Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students Compete and Win in National Storytelling Contest

The 7th and 8th grade Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at East Hills Middle School have been hard at work in their ASL class taking a deep dive into examining different aspects of Deaf Culture and linguistics. As a result, they have created videos that were submitted to the nationwide Marie Jean Philip Competition out of Boston, Massachusetts. This competition was created as a forum for public recognition of the creativity and talent of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, advocating for the use and knowledge of ASL and Deaf Culture. This is the second year EHMS students have participated in this amazing opportunity. 

The two classes of D/HH students at East Hills worked hard researching, creating, writing, and performing different ASL storytelling, poetry, and art to enter submissions for the competition. Students created videos for one of three categories: ASL Poetry, Storytelling, or Deaf Art. The theme this year was “Our Heroes.” 

This year, EHMS had three winners in this national competition:

Drew Ginther (grade 8) won first place within his age group in ASL Poetry. Ginther’s submission was about his hero and former BHS alumnus, “Sean Forbes, a famous Deaf Musician.”

Jorge Torres Mendoza (grade 8) won first place within his age group with his ASL storytelling. Mendoza’s ASL storytelling submission focused on his hero, “Rolando Siguenza, Famous Mexican Deaf Artist.”

Charlotte Morgan (grade 8) won second place within her age group in the competition. Morgan’s ASL storytelling submission focused on her hero, “Helen Keller, a famous DeafBlind woman.” 

This event is sponsored by the ASL & Interpreting Education Program at Northeastern University. In total, 97 Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from 13 different schools and programs across the United States and Canada participated in the annual competition this year. 

Videos of the EHMS winning stories can be viewed on the Bloomfield Hills Schools Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Facebook page.

Congratulations to our winners and every EHMS student who participated in this competition!