Local Students Connect with Sign Language, Friendship

Fourth grade students from and have been collaborating all year, learning new ways to communicate and opening up to new friendships.

Rochelle Seigfreid of Penn Township, who teaches fourth grade at Edgewood Elementary, said the partnership began after students continually asked her about the school next door.

“For me, I wanted them to learn a little bit about deaf culture and the deaf community,” Seigfreid said. “The kids for years have asked me when we are out at recess—'Who are those kids over there and what do they do? Do they have recess? Is their school like our school?’”

In an effort to answer those questions, Seigfreid contacted WPSD originally asking for someone to come over and teach the kids American Sign Language.

“The principal there thought it’d be good for the classes to collaborate and work together rather than just have someone come over to teach them to sign,” she said.

Brittany Lustic, the fourth grade teacher at WPSD, then contacted Seigfreid to start the program. Every three weeks since October, the students from two different schools came together to have fun, learn something new and make connections.

“The most beneficial thing for her kids is that they are learning to socialize with kids of hearing ability,” Seigfreid said. “They always had a little bit of fear because they couldn’t communicate. But now they have learned and my kids can communicate with them. They may not all know sign language perfectly, but they use non-verbals and other gestures to understand each other.”

The two classes are celebrating the collaboration this morning at WPSD with a performance of “I Believe I Can Fly” in sign language for their family and friends. The Edgewood Elementary students will sign the chorus while WPSD students sign the entire song.

“There were some moments that you just stood back and watched it all come together,” Seigfreid said. “One meeting in particular was with a WPSD teacher who taught my kids to sign fruits and vegetables. They had to ask each other questions and respond without speaking at all for 20 minutes. You could hear a pin drop—they never used words. That moment was beyond my expectations.”