Crowd Gives a Deaf Cheerleader a Sweet Surprise for Her Birthday
By Sonia Ramirez
September 28, 2018
Recently, Milby High School in Houston, Texas, made headlines for their heartwarming rendition of the Happy Birthday song for one its cheerleaders. It was a special tribute for one of its students who happens to be deaf. Camren Jackson’s teammates, along with the entire crowd in the stands of parents and students, banned together and used American Sign Language to “sing” happy birthday to Jackson.
Led by Donielle Ryals-Gonzalez, an ESL teacher and the squad’s cheer coach at Milby, she managed to teach the crowd before the Thursday night came on September 20th how to use American Sign Language as they prepared to showcase their quick learning skills to Camren. “This was a proud coach moment,” Donielle later shared. “Look at how she looks at me at the end.” The YouTube video below shows the endearing moment.
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrZa4I_-HDk
This tight-knit community in the East End of Houston is a wonderful example of families, neighbors, and friends coming together to celebrate and make one of its students feel loved and accepted. This is the kind of hospitality that Texans are famous for.
You could see the joy and delight in Jackson as she was pleasantly surprised with the touching gesture from her community of teammates and friends. They bestowed on her a treasured gift she won’t soon forget. The video has been shared across social media, highlighting the difference a local school can have in making sure that inclusion, not exclusion, is on the agenda, no matter what challenges or handicaps a student may be facing.
Milby High School is a longstanding and historic school known for having generations of families cross its doors. Recently renovated into a state-of-the-art high school, it’s refreshing to see the welcome mat reaches far beyond its school corridors!
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Crowd Gives a Deaf Cheerleader a Sweet Surprise for Her Birthday