Tracy High welcomed its first ever American Sign Language (ASL) club with open arms as students waited in line to sign up during Club Rush Week. “I was very excited and happy to see all of the people waiting to sign up” said Sophomore Lilyana Regalado, who is a member of the club.
The ASL club is the first of its kind at Tracy High School (THS) and is primarily run by THS’s first deaf teacher Moni Brown and new teacher Daniel Hernandez.
Only in their first year at Tracy High, Brown and Hernandez have already started their first club meant to educate others on ASL and deaf culture. The club hopes to bring a new perspective not just to Tracy High School but also to Tracy as a city and community.
Hernandez described it as “…an opportunity for people who aren’t in ASL class to gain knowledge of deaf awareness and deaf culture…”
Brown and Hernandez hope to bring more social events for the deaf community in Tracy and are set on spreading awareness and teaching people new skills.
“There is a deaf community here in Tracy, and they have to drive to Stockton, Modesto, Livermore and Fresno, all these other towns other than Tracy, so that’s why we want to make socials for Tracy’s community, to create a bigger and more tightly knit community.” Hernandez said wholeheartedly.
Newcomers such as Regalado are excited to learn more not just about ASL but the culture behind it too, “I’m very excited to learn more about ASL and deaf culture,” said Regalado.
Brown was ecstatic to see the reaction of the student body to Tracy High’s first ASL club, “I was not surprised to see the amount of people interested but I was still very happy to see students excited to join” she said enthusiastically.
The club is still open for new members to join and plans to meet once every other week starting in September in room A205. Knowing ASL is not required to join as Brown and Hernandez will both be helping to teach members new signs.
To spread more awareness about the topic, students of the ASL class will be silent all day on Wednesday.
All quotes from Brown were interpreted by Hernandez.
