Our fourth annual DHHproud event has just wrapped up. To our amazement, the records continued to be broken, April showers notwithstanding! Please be sure to read all the way, we have an exciting new contest for the students!

The event began unofficially on April 6th. 24 students and 13 TDHHs from all over the province arrived by air, land and water, and gathered at the Station Square Cactus Club for a joyful reunion (or a first time excitement), and a delicious dinner.
 
    
 

April 7th, DHHproud – Showcase – a proud celebration of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Identity through ASL poetry, DHH art and Spotlight competitions:  111 students from 17 school districts, 2 independent schools and the BCSD shared their Dream for a DHH Friendly World through ASL Poetry, DHH Art and Spotlight presentations. The live event featured 23 Spotlight contestants (grades 6-12) and 7 ASL Poetry contestants in grades 8 -12.

The ASL poetry K-7 and DHH Art K-12 contributions were submitted electronically and judged a few days earlier. You can watch them here:

DHHproud 2024 Showcase – DHH Art and ASL Poetry – the slides do not self advance, so enjoy them at your leisure!
 
Kristin Schnider, the Chair of the Burnaby Board of Education, delivered a warm and touching welcome, calling back to last year’s student presentations and their powerful message. Trustee Schnider also remarked: “The theme of this event, “My Dream for a DHH-Friendly World,” is more than just a prompt for competition – it is an invitation to imagine a world that truly sees, values, and embraces the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. A world where accessibility is not an afterthought, but a foundation. A world where barriers –whether in education, employment, or daily life – are replaced with opportunity, understanding, and equity.“
Trustee Peter Cech, as well as Superintendent Karim Hachlaf and Assistant Superintendent Jeannette Laursoo were also present to cheer on the contestants and learn what the Deaf and Hard of Hearing youth envision for their future and a DHH friendly world. 
25 of 62 DHH Art contestants 

16 of 29 ASL Poetry contestants 
23 of 23 Spotlight Contestants

Special thanks, in no particular order:
The Burnaby Board of Education and Burnaby Schools Leadership; the contestants, parents and teachers; Kareem Mansouri who by popular demand returned to emcee;  our very own Dana Zimmer who provided educational entertainment during intermissions and moonlit as one of the ASL Poetry judges; Teanna Kay, last year’s ASL Poetry winner, who gave encouragement and a few pointers to the participants; the judges:  Teresa Amaral, Jenn Ashton, Brenda-Lee Boubard, Donna Burdick, Amar Mangat, Elizabeth Mathers, Terry Maloney, Ingrid Potter, Ladan Sahraei and Dana Zimmer; Tracey Sweetapple for taking all the photos; Mahsa Soufi and JMJ Eagle Tech for A/V and goodies; the Accessibility Team – Accurate Realtime Captioning and ASL interpreters Sharon and Jessica; Pacific Coast Catering that provided delicious lunch, and the MJF Theatre staff.

And here are the winners:
 
Congratulations!
 
In the afternoon, our participants from out of Lower Mainland districts headed to the Victory Hill Dorm to enjoy burgers and treats with their new and old BCSD friends.

 
April 8th, DHHproud – Friendship Day: A new record – 310 DHH students and 150 teachers/chaperones from 23 districts, independent schools and the BCSD joined us at the Vancouver Aquarium to soak up fun and friendship, and to lean all about the marine world, rainforests, amphibians and more. We did get soaked by the rain a little while waiting to enter the Aquarium, but that didn’t seem to put a damper on the overall mood and excitement. We witnessed many friendships being forged, on the bus heading to the venue and during the visit, that are sure to last beyond this field trip.
We would like to thank the Vancouver Aquarium for their knowledge, organization, patience and support, and for putting on extra 4D movie showings that were interpreted by the BCSD Interpreters.


 

DHHproud 2026 – Save the date: We are pleased to announce that the next DHHproud Showcase will be held on April 13th at the Michael J. Fox Theatre, followed by the Friendship Day on April 14th – details in the works. We look forward to seeing everyone again!
We also have a very exciting announcement – we would like the students to help us select the theme for the next year!
For details and to enter, please see the link below:
Theme for DHHproud 2026