September 2026 Newsletter

Superintendent Trisha Danah, right in photo frame, and Lexington staff welcomed students back to campus.

Rock the First Day!

There were lots of smiles and high fives as students returned to the Lexington campus on September 10th. The traditional "Rock the First Day!" greeting included bubbles, drum beats, and waving pompoms amid a sea of blue shirts. Students, families, staff, and even bus drivers, posed for photos to capture memories of the first day of the new school year!

Deaf Awareness Week Celebration

Lexington's 2026 Deaf Awareness Week (DAW) celebration got off to a great start at the September 22nd kick-off assembly. Student emcees - Ahmed, Ariany, Kerdell, and Sophie - introduced this year's theme - Deaf Identity: Discover Your Strength! The five pillars of Deaf identity and strength - Communication, Advocacy, Sign Language, Kindness, & Leadership - were presented by student representatives from the Early Learning Center, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, Alternate Achievement Pathway, and Foreign Language Transition Program. Special thanks to Lexington alumna, board member, and keynote speaker Patrice Creamer, Lex '77, for sharing her Deaf identity journey. And, a huge round of appreciation to the Deaf Awareness Committee, Co-Chaired by Melissa Vigilante and Karen Romano, for their efforts in bringing inspiring guest presenters to the campus.

Patrice Cramer, fifth from right, was the keynote speaker for the DAW kick-off assembly.

AAP students presented one of the five pillars of Deaf identity - kindness!

DAW Guest: David Rivera, Lex '94

David Rivera, Deaf performer and Professor of ASL & Deaf Studies at Union College, Union, NJ, shared his expertise in ASL Classifers as part of our Deaf Awareness Week celebration. Students in the Early Learning Center, Elementary, and AAP classes participated in engaging explorations of Animal Classifiers. David led Middle and High School students in a review of the 100+ classifiers used to represent nouns and explained Depicting Verbs, the new linguistic term for “Classifier Predicates.” Later in the afternoon, students had an opportunity to practice using ASL Classifers by playing classic Classifier games such as Handshape Telephone/Gossip Line and The Elephant Game.

Mr. Rivera led interactive sessions on Animal Classifers for younger students.

Media students videoed fellow classmates playing Classifier games.

DAW Guest: Robert Traina, Lex '90

Robert Traina inspired students to dream big during read-a-louds and presentations on Deaf MLB player William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy. Hoy is credited with helping to popularize the MLB hand signals that umpires use for balls, strikes, safe, and out. Beginning in 1888, Hoy played 14 seasons in the major leagues. He retired with a career record of 2,048 hits, 1,429 runs, and 596 stolen bases – still top 20 in MLB history. A team of advocates from the worlds of baseball, film, and the Deaf community has joined together to build a case for inducting Hoy into the Baseball Hall of Fame during the December 2027 vote. Click here to learn more and sign the petition!

Mr. Traina read "The William Hoy Story" by Nancy Churnin to ELC, AAP, and elementary classes.

Jr. NAD members encouraged classmates and staff to sign the petition to add "Hoy to the Hall!"

DAW Guest: Robert DeMayo

Robert DeMayo - Deaf actor, artist, educator, director, and ASL consultant - led a workshop for members of the Lexington Drama Club as part of the school's DAW celebration. He introduced a classic theatre game - the human machine - where students were challenged to use their bodies to create working machines that are recognizable to an audience. The exercise helps budding actors develop improvisational skills, spatial awareness, and connections with others. Following this, he worked on visual vernacular - a skill that is especially vital in Deaf theatre. Students will be putting these skills to the test as they prepare to audition for the spring 2027 production of "In The Heights!"

Students created "human machines" with inspiration from Robert DeMayo.

Mr. DeMayo, far left, poses with Drama Club members.

Bring Back the Pool: Update

After several years of planning and fundraising, Lexington is ready to embark on renovations to the school's basement swimming pool. Closed in 2014 due to mechanical issues, the 28' x 60' pool will require extensive renovations to bring mechanical and other systems up to code. The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months depending on permitting. Upon completion, the pool will be available to both Lexington students and community members for swim lessons and recreational swimming. Click here to make a pool donation!

The staircase between the gym lobby and the basement locker rooms has been partitioned off in preparation for demolition.

At the completion of the renovations, the Wing 3 staircase will be replaced and a new elevator installed.

ESDAA Volleyball - October 16-18

The Blue Jays are thrilled to be hosting the 44th Annual ESDAA Girls Volleyball Tournament on October 16-18, 2026. This year's event is extra special as we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Eastern Schools for the Deaf Athletic Association (ESDAA)! Watch our website and social media for updates, schedules, and tournament details as we get closer to the event!

Thanks to our "Back to School" Donors!

A warm thank you to the various community groups who donated school supplies to help Lexington students and families start the new school year on a positive note. Supplies were provided by the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services - Queens, employees of the Tiffany Service Center, OHLA-USA, and Immanuel Baptist Church, Woodside.

Christina Crawford, Community Outreach Specialist at the Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, organized a supply giveaway and resource fair in the school library on September 3.

Tiffany Service Center employees, wearing their "Tiffany blue" volunteer shirts, visited the campus on September 16 to distribute 100 backpacks to ELC, elementary, and middle school students.

Quick Notes & Upcoming Events

(Click here to see the 2026-2027 school calendar!)

Italian Heritage/Indigenous People's Day (October 12 - School & Center Closed)
Meet the Teacher Night - ELC, AAP, Elementary, Middle School (October 13, 5:30 - 8:30 pm)
ESDAA Volleyball Tournament at Lexington (October 16-18)
Meet the Teacher Night - High School, FLTP (October 20, 5:30 -8:30 pm)
November 3 (Election Day - remote learning day for students)