$19.5 million renovation opens new career paths at Maryland School for the Deaf

Students at Maryland School for the Deaf helped prepare the food for a celebration of the very building expanding their career options.

The school marked the grand reopening of its renovated Veditz Building in Frederick on Wednesday, Oct. 14, following a roughly $19.5 million project funded entirely by the state, The Frederick News-Post reports.

The work modernized nearly 50,000 square feet in the 1970s-era building without expanding its footprint. Students have been using the renovated facility since the school year began, after an approximately four-year closure.

For junior Blane Shank, the change is tangible. He told the newspaper through an American Sign Language interpreter that the former cooking space had just two ovens. The new commercial-grade kitchen has given him equipment and experiences that are helping him consider a culinary career.

The building supports automotive technology, culinary arts, woodworking and graphic design. Updated mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems accompany improvements intended to make the space more accessible and better suited to visual learning.

A two-story atrium allows people on different floors to communicate visually. A skylight brings daylight farther into the building, and improved connections provide access to an outdoor courtyard. State officials said the facility serves 154 students.

Learning is already extending beyond classroom exercises. Through a partnership with Frederick nonprofit Second Chances Garage, automotive students are practicing repairs and maintenance on a loaned 2005 Chevrolet Equinox. Superintendent John A. Serrano said it will eventually return to the nonprofit to benefit a family in need.

Culinary students have also worked on budgeting, shopping, food preparation and event setup, including hospitality for a volleyball tournament and refreshments for the reopening.

The building houses the Orioles Career Academy, a transition program for students ages 18 to 21. A simulated apartment supports independent-living practice, while a workplace-task lab helps students develop employment skills.

More programs could follow, but they require staff. Serrano said some classrooms remain unused as the school seeks positions for cosmetology, horticulture and broadcasting. Recruiting instructors who have professional qualifications and fluency in American Sign Language is a particular challenge.

The renovation creates room for those ambitions. For students already learning in the building, it is providing practical experience now—and more possibilities to explore before graduation.