Features

Break the silence: ASL Club strives to build a more inclusive community

Gianna Croner, Staff Writer

November 19, 2024

Left to right: Coleman James, Miles Adams, and Phoenix Singh signing “CH” for Clover Hill.

A Clover Hill High School student has launched a new American Sign Language (ASL) club in hopes of giving a voice to the underrepresented deaf community.

Senior Matthew Wang was inspired to create the club after watching of media that focused on the deaf community, most specifically the films Coda (2021) and Silent Voice (2016).

“It was possible to learn a whole other language of a visual sort,” Wang said.

September was Deaf Awareness Month, and Wang thought it would be a good time to start a club to appreciate an underrepresented community. He describes the meeting as a fun and chill environment, and is lucky to have so many people who are passionate about learning ASL.

“It was a really perfect time to have an opportunity to form the ASL club or increase deaf awareness in Clover Hill,” Wang said.“It fosters a very fun, chill, and passionate learning environment.”

Wang invited Midlothian High School ASL teacher, Peter Nalls, into the club to share an introduction to ASL.

“The deaf teaching fosters a really quiet environment that is so common in the deaf community,” Wang said.

The club needs more members and Wang endorses it as a learning opportunity that is accessible for all students regardless if they have hearing loss or not.

“We are going to advertise ASL as a learning opportunity for students, who are interested in it, whether you have a deaf parent or child of a deaf adult, or just watched movies like I did and really wanted to learn it,” Wang said.

In an effort to gain more notice from the deaf community, the group attends community events.

“We are planning to expose ourselves to the deaf community, by attending nearby Richmond silent dinners and silent game nights, that are hosted by deaf people and attended by many deaf people,” Wang said.

Wang believes attending these events will help members combine their knowledge of people in the deaf community and practice their ASL.

“It allows [us] to be more open-minded and practice ASL and talking and just have a fun time,” Wang said.

The ASL club meets in room 309 and is open to all students.

About the Contributors

Gianna Croner, Staff Writer

Gianna Croner is a first year writer for the Cavalier Chronicle. She enjoys hearing new stories and perspectives from the community, which lead her to join the Chronicle. Her goal is to add new views on stories from the school, community, and world-wide. In Gianna’s personal time, you can find her watching documentaries, playing games, and indulging in public media.

Jessica Vimalathithan, Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Vimalathithan is a math/sci sophomore at Clover Hill and is in her second year writing for the Chronicle. Her love for meeting new people and writing is what initially drew her to the Chronicle, and this year she is excited to contribute as an EIC. Her goals for this year are to help the Chronicle to reach a larger audience and to use it as a platform for the Clover Hill community to become familiar with current events. In Jessica's free time, you will find her playing piano, cooking, spending time with her family, doing her nails, and watching sitcoms.