Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 136 No. 1 Fall 2014 | Page 22

Staff News

RIGHT:
WSD Librarian, Nell Fleming
assists a tight rope walker.

High Wire News
Each summer libraries across Wisconsin, as well as the entire nation,
have themed activities to encourage students to read more and to attend
library-sponsored events. Delavan’s own Aram Public Library is one
of these libraries. Besides the traditional reading programs offered,
Aram hosts a Circus Week theme each summer, due to Delavan’s circus
affiliation. Delavan is the 19th Century Circus Capital of the World and
the Barnum and Bailey Circus was founded here.
Coincidentally, WSD’s own librarian, Mrs. Nell Fleming has experience
with the circus, as she was a member of the Illinois State University’s
Gamma Phi Circus for three years and with the Sugar Grove, Illinois
Triton Trouper Circus for eight years. Mrs. Fleming can walk on a tight
rope, tumble, roller-skate, rolla bola, and eat fire. She met her husband
Ron during college at the Gamma Phi Circus. His circus experience
includes acrobatics, tumbling, Russian swing, mini trampoline and juggling. Their daughter, Ronnell, has
experience with the circus too. She attended the Gamma Phi circus camp for the last three summers and will
return next summer. Her favorite activities are the aerial acts, including the rings and the hoops.
The Aram Library summer program demonstrated juggling and encouraged the audience to juggle first two, then
three items. Mrs. Fleming brought her own two-foot tightrope wire and demonstrated how to walk on the wire.
She allowed observers to try to walk on the wire. For beginners, the tightrope is kept near ground level, not
high, as seen in some circus shows and movies.
On Sunday, November 2, 2014, famed tightrope walker, Nik Wallenda made headlines in Chicago for
successfully completing two high wire tightrope walks across the Chicago River. His second walk was
blindfolded. Mrs. Fleming said that she trained at Triton Troupers with someone who also trained with the
famous Flying Wallenda family. “One has to practice falling from the wire, as most performers prefer to use
NO safety equipment.” Mrs. Fleming has also used both a five-foot and ten-foot high tightrope during her
performing days, but now prefers the two-foot high practice wire. Be sure to check out the Summer 2015
schedule at Aram Public Library in Delavan if you are interested in juggling or tightrope walking! www.
aramlibrary.org

Brown Bear

ABOVE:
WSD teacher, Karen Turcsany-Lopez and son story
sign to a young group of enthusiastic learners.
Fall 2014 - 22

Karen Turcsany-Lopez and her family have a summer cabin
in Phelps, Wisconsin. They vacation there every summer for
at least five weeks. While there, Karen’s children participate
in the Phelps Public Library’s activities. This summer, Karen
decided to approach the librarian and offer to teach a class.
For an hour on a Friday in July, she taught a group of lower
elementary age children the signs for colors. Karen used
the popular children’s book by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric
Carle, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? Before
reading the book, she interactively taught the students the
signs for the colors. While signing the story in ASL, Karen’s
two children helped. Karen’s son held the book while her
daughter voice interpreted. After reading the book, everyone
played a memory game created by the librarian. The children
had to incorporate all the new color signs they learned.