CID Arenberg Garden with sculptures

The Arenberg Family Gardens bloom near the CID school entrance at 825 S. Taylor Avenue in St. Louis.

FACILITIES

Designed by Mackey Mitchell Architects and built by S.M. Wilson, the CID school is anĀ acoustically-friendlyĀ environmentĀ where students who are deaf and hard of hearing learn to listen and talk. Located in the Washington UniversityĀ Medical Center community, the CID school is dedicated to excellence in listening and spoken language education.

The schoolĀ contains small classrooms for individualized learning. It also contains a family living room, children’s library, a music and drama room, an art room, discovery rooms, state-of-the-art pediatric audiology facilities, pull-out roomsĀ for speech-language and occupational therapy, observation rooms andĀ a gym. Our award-winningĀ facilities were updated in 2015 with input from parents, teachers, audiologists and other professionals.

The Joanne Parrish Knight Family Center, Anabeth and John Weil Early Childhood Learning Center, the Virginia J. Browning Primary School and the Emerson Center for Professional Development are contained within the school.

THE QUIET SCHOOL

Sitting in a CID classroom, you’d never know theĀ school is located nearĀ aĀ busy interstate highway and major area hospitals, with the sounds of cars, trucks,Ā ambulances and helicoptersĀ filling the air. That’s because the building is engineeredĀ from the ground up to mitigate outside noise so students can learn.

The 42,000-square-footĀ CID school hasĀ superior classroom acoustics for optimal listening and spoken language education,Ā exceeding ASHA-recommended national guidelines. Landscaping is used to buffer the sound.Ā The classrooms areĀ wellĀ insulated and located away fromĀ hvac systems that are themselvesĀ designed to reduce noise.Ā Specially chosen construction strategies and materials reflect sound away from the exterior andĀ absorb sound in the interior.

The teachers may alsoĀ make use of built-in sound field systems that distribute their voices evenly around the room, to be picked up by the children’s hearing devices.

Three young deaf boys paying attention in class
CID primary teacher using the Smart Board with her class

TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

Preparing children for the world requires integrating technology into daily education.Ā Thanks to a generous bequestĀ from Edwin Slye, a CID alumnus, every CID classroom featuresĀ a large-screen interactive computer whiteboard to help foster enthusiasm for learning while capitalizing on each student’s individual learning style.

An interactiveĀ whiteboardĀ enables the teacher and students to use their fingersĀ instead ofĀ a mouse and keyboard. Built-in tools include handwriting recognition capabilitiesĀ andĀ a camera to capture images and text. The teacher can create simple or elaborate interactive presentations that includeĀ an endless variety of contentĀ from the Internet. Or she can use the whiteboardĀ like a clean slate, accessing resources as she goes along.

This thoughtful classroom technology helps the children buildĀ computer skills.

HOME-LIKE SPACES

The CID school houses the Joanne Parrish Knight Family Center, a warm, home-like placeĀ designed to accommodateĀ families with newly diagnosed infants making their first contact with CID.Ā The facility features natural home environment classrooms for toddlers andĀ comfortable, family friendly observation rooms, conference spaces and waiting areas.

elephant mural in outside CID family center toddler class
CID – Central Institute for the Deaf highway sign

ON THE OUTSIDE

The building’s exterior features clean lines, distinctive masonry towers and Romanesque arches. The grounds are covered with gardens full ofĀ flowers, grasses, trees, wind sculptures, benchesĀ andĀ tables withĀ umbrellas.Ā An open space for supervised games and a colorful, fenced-in playground provide areas for the children to haveĀ fun and learn through play.

AWARDS

In 2000, the CID school received a Regional Excellence Award from St. Louis Construction News and Review and a Construction Keystone Award from the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis. In 2001, the Landmarks Association of St. Louis named CID one of the city’s Eleven Most Enhanced Sites. In November 2003, the school received an Impact on Learning Award fromĀ School Planning and ManagementĀ magazine.

Young girl speaking into microphone at CID graduation

PHOTO GALLERIES

Lobbies

Audiology

Family Center

Library

Playground

Pre-K