The American Sign Language (ASL) Club has provided many FHC students with a sense of community and belonging, while also being a fun club for students to join. Whether they are in an ASL class or not, students learn a lot from being able to sign, including learning how to communicate with each other and with deaf people in ASL. From Level 1 to Level 4, the ASL Club has given many ways for students to improve in class, and it has also taught them some signs that they might not know.
The president of the club, senior Lily McMartin, has had fun leading the class and also learning along the way. The ASL Club is different from other clubs; it is not taken as seriously as others. In the ASL Club, some days are voice-off, when they simply sign to each other, rather than talking. Other than this, the ASL Club is a very social club, while also teaching new things.
“I enjoy ASL, and I think it’s fun,” Lily said. “[ASL Club] is more like a social thing for me. It’s fun that I get to sign while I’m there.”
Senior Josie Nugent has been going to the club for a year, but on and off because of her involvement in dance. She has had a great experience with the club and has found a strong community throughout the time going. She wishes to show up to the ASL Club more consistently to keep up with her communication skills and overall skills in the class.
“You get to meet people outside of just the people in your class, or on your level, and you get to interact with different people,” Josie said. “It expands what you know and how you communicate [in ASL].”
Freshman Jasmine Amash is a Level 1 student of ASL, and she tries to go to the ASL Club meetings every week. Jasmine has enjoyed her time with this club, and she hopes to continue to go as much as possible.
“[The club has] been really fun, and I’ve learned a lot of new words,” Jasmine said. “I really like learning words about what’s going on, like [about] Halloween or Christmas. I really like sign language, so it’s been really fun [going to ASL club].”
A typical day in the ASL Club varies, but is pretty simple from day to day. Every once in a while, the leaders teach everyone else some signs, and sometimes they are based on an upcoming holiday. Other times, they practice the signs that they learned or have a voice-off, signs-only day. Besides that, the ASL Club is a very social club. They also include some arts and crafts in their agenda.
“Sometimes we do origami, and we sign the directions,” Lily said. “I think those days are fun, but I like it because it’s not like a super serious club where everyone has to be quiet. Everyone is talking with each other, and I think that makes it fun.”
Going to the ASL Club is very beneficial for people in ASL class at any level. People in the class get extra credit for going to the club, while also learning helpful signs to improve their performance in class. Some signs are not in the curriculum and are not taught during the course of ASL class, so learning some fun holiday-themed signs can be very beneficial.
“The new vocabulary that we learn [in ASL Club] really helps me be able to communicate what I want to say in class,” Jasmine said.
Along with going to the ASL Club for the extra credit, people who are interested in learning sign language, but are not enrolled in the class, have the opportunity to go to the ASL Club and learn about ASL and how to sign. The ASL Club is very beneficial for learning a new skill and a new language, and it is also a fun club to go to. Since there is a wide variety of people who go to the ASL Club, the leaders have decided that it is best to separate the levels. Even with this new separation, the club still has a powerful community where everyone feels welcome and included.
“I think there’s a strong community [in ASL],” Josie said. “A lot of people will bring friends that aren’t in ASL, so there’s a lot of different people there.”
