Torin's Journey

Torin, age 9, recently scored in the highest category when he took the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test.  Pee-wee football athlete, spelling bee champion, and hall monitor are just a few examples of Torin’s growing list of achievements.

“I credit Clarke with everything Torin has accomplished.  Clarke really helps to create good citizens, as well as good students,” says Torin’s mother, Kimberly. “Everything Torin learned at Clarke – academics, making friends, taking turns – he carried it with him when he was mainstreamed.”

Torin was only four when he recovered from a near-fatal illness and lost his hearing. His speech quickly deteriorated and without auditory feedback, he couldn’t understand what others were saying to him. Torin’s hearing loss was especially disruptive to the strong bond he had with his twin brother, Tevin.  The two boys could no longer communicate with each other, and at one point Tevin said to his mother, “I just want my old brother back.”

In October of 2005, on the advice of the boys’ pediatrician, Torin enrolled in the pre-school program at Clarke where children with hearing loss learn side by side with hearing children.  He received a cochlear implant the next month. According to Kimberley, Torin’s transformation after he received his implant and enrolled at Clarke was amazing.

“At first he was shy and introverted.  He was angry because he couldn’t hear and he couldn’t communicate his feelings, but one day there was a turning point and he started to learn how to listen and his speech became intelligible,” said Kimberley.

Torin is now enrolled with his brother in the fourth grade at his neighborhood school, and his mother credits the support and services he received at Clarke with his success in the mainstream.

“Today, Torin is doing awesome and his relationship with Tevin is stronger than ever,” said Kimberley.  “I can’t thank Clarke enough for boosting Torin’s self-confidence and providing him with a great education early on in his life.  I knew immediately that Clarke was the right place for Torin.”

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