Campolindo students are required to take two years of language or a career technical education course in order to graduate. Campo allows students to choose from many different languages such as Spanish, German, French, and Mandarin.
As of last year, Campolindo started offering American Sign Language, also known as ASL, as an online class that some students are able to apply for and take free of charge. In order to enroll, a student must have a compelling reason why they want to take ASL, whether that be an interest in ASL or a negative experience with learning foreign languages in the past.
Counselor Duane Magno said, “Our requirement for graduation is every student needs two years of world language or two years of career technical education coursework. So if a student takes sign language through our district, this online option we created can count towards those two years of language they need for graduation.”
This ASL class has a limited amount of space, so every student would not be able to take it. If a student did want to take ASL but was not accepted into the Campo course, they are able to take it through other sources and it would cover their language requirements. However, it is not financially covered or considered for credit, so the student would have to complete an additional two years of a career technical education course on campus.
Sophomore, Demitri Drury said, “I take ASL through Campo and it’s a great experience. It really opens my perspective to the big history behind ASL that I didn’t know about.”
Students who do not take ASL seem to be interested in Campolindo’s course. This course is not publicized too much so the majority of students are not aware that it is offered. “I think it is really cool how inclusive Campolindo is for offering ASL. I used to take Spanish but I would have taken ASL if I was aware that it is offered,” said sophomore Cassidy Mclain.
Offering ASL at Campo is a great opportunity for students to broaden their horizons and learn something new.
