Students from the B.C. Provincial School for the Deaf will put their signing skills to the test south of the border this month during their first ever trip to the Flying Hands ASL Literature Competition in Vancouver, Washington.
Nine students – some from BCPSD’s elementary program at South Slope Elementary and some from the secondary program at Burnaby South – will join students from deaf schools in Oregon and Washington on March 10 to compete in three categories: deaf poetry, deaf story and deaf art.
Besides honing their ASL skills, the trip gives local students a chance to broaden their horizons in other ways as well, according to ASL teacher Jennifer Zuvic, BCPSD’s head teacher at South Slope.
“We have so few deaf people here,” she told the NOW through an interpreter, “and so I think it’s an amazing opportunity for the deaf students to be able to go to a different deaf school, meet other kids their age and socialize and have an opportunity to kind of make their world a little bit bigger.”
Making new friends was high on the students’ lists of what they were looking forward to on the three-day trip, which will include overnight stays in the dorms at the Washington School for the Deaf.
“I’m excited to sign my story and have people see me signing and to do a good job and meet new friends from America and other deaf people,” Grade 7 student Bella Aikin said.
“It’s my first time going to another deaf school, so I’m excited to go there,” said Grade 5 student Angus Lemaitre, “and we’re going from three whole days.”
“I’m really curious about what the school’s like,” said Grade 6 student Madison Edney.
It’s the first time BCPSD has made the trip, but Terry Maloney, vice-principal for the Provincial Outreach Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing would like it to become an annual thing.
“Hearing schools have speech competitions that they do,” he said.
“They have drama presentations and sports and things that they do every year, but deaf people don’t have those same opportunities. We don’t have to same kinds of extra-curricular opportunities.
“I think it would be really great for our deaf kids to be able to go and meet other deaf people together, the same way their hearing counterparts do.”
For more information on the Flying Hands competition, visit www.flyinghands.weebly.com.
