ASL Club teaches signing to signups

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The American Sign Language club was founded by senior Vandana Sreekumer around four years ago. She started the club because she knew math teacher Diane Barbic had a deaf son, which encouraged her to start this club.  

“During our meetings we learn conversational signs, practice signing with each other and learn about deaf culture,” Barbic said 

ASL is the primary way deaf people communicate in America, and it is offered in many high schools as a language credit. 

While some people think sign language is finger spelling, singular letters spelled through hand positions, it also comprises of  hand movements that mean words. Although the club starts with fingerspelling in the beginning of the year to get students oriented, members learn signs that stand for words or even phrases, starting with “mother,” “father,” “sister,” “brother,” “happy” and “sad.”. 

The meetings take place after school every third Thursday of each month in Room 328. 

“I am excited to see what the new board has in store for next year,” Barbic said. “We will be advertising during Freshman Invasion in August before school starts and during the open house.”