Longmeadow, Mass. (WGGB) — Celebrating a 25 year partnership, Thursday night educators from East Longmeadow and The Willie Ross School for the Deaf marked a major milestone.

Some students from The Willie Ross School attend East Longmeadow Public Schools where they’re able to interact with their hearing peers.

Integrating deaf students with fellow hearing students has become a trend in deaf education.

The relationship between the two school systems is one of the longest standing partnerships of its kind in the country.

Willie Ross School President and Chief Executive Officer, Louis Abbate told ABC40 News, “I do think it is a testimony to what’s possible when specialized education works with general education and they work together to create something neither one could do on their own, and that’s something we’re very proud of.”

The event Thursday was held at the Twin Hill’s Country Club in Longmeadow