Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 134 No. 1 Fall 2012 | Page 3

New Teachers
By: Maryann Barnett & Lori Lindau
Amy Dignan
As of November 14, Ms. Dignan celebrated her one
year anniversary at WSD as a high school science
teacher. She teaches Physical Science, Biology,
Environmental Science, and Health. This year she has
been the assistant middle school volleyball coach and
the middle school girls basketball coach. Amy is from
the southwest suburbs of Chicago. She graduated
from Illinois State University with a degree in Deaf
Education; prior to that she graduated from Illinois
School for the Deaf. After graduation, Amy taught
2nd-3rd grade at the Las Vegas Charter School for
the Deaf for one year before coming to WSD. Amy
explained that she is glad for the opportunity to work
somewhere closer to her family which she is very
close with. After work, Amy can usually be found
on a soft surface with her nose in a book or out with
friends. She hopes to stay at WSD for many years to
come!

Joel Mankowski
Mr. Mankowski hails from Milwaukee and graduated
from the WSD in 1986. He received a B.S. degree in
History from Gallaudet University and earned a M.S.
degree in Deaf Education from the Western Maryland
College, now McDaniel College. He was employed
for the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing as a Workshop/Training Specialist then
an interim Executive Director. After moving to the
Chicago area, he worked at William Rainey Harper
College as Linguistics Specialist and later as an ASL
Instructor for five years before moving to Wisconsin.
Joel has been teaching ASL Studies cours