In the late 1960s, White Station took its first steps towards increasing diversity by offering one class for deaf and hard of hearing students. By the late 1970s, the program became mainstream as an abundance of interpreters migrated to the school. Now, over 40 years later, the school is saying goodbye to one of its most beloved hearing impaired teachers, Ms. Rita Grivich.

For 47 years Grivich has been using her signing abilities, both here and at Humes Middle School, to help her students understand and thrive in the world around them. However, it did not start out this way. Originally, Ms. Grivich was a substitute teacher, given the task of taking over for a teacher out on maternity leave.

“The first time I ever had kids come into my room,” Grivich said. “I remember I had to write on paper ‘I’m your teacher.’ I didn’t know any sign.”

Ms. Grivich actually learned some of the basics of sign language through her students who she says taught her “some wrong signs,” resulting in her accidentally signing “rat” when introducing herself on her first day attending American Sign Language classes at UT Knoxville.

“I had a good, strong background in sign, which helped me, and I got my degree and stayed on at White Station,” Grivich said.

In the past 20 years, Ms. Grivich had the unique opportunity to not only watch the school grow and prosper, but also reminisce about the “good ol’ days.”

“Back then, we had a lot of departmental activities, like for example we used to have a beauty pageant where all the clubs got to nominate a girl who was really talented, really smart…,” Grivich said. “It was all a collaboration of departments. That’s what I miss. We don’t have that kind of thing [now]…kids need to collaborate like that. It’s all about teamwork. It makes you mature.”

In addition to the changes in diversity, Grivich also witnessed the changes in the art of teaching itself stating that “we had more autonomy.” She recounts how when she first started working at the school,  her students did whatever she thought was best because they were “self-contained,” or having all that they needed within themselves.

“We were doing everything,” Grivich said. “We had to do everything, there was no one else to do it.”

As a result, Ms. Grivich also spent a lot of her time not only creating activities and events for her students, but also helping them cultivate their talents by: forming an all deaf girls majorette team, interpreting for deaf football players and cheerleaders, and putting on productions in deaf drama.

“My very first really big play, I had gotten a scholastic magazine, and that was at the time the movie Rocky had come out so we we’re reading it in class, “ Grivich said, “One of my boys was a boxer. The police department came out here and we set up a rink, and for the part in Rocky where they ice skate we rollerskated. We put on a play that was covered by the newspaper. It was put on the front page of the local section. It was a lot of fun.”

Grivich has taught her students more than just English. She has taught them the world and helped them to accomplish amazing things, but now, after over 20 years, she is finally saying goodbye to her students and the school.

“I know I’ll travel more,” Grivich said. I’d like to do some volunteer work, that’s for sure, [but] if they have difficulty replacing [me] I might entertain thoughts of coming back as a sub.”