With the full in-person schedule comes new clubs. Namely, the new American Sign Language club, which seeks to teach the predominant language that the deaf community communicates with. According to the Modern Language Association, ASL is the third most studied language in US schools, just after Spanish and French. Unfortunately, the language is beginning to decline in popularity thanks to less education funding and technological alternatives. Despite this, in order to make the world more inclusive for the deaf and hard of hearing community, Nadia Quek ’23, Adi Zweibil Frischer ’23, and Nicole Zhou ’23 introduced the ASL club to SHS.

The organization meets in room 383 every Tuesday at 3:30. The meetings function similar to mini-classes, teaching club members new vocabulary every week and including small presentations. The club only has a few weeks left before school ends, so at this point, the goal is to help members understand the basics of the language. This way, “if they ever come across a deaf or hard of hearing person, the people in the club will… know how to have a basic conversation,” explained Frischer. The leaders of the club hope that they can continue to work towards having more in-depth conversations in ASL in future years.

Quek, Frischer, and Zhou are passionate about the language despite the fact that Scarsdale High School does not offer the language. “The deaf community has no other choice but to speak ASL, so it’s our responsibility to learn it,” said Frischer. “Even one more person learning ASL can make a difference and help spread the language,” she added. The club leaders also stress that no prior experience is needed, and members are welcome to join throughout the school year. The founders will offer one-on-one time to help both new and experienced members review past material and make up for missed classes, as well as provide online materials to help them review on their own. 

Interested? Join the ASL club with this google form: https://forms.gle/EgT1ar72YosziaJD8