By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City High School’s American Sign Language teacher Amy Andersen, the New Jersey Teacher of the Year in 2018, continues to inspire her students to become standouts in ASL.
Her teaching talents and the importance of learning more about the deaf community have led to a high-profile opportunity for Andersen and some of her students, friends and colleagues in the field of ASL.
On Wednesday, Andersen was contacted by a producer for The Drew Barrymore Show, which airs on CBS and is shot in New York City.
They want Andersen and two of her hearing-impaired students to join the show this coming Tuesday to surprise two stars — Academy Award-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin and Oscar-nominated deaf actor Troy Kotsur.
The episode will highlight the award-winning movie CODA. CODA (child of deaf adults) tells the story of a deaf family with a daughter who can hear. The Drew Barrymore Show producer also asked that Andersen organize local deaf community members to attend the taping of the show.
Andersen and nine other people, including Marissa Sampson, a senior at Ocean City High School, and Frankie Wright, a junior, will travel to New York City for the show.
She spoke of the importance of the trip and, more importantly, what the movie means to the deaf community.
“The movie CODA, with three highly-skilled actors who also happen to be deaf, is a perfect example of authentic representation in the television/movie industry,” Andersen said in a statement. “Troy Kotsur was phenomenal as Frank Rossi and is being recognized for it by the Academy Awards committee. We all have our fingers crossed for him.”
Andersen said the experience of going on the show will be truly memorable.
“The opportunity to bring hard-of-hearing students from OCHS to meet these legends in the deaf community is an experience unlike anything I could ever create in the four walls of my classroom,” she pointed out.
Andersen emphasized how proud she is of her students who are attending the show with her. Marissa Sampson is president of the Ocean City High School ASL Club. She has earned her seal of biliteracy for ASL and English and has become a firefighter in Marmora. Frankie Wright has also been an exceptional student.
In addition to Marissa and Frankie, there are several other people going to the show with Andersen.
A 16-year-old student from Atlantic City High School and a family friend of one of the deaf community members will attend. An ASL teacher at Cape May County Technical High School, who also teachers ASL with Andersen at Stockton University, will be going to the show as well.
Carrie Pogue, the director of the program for deaf babies throughout New Jersey with the state Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the president of the Atlantic Cape Society for the Deaf, will also be in attendance.
Andersen was appreciative for the opportunity.
“I am so thankful to Drew Barrymore for highlighting the magnitude of this accomplishment and making it possible for me to share with our local deaf community who has given me and my students so much over the years,” Andersen said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and one I will never forget.”
To learn about The Drew Barrymore Show, go to https://www.thedrewbarrymoreshow.com/
