Petersburg Pilot -

WRANGELL - Ann Hilburn began learning American Sign Language for an elective course in college, thinking it would benefit her aspirations of becoming a nurse.

That class led her to change her career field entirely. “I had just fallen in love with sign language,” she said.

She’s passing that love on to a dozen Wrangell High School students taking her class for their foreign language requirement. Hilburn is new to the district this year.

It is a language unto itself, 17-year-old senior Caleb Garcia-Rangel observed, which people unfamiliar with ASL often don’t realize.

“I think it�...