On November 10 members from many Lions Clubs in our area visited us and attended a Breakfast at our school!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPECIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY PLANNED FOR NEW JERSEY’S ONLY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

Jersey City, New Jersey- St. Joseph’s School for the Blind will celebrate the completion of its new state of the art facility and campus with a special Dedication Ceremony on Monday, March 19^th at three o’clock. The Dedication Ceremony will be held at 761 Summit Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The new two-story facility houses twenty large, well equipped classrooms arranged so that young students and those with physical disabilities are on the first floor and older students and those who are more mobile are located on the second floor. A therapeutic pool, conference/meeting and multipurpose areas, music and art rooms, technology center, gymnasium and a section for physical/occupational therapy have been designed to enhance learning.  

This new state of the art facility also provides a safe and efficient school environment for educating students with blindness and visual impairments and will be more appropriate for serving blind/visually impaired students who have multiple disabilities. The state of the art building was built with an eye towards the future. Extra classroom and multipurpose space was included for future program growth and expansion. Additional space has also been provided to create a comfortable environment for student’s families to participate in their child’s highly specialized education process.

“We believe in doing everything in our power to help create the type of environment that will greatly enhance the academic, physical and social development of the students, says Gerald Kitzhoffer, Chief School Administrator of St. Joseph’s School for the Blind. “And while the project was very costly and still requires additional fundraising, we felt that this new facility will allow us to continue our 116 year old tradition of providing quality services in a caring environment that fosters and maximizes student development.

Located in Heights section of Jersey City, the new state of the art facility is designed to anchor Concordia House, the student’s residence to the adjacent sensory playground.

The new facility has also been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) certified by the United States Building Council.

Many special guests including students, parents, teachers, friends and noted dignitaries are planning to attend the Dedication Ceremony on March 19th. A special ribbon-cutting ceremony as well as a special musical performance by the students from St. Joseph’s School for the Blind promises to make this a momentous event. Many of the people who helped make the new school a reality will also be publicly acknowledged. After the dedication ceremony, invited guests will have an opportunity to tour the new facility and see the positive impact the school’s design will have on the students and their teachers.

For more information about the Dedication Ceremony or about any of the programs and services offered by St. Joseph’s School for the Blind please call 201.876.5432.

March, 2007