American Sign Language Students Share Stories with Edwardsville Elementary School Kids

EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School students who are learning American Sign Language visited Goshen Elementary School to read and sign stories to kindergarten classes.

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the high schoolers spent an hour reading their favorite children’s books to the kids and teaching them basic American Sign Language (ASL). Edwardsville High School teachers Danielle Bruno and Kelly Dintelman are proud to share the language and culture with their students, and they hope the experience also encouraged the kindergarteners to one day study ASL.

“We love having all these new students, and hopefully kids will keep signing up for it so that we can keep offering it at the high school. It is really, really fun,” Bruno said. “I just love that I got an opportunity at Edwardsville to share that language.”

EHS students can enroll in ASL 1 and 2 classes. For the ASL 1 final, the students translated a children’s book and signed the story for their teachers. Bruno and Dintelman decided to take it a step further by reaching out to Goshen Elementary School and asking if they could share the stories with the younger students.

On May 19, 2026, students rotated in groups, with one EHS student signing the book and another reading it aloud in English. The kindergarten classes enjoyed the stories, but they especially loved learning basic ASL phrases. Many kids asked how to spell their names in ASL, and some EHS students encouraged the kids to copy their signs while they read.

Like all language classes offered at EHS, first-year ASL students learn basic vocabulary and phrases. They also learn more about Deaf culture. Bruno, who teaches the Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7, noted the importance of learning the culture alongside the language.

“Our curriculum has a lot built into Deaf culture,” she said. “It’s different when you just know the language, and it’s different when you dive into the culture side. It has its own grammar and norms that are different. We’re really happy to be able to share both sides, not only the language, but also the culture that goes along with it, because it is beautiful.”

Dintelman added that they encourage their ASL students to engage with the Deaf community in Edwardsville and the surrounding area. They collaborate with SIUE students to practice ASL at “sign-and-dine” events at local restaurants, among other opportunities.

As EHS students learn the language, it allows them to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing community members beyond the school environment. Dintelman shared that one of her students works at a restaurant and was able to take a customer’s order in ASL. these opportunities encourage the students — and the teachers — while demonstrating the importance of learning and practicing a language.

“Just seeing the impact directly in our community has been really exciting. Our students have gotten involved, and we really encourage them to get involved, in our local Deaf community,” Dintelman said. “Breaking those barriers and getting everybody together has been really cool.”

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