As a child, Sarah Whitcraft would line up her Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, pretend they were her students and serve as their “teacher.”
Even though Whitcraft knew she wanted to be an educator “since day one,” she says, and even though she moved to Pickerington during her seventh-grade year, she didn’t find the subject she was interested in until high school.
Today, Whitcraft is an American Sign Language (ASL) teacher at Pickerington High School North, and her journey of learning and becoming passionate about ASL has taken her far.
In the Classroom
While learning ASL in high school, Whitcraft says she “couldn’t get enough of it,” and her teacher, Lori Williams, saw the dedication.
When Whitcraft decided to go to Bowling Green State University to study special education and ASL, Williams struck a deal: Obtain a degree, and Whitcraft could interview for Williams’ position.
“We kept in contact the whole time (I was in college),” Whitcraft says. “I went through all the steps, interviewed and did all that stuff … and the next school year, I got the job, and she gave me the reins.”
Whitcraft says Williams pushed her, guided her and always encouraged her to do her best. And Williams says she is happy Whitcraft has helped the program grow.
“When I left, I said, ‘This is my baby, take care of it,’ and I knew she was the person who would take care of it,” says Williams. “The (ASL) program has grown greatly over the years, and lots of students have been influenced to take sign. … Her bubbly personality has fit perfectly with what I left … and I just appreciate that our friendship has grown through the years and we’ve stayed in touch.”
Over a decade-plus in the classroom, Whitcraft has not only taught ASL, she has also educated students on inaccurate deaf stereotypes, explaining that deaf people can work, drive and sometimes speak.
Her favorite part is learning when her students use ASL outside of the classroom.
“The kids come in and say they used it, and their faces light up, and they say, ‘Oh my gosh, I actually used it, and the person was so thankful,’” she says. “I love, love, love hearing about that.”
Fundraising with a Lesson
In 2010, one of Whitcraft’s students, Morgan Dzurko, approached her with an idea for a new student organization she called Club Hope.
“I said, ‘I will do it’ but we worked together because I had no clue what to do,” Whitcraft says with a laugh, adding that she had no previous experience with fundraising.
Whitcraft is the club adviser and teaches her students the importance of helping others. The club volunteers for U.S. troops and at-home veteran groups, provides gift cards or Christmas gifts to families in need, and raises money for organizations such as Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The club’s biggest event is the Rave to Save community fair at North each March. This year, the event featured activities such as inflatable obstacle courses and an interactive animal exhibit by the Newport Aquarium. Its goal: to raise money for and awareness of cancer.
“(Club Hopes aims) to raise awareness for cancer, stick together as a community and support all the families that have to go through this unfortunate circumstance,” Whitcraft says. “It’s nice to have fun as a family and know you are furthering cancer research to hopefully find a cure.”
The money raised goes to Nationwide Children’s in honor of Lauryn “Lu” Oliphant, a North student who died of leukemia in May 2016. Club Hope went the extra mile and bought a Ronald McDonald House room in remembrance of Oliphant, where her name will hang on the door forever.
Beyond Club Hope, Whitcraft helps with student council, which recently put on its first winter formal dance and raised $4,000 for the Oliphant Memorial Fund.
“(My students) need to see the hard work it takes to organize and follow through with a fundraiser and the benefits it provides,” Whitcraft says. “No act of kindness is too small. Everything we work to fundraise and organize will help families in the community.”
Friends and Family
Juggling work, guiding a student organization and finding personal time may be overwhelming, but Whitcraft says she couldn’t do any of this without the help of the school and entire staff.
“The support is wonderful; (with) all my crazy ideas the principal is like, ‘OK, yup,’” she says with a laugh. “And the teachers here are amazing. They’re really good about spreading the word about different fundraisers and getting the kids involved.”
But Whitcraft’s biggest support system has always been her family. When she and her husband, Joe, aren’t at soccer or baseball games for their two children, Samantha and Owen, they’re working on fundraising events at which Whitcraft can teach a lesson on giving back.
“Without (my family), I wouldn’t be doing any of this, because they support me 100 percent,” she says. “I want my kids to eventually see that you have to give back, you have to pay it forward.”
Lydia Freudenberg is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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