Oklahoma student wins regional Braille Challenge medals at Oklahoma School for Blind

MUSKOGEE –– Forty-five Oklahoma students competed at OSB for medals and prizes in the annual academic competition sponsored by Braille Institute of America in the United States and Canada.

“Reading is core to any person’s education,” Faye Miller, Oklahoma School for the Blind’s Orientation and Mobility Specialist and event coordinator, said. “For students who are blind it’s no different, Braille just happens to be their method to literacy. A good foundation in braille gives the students skills to proper grammar and spelling.”

This year’s winners include:

Apprentice Transition

• Gold Jaden Brown, Broken Arrow
• Silver Ronaldo Zamacona, Oklahoma City
• Bronze Lane Sutterfield, Tulsa

Apprentice

• Gold Sophia Hildebrandt, Broken Arrow

Freshman

• Gold Mayela Campos-Rodriguez, Broken Arrow
• Silver Haidyn James, Muskogee
• Bronze Hunter Farmer, Longdale

Freshman Group A

• Gold Bella Cooper, Calera
• Silver Abe Cooper, Calera
• Bronze Paisley McCall, Oklahoma City

Freshman Group B

• Gold Avery Dollar, Muskogee
• Silver Austyn Lawler, Walters
• Bronze Kairi Husmann, Oklahoma City

Freshman Group C

• Gold Jaylee Burnside, Muskogee
• Silver Nathaniel Hiatt, Wagoner
• Bronze Julia Cisneros, Webbers Falls

Freshman Group D

• Gold Angel Cozort, Ketchum
• Silver Chris Sumner, Chickasha
• Bronze Maria Komers, Noble

Sophomore

• Gold Kye Shrum, Perry
• Silver Jayda Magers, Ponca City
• Bronze Jacoby Morford, Woodward

Junior Varsity

• Gold Delilah Howell, Westville
• Silver Lilith Pedersen, Anadarko
• Bronze Kolten Pennington, Roff

Varsity

• Gold Hunter Pugh, Talala
• Silver Aurora Seaman, Claremore
• Bronze Anna Suarez, Sand Springs

Students will practice for The Oklahoma Braille Challenge. They hone their braille skills to medal in the competition and improve on their performance from year to year. While these skills now are used in the competition, they will serve them for a lifetime.

Every competitor selected a prize this year and received Braille Challenge® t-shirts donated in the memory Frank Dirksen, a devoted sponsor of the school. Students also picked up goodie bags with items purchased with donations.

“Anything we can do to make reading more fun and help students improve their skills, I am all for that,” OSB Superintendent Brent Pearce said. “This challenge motivates the students to improve their comprehension, spelling and proofreading. They want those medals and prizes.”

Braille Challenge® contestants received brailed certificates and general performance feedback to help continue to improve their skills.

Contestants in the apprentice, freshman, and transition categories were tested on spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading.  

Sophomore, junior varsity and varsity contestants were scored on charts and graphs, reading comprehension and proofreading. They also listened and transcribed passages into braille.

The Braille Institute will invite the top 50 finalists from the U.S. and Canada to compete in the National Braille Challenge® in Los Angeles in June. Oklahoma competitors have advanced to the national finals 28 times since 2003.

This year’s Braille Challenge sponsors included the Oklahoma School for the Blind, Braille Institute of America, American Indian College Fund Grant (Natalie Armstrong), Donations in Memory of Uncle Frank, Globe Life Liberty National, Jeri’s House, Liberty Braille, NanoPac, NewView Oklahoma, Oklahoma Chapter of AERBVI, Park Hill OHCE, Ruth Kelly Studios, Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Transcribing Mariners, Tulsa Downtown Lions Club

OSB is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services. For more information, phone 877-229-7136 toll free or visit http://osb.k12.ok.us/

Oklahoma School for the Blind offers free comprehensive academic, extracurricular and outreach programs to blind or visually impaired students who live on campus four days each week, commute from home or attend summer school programs. Academic programs for OSB students meet state-mandated education requirements. Specialized instruction includes Braille, orientation and mobility training, optimum use of low-vision adaptive equipment, assistive technology graphic skills not readily available at other public schools in Oklahoma. Students may participate in sports, leadership programs and award-winning OSB Jazz Band. OSB provides free evaluations and outreach services to students attending local public schools, their families and educators. OSB had a 100% graduation rate in 2022-2023.

(###)