![Hosting the SCLA Casptone Mentor Dinner outside allowed for more attendees on September 27, 2021 at Silver Creek. This event would’ve usually been held inside. According to Lauren Kohn, a SCLA 12 teacher, “If we have a higher number of people, as long as we can host the event outside, then that seems to be keeping every[one] safe”.](https://schsnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/sxMAIGbSYGodZkqmrvTi5YWcJ1ssWA08ApkeMLpp-900x675.jpeg)
Most students at Silver Creek High School choose to learn Spanish or French as their ‘foreign language’ credit; however, there is another option that isn’t discussed as much: American Sign Language (ASL). Apart from the class being offered at Front Range Community College (FRCC), a school only two miles from Silver Creek, the reason taking ASL isn’t nearly as popular among students is because it is one of the hardest languages to learn.
According to the official Foreign Service Institute, ASL ranks four out of four for difficulty. The difficulty is reflected in the amount of students in each class. Because of how hard the class is, class sizes have been hovering around twenty students or less per class.
Logan Dean, an ASL student and senior at Silver Creek, has decided to help reduce that difficulty. Logan’s Capstone Project is an ASL Club hosted at FRCC in Longmont, Colorado.
“FRCC ASL Club is a club to help … students to learn, practice, and use ASL in a group setting without using their voice,” Dean explained. “The ASL Club allows students to be able to practice their signing in a no-judgment environment and also allows for them to be able to use sign language at a conversational level.”
Dean’s capstone project is one he created himself last year after taking his first ASL class at FRCC.
“I decided that I wanted to take on ASL Club as my capstone project because I struggled when I started my first ASL class at Front Range last year,” says Dean.
There was a more personal reason behind it, however. “It took time to connect with new classmates and I didn’t get as much practice with ASL as I needed. I felt I began to excel in ASL once I found a group in my class to practice with. So once the opportunity came to make a capstone project, I felt I could use my love for ASL to help new students as my project.”
Another student in the class, Adrienne Rodriguez, a Silver Creek alumni, has already expressed her personal goals for attending the club.
“I hope to practice my signing and comprehension,” Rodriguez stated. “I am working on understanding fingerspelling the first time I see a word signed. It’s a great opportunity to get my weekly hour of practice as well.”
The professor requires each student to get an hour of practice time outside of class in order to reinforce conversational skills. This club offers another opportunity for students to get this hour of practice time done with other students in a guaranteed space.
Ryan Fox, another ASL student and junior, has expressed appreciation for Dean’s Club.
“I think that it is a great opportunity to connect and practice with other students,” Fox said. “Logan ran a number memorization game that was fun and helped me remember numbers 1-25. I will be returning.”
Although the club is founded from an educational standpoint, it offers the ability to speak with ASL students in other classes and even classmates you haven’t signed with yet. ASL isn’t a popular language in the school district, so ASL students need to have a good community with one another.
Although students attending have had no complaints about the club, Dean has run into some obstacles in terms of actually getting the club started.
“So far my biggest challenges have been with Front Range,” Dean said. “I’ve been in contact with the people I need to talk to make the club since July. The entire process took multiple emails, and lots and I mean LOTS of patience. Funny enough, my biggest success so far is getting through the adversity of cutting through the Front Range red tape and making my club official.” Although Front Range was a difficult communicator, the payoff was worth it.
Now ASL students have a great place to practice every Monday between 3 PM and 6 PM. Some club activities include games, unit reviews, flashcards, or rehearsal for upcoming assignments. It has shown many benefits to the attendees.
When considering taking a language or even what your future capstone project might be, the ASL Club is something to consider. It’s bringing a new space for learning and community in a small environment. The ASL Club is making a difference in many student’s education.
