Friday was her 33rd first day back to school at the DuBard School for Language Disorders at The University of Southern Mississippi, yet each year is a fresh start for school director Dr. Maureen Martin.

“The first day of school is always an exciting opportunity for a new beginning,” said Martin, who also takes on the role of elementary school principal at DuBard. “This is the most rewarding and challenging experience I could have ever imagined. My main reason for being is for these children and preparing our university students.”

This is the DuBard School’s 47th year offering services to children with severe language-speech and/or hearing impairments.

During the first day of the 2008-09 school year, 79 children and their parents drove to Hattiesburg from 15 Mississippi counties to begin classes with the 10 teachers/speech-language pathologists at DuBard.

Juanice Glaze of Hattiesburg walked her daughter, 12-year-old Lauren Glaze, to class for her fifth year at DuBard. “I took her shopping yesterday for new school clothes and jewelry,” Glaze said.

As Lauren approaches her teenage years, so does the thought of entering high school in a public school district. “Her teacher is working more on her conversational and social skills this year to prepare her for when she does enter high school,” Glaze said. “We want to make sure she makes a smooth transition.”

The DuBard School in the College of Health was established in 1962 by Dr. Etoile DuBard with just three students enrolled. She refined and expanded the use of the renowned Association Method, considered a highly effective, multisensory teaching and learning strategy that goes beyond the traditional visual and auditory teaching approach by incorporating tactile sense of touch and motor kinesthetics.

Through cooperation with local school districts, DuBard School delivers this method to children ages 3-15 at no charge to their families.

The Mississippi Department of Education funds approximately 60 percent of the expenses for the full-time enrollment program, with the remaining 40 percent of operating funds provided through other sources like the United Way and donations from foundations, corporations and individuals.

For more information about The DuBard School for Language Disorders, call 601-266-5223.