Each year the month of September is devoted to celebrating Jubilee at Jackson’s Magnolia Speech School. This combination of homecoming activities, commemorating the school’s birthday, and online fundraising involves students, teachers, parents, and the community. Magnolia Speech School is one of only 50 of its kind in the world and one of the premier schools in the Southeast for children with hearing loss and language disorders.
The school’s oral education program offers highly specialized and unique classroom learning supported by auditory training, speech, and occupational therapy services as needed. Music, computer lab, and library are also provided to all students.
This year’s Jubilee school-wide learning theme is “wonder,” with learning activities, competitions and online fundraising throughout the month and a pep rally on September 25 which will be streamed on the school’s Facebook page. This year’s fundraising goal is $6,400, celebrating the 64 years the school has been serving students and the community. An online silent auction will be open to the community, featuring over 100 donated items, including local restaurant gift cards, original local art, travel packages and much more.
Earlier this year, sponsors contributed $40,000 and the school received silent auction donations valued at $15,000 to support the school’s largest fundraiser, a Scholarship Soiree. Because the March event was cancelled due to COVID19, those funds and auction items will be incorporated into this year’s Jubilee celebration.
“We are very grateful for our sponsors and donors,” shares Valerie Linn, executive director of the school. “We absolutely could not do what we do without their support. We hated to cancel our 2020 Spring Soiree, but we are excited about our Jubilee and are busy planning for our 2021 Spring Soiree.” Magnolia Speech School provides approximately $1 million dollars annually in financial aid. Extremely small classes, the education level of the teachers, and the highly specialized instruction impact the annual tuition cost per student of $29,226. Thanks to donor support, however, no child ever pays the full tuition.
Former Magnolia student and 2020 Jackson Academy honors graduate Kelsey Burke is living and succeeding in the speaking world because of Magnolia Speech School. When Kelsey’s parents learned she was deaf, they assumed they would need to adapt to her non-hearing world. “Magnolia Speech School rewrote Kelsey’s life,” shares her mom Kim Burke, Dean of the Millsaps College Else School of Management, and a Magnolia Speech School board member.
Kelsey was diagnosed with severe hearing loss when she was18 months old. She received hearing aids and entered Magnolia’s early intervention program until she could begin their specialized classroom learning. “Beginning with their early intervention program,” Burke explains, “Magnolia teachers form a partnership with parents, walking through the goals of specific activities, helping, encouraging and offering resources.”
Just before her third birthday Kelsey was diagnosed with profound hearing loss and received a cochlear implant which allows her to hear and recognize specific sounds and words. She attended Magnolia classes through kindergarten and remembers teachers, friends and playing outside, plus gym days and field days with sack races and games.
“I smile at her memories,” says her mother. “I don’t think she realizes that those experiences were actually teaching her to listen and speak. It was an incredible transformation to see.”
Kelsey can communicate with anyone without support and has always been very motivated and determined to do well. After attending Magnolia, she attended St. Andrews for grades one through six, and Jackson Academy for grades seven through 12.
At Jackson Academy, Kelsey had a great group of friends, worked hard, and made the honor roll for all four of her high school years.
Kelsey is now a freshman at Wofford College in Spartanburg. In making her college choice, she and her family visited eight schools, all within reasonable driving distance from Jackson. The Wofford visit was the best and an easy choice for Kelsey. “It was magical to see Kelsey’s reaction to Wofford,” says her proud mom. “Kelsey really wanted a small community-based college experience. The Wofford campus is beautiful, with lovely trees - and mountains.”
“Kelsey Burke is an excellent example of our success stories” says Maria Smith, director of donor Engagement for Magnolia since 2016. “Our goal is to keep students on pace to transition to the school of their choice with the verbal skills needed to succeed.” Smith is responsible for coordinating fundraising events and communication with donors and the community. “Magnolia is truly life-changing for a child struggling with communication, offering the key to unlock their potential through literacy and language and to develop into successful citizens,” she says.
Mitch Stringer, economic development manager at Cooperative Energy, currently serves as board chair for Magnolia. He was first introduced to the school by a Magnolia teacher friend and thanks in part to that connection, his niece later attended the school for five years. “We have so many special and successful alumni that have benefitted from the love and devotion of the teachers and school,” says Stringer. He has served on the board for ten years and calls it “a tremendous honor to serve on such a long-standing board that has changed the lives of so many children and families.”
Linn joined Magnolia as executive director in August 2014. She previously served as executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Jackson and explains that “working here allows me to use my 27 years of experience as a speech and language pathologist and allows me to be part of an outstanding system of specific education for children and their families. It is very fulfilling work and humbling to be part of a team that works so diligently to make significant changes in the lives of children and their families.” Linn shares that children from across the southeast come to the school to be tested, and families move to Jackson so their child can attend classes.
For the 2020-21 school year, safety guidelines have been developed based on CDC requirements. In-person classes are underway, and staff have been specifically trained for virtual learning, which is also offered for students. “Those with language and hearing impairments need to be able to see faces,” Linn explains. “We have been very diligent in all of our efforts and everyone has worked very hard.”
Linn is also excited about relocation plans for the school. In December 2019, the school purchased 6.6 acres outright on Bozeman Road in Madison for a new facility. “We are currently in the quiet phase of our capital campaign, which we began in October 2019,” explains Linn. “There have been so many developments in our field of service - particularly in technology and instruction - since our current school was built in 1974. While we love our beautiful campus, we also want to be more visible and accessible. We want people to easily see and find us!”
Magnolia Speech School will open the online silent auction September 21. Registration is free but required to bid on items. The community may also sponsor a child, teacher, or class during the Jubilee celebration. For more information about the school, success stories, and Jubilee, visit magnoliaspeechschool.org.
