Rugby @ Model Secondary School for the Deaf

Mark Burke and Tal Bayer got together a few years back to start a rugby team. What makes the story special is that Burke is the Athletic Director for the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). Burke sought out Bayer, rugby coach at the Hyde Leadership Public Charter School, who already had an established team.

The story of the two teams caught the attention of Fox Media, and on the day of the practice, Fox sent a camera crew to make a documentary about the two schools for its "Real American Stories" series. The story, entitled "Giving Back ... An Inner-City School Teaches Rugby to a School for the Deaf," highlights how the two teams from very different backgrounds found a way to learn and share with each other as both friends and competitors.

The Model School 7s rugby team recently defeated Hyde School at the 13th Annual Ambassador's Shield Rugby Match on November 14th. The event was sponsored by the New Zealand Embassy.

The Hyde School

The Hyde Leadership Charter School is a public school in Washington DC open to any district student free of charge. It opened its doors in the fall of 1999 and operates relatively independently of the city school system. Hyde started with grades 7-9 but has now expanded to K-12; there are 200 elementary school students, 250 middle school and 250 high school. Hyde has its own mission, curriculum and financials and is subject to periodic audits from its chartering agency and/or the District Public School System.

Tal Bayer, Hyde Leadership Charter School Director of Development

Tal Bayer is the Hyde School’s Director of Development (previously Athletic Director) who began playing high school rugby in Fairfax, Virginia with the West RFC in 1988. Tal played for Radford University from 1990-1993, and then played club rugby for the Atlanta Renegades RFC (1993-1997) and Washington RFC from 1997 to 2001.

He began coaching inner city kids from the Toby Grant Housing Project in Atlanta, Georgia. John Paul Hughes, a former teammate and Dekalb County police officer, got him involved with afternoon sports programs and it was at this point that he realized he wanted to work with kids and needed a career change. His "real" coaching experience began with Hyde in 1999.

Model Secondary School for the Deaf

The Model Secondary School for the Deaf Act (P.L. 89-694) was signed by President Johnson on October 15, 1966, and in May of 1969, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and the president of Gallaudet College signed an agreement authorizing the establishment and operation of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) at the College. MSSD is now located on the eastern end of the Gallaudet University campus.

Today, MSSD provides a tuition-free comprehensive day and residential four-year high school program for deaf and hard of hearing students from the United States and its territories. MSSD students are expected to graduate ready for the challenges of adult life. It is our goal to provide students with an academically rigorous program so they will become self-directed, independent, resourceful learners who demonstrate essential knowledge, literacy, and the social and communication skills necessary to be effective, productive, and contributing members of society.

Mark Burke, Model School Athletic Director

Burke introduced rugby to MSSD as a new team sport in 2008. The Model 7s rugby team recently defeated Hyde Leadership Public Charter School, 22-17, in a spirited, fast-paced match at the 13th Annual Ambassador's Shield Rugby Match sponsored by the New Zealand Embassy.

As a first-time head football coach at MSSD in the fall of 2008, Burke led his team to the Capital Area Football Conference championship. MSSD students come from across the nation, most with no prior organized sports experience, including 18 out of 26 players on this year's football team. Along with building athletic skills, Burke develops well-rounded student-athletes through positive coaching and emphasis on academics. As athletic director, Burke helps his coaches advance their skills, expands options for students, and involves MSSD student-athletes in community service.