school soccer and basketball teams. Allison has been profoundly deaf since birth and says she would like to be a doctor when she grows up. She started in the CID parent-infant program in 1994, when she was 2, and graduated from CID in 2003 at age 11. She and her mom traveled more than an hour each way every day for 9 years so she could attend CID. She received a CIDAA Junior High School award.

Jessica Nieva, DDS, a profoundly deaf dentist in St. Louis, started at CID when she was 2 and graduated in 1985 when she was 11. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Dentistry in 2001 and is in private practice. She received a CIDAA Higher Education award.

11-year-old Ardian Pollo is a gifted straight-A student who recently completed third grade at Mallinckrodt School. Ardian, whose family moved to St. Louis from Albania, has been profoundly deaf since birth. He came to CID when he was 4 and graduated at age 10 in 2005 after making outstanding progress learning to talk despite a late start and having little English spoken at home. He received a CIDAA Elementary School award.

18-year-old Jeffrey Zuckerman, a resident of Creve Coeur, Missouri and a member of the CID class of 1996, graduated in May 2006 from Parkway North High School and will attend Yale University in the fall. Jeffrey, an Eagle Scout, came to CID when he was 21/2 and spent 6 years learning speech, language and academic skills. He received a cochlear implant when he was 7 and now he speaks fluent French as well as English and budding German. Jeffrey received a “Yes I Can!” award in Academics from the international Yes I Can Foundation for Exceptional Children in Salt Lake City in April. He received a CIDAA Higher Education award.

Also at the CID luncheon in St. Louis, the CIDAA presented the following individuals with its Distinguished Alumni Award: Bonnie Williams Sandy of Columbus, Ohio, CID class of 1977; Gloria Killian Basta of St. Charles, Missouri, CID class of 1942; Eleanor Smith Coates of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, CID class of 1935; Richard Balk of Lincolnwood, Illinois, CID class of 1962, and John “Robie” Robertson Scholefield of Vancouver, British Columbia, CID class of 1964.

William B. Sheldon, a St. Louis native and a member of the CID class of 1954, is the retired director of the Hearing Impaired Program for Paraquad, Inc. in St. Louis. He has been a member of the CID board of managers since 1972 and currently serves as a vice president. He is a founding member of the CID Legacy Society. Profoundly deaf since birth, he is a past president and active CIDAA member.

Founded in 1941, the CIDAA produces a newsletter twice a year and holds a reunion every five years. For more information, visit www.cidaa.org.