Communication Student Masters Special Language Kerri Hartman has an interesting distinction among Harding students; she taught herself basic sign language. She used her copy of "The] oy of Signing" to learn how to sign Stephen Curtis Chapman's, "I Will Be Here," as a high school graduation present for a good friend. But this was not the beginning of her interest in sign language. Kerri 's hometown of Fulton, Missouri, is home of the Missouri School of the Deaf. In the town 's Welcome Wagon package came a sign language alphabet card. Kerri and her friends learned the alphabet and competed to see who knew it best. They used it in chool to communicate in class b cause it was safer than passing notes. Kerri also used her manual alphabet to practice spelling for spelling bees, and would spell a word with her hand before spelling it orally. She said this skill helped her win spelling bees. Kerri loves to sign songs. At last year's talent show, she confused the audience by coming onto stage without a microphone. But they understood why when she started to sign. She said, with so many good singers on campus , she didn't want to compete with her voice. But even the singer take notice when she starts to sign. One favorite experience was her summer at Camp Greystone, in Tuxedo, North Carolina, in 1991. An elite girls camp which attracts campers from all over the United States and Europe and counselors from as far as England, they hired her because of her familiarity with sign language . She spent the Junior Kerri Hartman helps hang Chris[mas ligh[s in [he American Heritage cemer. Kerri enjoys sign language because she feels i[ is some[hing she can share wi[h [hose \vho can't hear. summer teaching it. At first it was "really hard'' for her because of the homesickness she felt being so far from home for the first time . But overall, she said it was a "neat experience." Before Kerri helped him, the friend who received the graduation gift knew no sign language. When he went to college, he befriended a fraternity brother who was deaf. His new friend taught sign language to the entire fraternity. Keri's friend is now at Oklahoma Christian University, working as an interpreter for deaf students. Kerri feels she planted a good seed that has bloomed into something special. Kerri really enjoys sign language and practices it with others whenever she gets the chance. She said it is easy to learn and that she enjoys being ''bilingual.., She lik s having a skill she can share with people who aren 't sign language literate. - Melissa Forre t Denise Braden - Flint. 1111 Rod Allen Bradley- Cookc.:,ille, TN Kristen Brock - Springfield, .'>JO Jennifer Buckley - Columhu,. I'd~ Silvia Bulnes - Tegu<:igalpa. Hondura' Holly Burkett - I louston. TX Tammy Callahan - i\loscs Lake, \Y. 'A John Calloway - Searcy, AR Juanita Campbell-Texarkana. AH Tammy Campbell - Pari>o. IL Juniors 219
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