Would you like to learn a new language? You won’t need to carry around a textbook or even open your mouth; you’ll just need determination.

With the new American Sign Language Club, Midwood gives interested students the chance to learn how to communicate through sign language.

"American Sign Language is a unique language which not many people in the world know," said Alex Sterling ’11, the president and founder of the American Sign Language Club."It’s hard to learn if there is nobody out there to teach it to you. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to give students that chance."

"We give out a list of the entire alphabet to the club members and let them learn at their own pace," said Alyse Hunt ’11, the vice president of the ASL club. "It’s not like a class where you would be expected to learn certain things by certain dates."

Each week, the members learn a new group of words, generally put into categories.

"In one session we would teach words about weather; then we would go on to teach about animals, countries, numbers, etc," said Hunt

Sterling added, "With enough dedication and practice, an ASL club member can learn the entire alphabet in less than a week, which can really help them get through most of the language"

"Knowing how to communicate through sign language can be a pretty impressive skill and can possibly benefit you in the future," said Joshua Talavera ’11, the treasurer of the club."It’s a fun and unique language, and just to learn a part of it is already a good accomplishment.

"I learned a lot about sign language in my time here" said Joscelin Tedoen ’11, the secretary of the ASL club."Alex (Sterling) teaches all of the lessons and is very good at it too."

"Hopefully I can eventually go out in public and speak to a deaf person or a mute person using sign language." Tedoen added, "It can probably be a great experience; it’s definitely not something you can do everyday of your life."

If you have any questions about the club, or would like to join the American Sign Language Club, come to room 251 on period 5 or contact Mr. Kolotkin, the faculty advisor of the club.