Central Lakes College’s ASL 3 Students Showcase Final Project Performances

Central Lakes College’s American Sign Language 3 students had the opportunity to showcase their final projects earlier this month at the Chalberg Theatre in Brainerd.

The ASL students get to pick a song to interpret and perform on stage, conducting the entire performance using solely sign language to match the highs, lows, staccatos, and many other aspects of their respective songs.

American Sign Language is the third most commonly used language in the United States behind only English and Spanish, and CLC’s ASL students know how beneficial it is to have a proper understanding of the language.

“I have always thought that ASL should be taught in kindergarten along with English,” said ASL 3 student Mackenzie Benesh-Johnson. “If someone was all the way down that hallway down there, I could have a conversation with them right now and it would not bother anybody. Deaf people have to fight so hard to be understood. Anyone who can learn ASL really should just learn the basics.”

CLC’s ASL 3 students will now move on to ASL 4 and perform again this upcoming spring.