Club Spotlight: The ASL Club

Whether it’s a skill, hobby or simply making new friends, there is always something new to learn when it comes to Greenwood’s clubs. The school’s ASL (American Sign Language) Club keeps up the Greenwood tradition of combining various facets of learning while maintaining a welcoming and friendly environment. 

The idea for an ASL Club begins with a familiar story; a Greenwood student’s passion for their interests and the goal to share that interest with others. Kenzie Sibthorpe ‘28 is the ASL Club’s founding member and practitioner of ASL, having studied the language at her previous school. Her studies led to many interactions with the deaf community and it was through this that Kenzie developed a strong interest in making ASL a more common practice in her communities. 

“I wanted a space where students could learn ASL and communicate,” Kenzie recalled. 

Greenwood teacher, Kristi Yu Ki Wong, joined the club as its supervising teacher after Kenzie put forth a submission for the ASL Club in the fall. The club’s initial meetings covered the foundations of ASL, such as basic signing and the various aspects of the deaf community that Kenzie became familiar with. This was mostly taught through Kenzie’s knowledge of the language, as well as the learning app and software, Sign School. It wasn’t long before the group began applying their newfound ASL knowledge to more challenging concepts and activities, playing various games using sign language and practicing their daily words at each meeting. 

With just enough ASL experience under their belt, the group welcomed Patti MacFarlane, Kenzie’s former ASL teacher who’s heavily involved in the deaf community. Patti greeted the club during one of their weekly meetings earlier this month, stopping by to teach the group more advanced sign language and skills to improve their existing knowledge. Students learned how to be more fluid with their signing, moving from alphabet “fingerspelling” to more complex signing. Patti also led lessons on body language and facial expressions when signing, which Kenzie remarked as being key when trying to portray emotions clearly in sign language. To give students insight into the deaf community, Patti led the session in near-complete silence, allowing students to hone in on their signing skills. 

Following their guest speaker session, the ASL Club continues to meet weekly to practice their sign language. When asked about the club’s core lessons, Kristi replied, “(...) we tend to practice active listening, ready body language and empathy, which are useful across students’ studies and socioemotional development too.”

Kenzie emphasized the importance of ASL and the newfound club as well, stating, “Learning ASL has definitely made me more aware of my communication. It helped me connect more with other students and be more attentive when communicating.”

The club shows no signs of slowing down as they have several activities in motion for their meetings and potentially schoolwide as well. Kristi wishes to assist Kenzie in bringing more ASL culture to the remainder of school, highlighting the potential use of an ASL interpreter during school assemblies and having various signs around the school displaying common ASL expressions. While the group is focused on the teaching of ASL and deaf culture, they also exist to provide students with a friendly, inviting environment to develop their communication skills.

“To future members I’d say not to worry if you’re just starting out with ASL. It’s a great skill to have and the club is a friendly place to learn!” said Kenzie.

The ASL Club meets every Thursday at Lunch in Room 208 and is open to all students.