USD Extracurricular Activities

The School for the Deaf offers many extracurricular opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students across the state. These include reading support, a volleyball team for the girls, a basketball team for boys and girls, drama, and enriching experiences.  Summer camps keep students focused on education with STEM, art, literacy, dance, cheerleading, basketball, science, drama, several preschool camps, and overnight outdoor camps. These experiences are critical to the social development of USD students and afford opportunities to enhance their language experiences.

Each year USD participates in the 1A region of UHSAA-hosted activities and the annual Western States Basketball & Cheerleading Classic.  This is always a highlight of the basketball season and a valuable part of the Deaf experience for our students.  This is an all-deaf tournament against other schools for the deaf in the western region of the United States. Our students use this opportunity to meet and mingle with other deaf and hard of students their age while engaging in physical exercise.

Enrichment funds provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students across the State an opportunity to participate in study abroad trips. Juniors and seniors from across the State must meet high expectations to experience life in another country from a Deaf perspective. The Deaf tour guide directly communicates with the students about the country and its people. Students experience flying internationally, customs, and security in other countries.  They meet several deaf adults in a variety of settings. They tour local deaf schools and meet with some deaf students. They experience firsthand the culture of another country.

Students who visited Thailand will never forget ziplining through a Thai jungle, the food, city life, negotiating in a floating market, learning about a completely foreign lifestyle, petting tigers, riding elephants, watching monkeys, and finally the long flight back home.  Another group of students visited Italy and came face to face with famous works of art, stood beside the Leaning Tower of Pisa, walked through the Colosseum in Rome, rode in a gondola through the rivers of Venice, and walked the city of Pompeii. Still, others visited Peru, Germany, and Egypt in an effort to understand the culture and history of each country.

Next year our students will have the opportunity to experience the culture of Japan.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing students are welcome to participate in our many activities intended to enrich their lives. These programs provide opportunities, outside scheduled school hours, for students and families to hone skills beyond the core curriculum regardless of their affiliation with USD.

For more information about individual activities, select the specific event above or below.