On April 24th and 25th 2023, the POPDHH hosted the second annual – and the first in-person – DHHproud event. The occasion brought together Deaf and Hard of Hearing students from all corners of the province, for a Friendship Day and a DHHproud-Showcase series of competitions.
April 24th, DHHproud – Friendship Day: Close to 70 students from 14 districts across the province joined us at REVS bowling for a morning filled with fun, friendship and pizza. The young bowlers from grades K to 12 were excited to meet old and new friends, and show off their skills in the lanes. They told us they couldn’t wait to do it again soon!
In the afternoon, 14 students from out of Lower Mainland districts had an opportunity to tour the Victory Hill Dorm, play games, and enjoy yummy barbecue with their BCSD friends.
Out of town group at the Westminster Pier. Luckily, the rain held off.
April 25th, DHHproud – Showcase – a proud celebration of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Identity through ASL poetry, DHH art and Spotlight competitions: This year’s theme was “My Deaf/Hard of Hearing World”. 89 students from 15 school districts and the BCSD entered the contest. The ASL poetry for students in grades K-7, and DHH art K-12 entries were reviewed earlier this month. The live event was hosted at the Byrne Creek School Centre for Dialogue and featured 16 contestants in the Spotlight communication category.
Bill Brassington, the Chair of the Burnaby Board of Education delivered opening remarks, welcomed the participants and the audience, and acknowledged the stars of the show – the contestants : “It takes courage to stand up in front of your peers and share expressions of yourself. I am looking forward to learning about your “Deaf/Hard of Hearing World.”
The ASL poetry and DHH Art contributions:
The live event was not recorded, our hope is that we’ll be able to change that in the future.
Special thanks, in no particular order:
The Burnaby Board of Education; the contestants, parents and teachers; Shea and Quinn, past winners, who provided words of encouragement to the participants; the judges who had a difficult task of picking just three winners for each category: Stephanie Renaas, Vincent Chauvet, Elizabeth Mathers, Jenn Ashton, Hester Hussey, Jolene Gallagher, Art Tinker and Ingrid Potter; The A/V support experts Albert Lee and Mahsa Soufi; The Accessibility Team – Accurate Realtime Captioning and ASL interpreters Sharon and Jen; Catering services, and Byrne Creek School staff.
And now, we would like to announce the winners:
Congratulations!
DHHproud 2024 – Save the date: We are pleased to announce that the next DHHproud Showcase will be held on April 22nd at the Michael J. Fox Theatre, followed by the Friendship Day on April 23rd – details in the works. We look forward to seeing everyone again!
