Signing Sabers is a club at James Campbell High School (JCHS) which focuses on teaching students American Sign Language (ASL). The purpose of the club is to bring awareness to the culture of the deaf community and allow people to learn how to communicate with them.
Signing Sabers has approximately 15 members, five student officers, and is managed by English Literature teacher, Jessica Caraang. Meetings are scheduled for every Tuesday after school from 2:30-3:30pm in JCHS’ Saber Hall. At these meetings, members learn to sign through Youtube videos, live representations, and games.
First, a Youtube video will be displayed showcasing how to sign a basic concept like alphabets or numbers for example. Next, the members will follow along with the video while the club’s officers help students by correcting their interpreting form and grammar. Finally, the meetings are closed off with a game to showcase and test their members’ newly learned skills. For example, one of the games that has been featured is a popular children’s game called “Telephone”. In this game, the students will follow the typical routine of the game but with one simple twist, the students are unable to speak and need to communicate to their peers using only ASL. The club’s twist on regular games provide a way for their students to sharpen their signing and interpretation skills while keeping it fun and enjoyable.
Jhea Rheanna Perez is a senior at JCHS and is the vice president of Signing Sabers. Jhea has completed two college-level American Sign Language courses as she wanted to follow in the steps of her mother and grandmother, who were both special education teachers that learned to accommodate deaf students through signing. Her favorite part about being the club’s vice president is that she’s able to spread awareness about deaf culture, teach other students to sign and that she is more involved with the JCHS community as a whole. Her wish for the club is that members do not see the club’s officers as someone just teaching them, but someone that they can give feedback to and communicate their needs to in order to help improve their learning experience.
Signing Sabers has accomplished many different feats. The club has had a representing booth at numerous JCHS events such as the Welcome Back Fair, Homecoming Fair, Campbell for Causes Fair, etc. Signing Sabers uses their booth to share their club’s purpose to students who are interested in joining and also feature games which help teach people basic ASL signings. Additionally, the club has accomplished the feat of being able to bring in professional ASL interpreters to help teach their members.
As Signing Sabers continues to welcome new members, they look forward to the future as they continue to spread awareness of deaf culture and teach ASL to eager members.
