October 14, 2026 —Teacher. Athletic administrator. Interpreter. At Kennesaw Mountain High School, Diana Jarvis carries three titles, each requiring a different set of skills but all built on the same cornerstone: helping others succeed. As an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor at the school, the Director of Operations for Mustangs football, and an interpreter for deaf players who compete for the program, she is determined to ensure nothing is missed. 

FINDING A COMMON LANGUAGE

An anthropology major in college, Jarvis was interested in people, cultures, and humanity. This is how she learned of Deaf culture and, specifically, sign language. It was a career she had not considered but quickly took to. After a decade freelancing as an interpreter, she transitioned into educational interpreting when she joined the Cobb County School District’s HOPE Program — Helping Outstanding People Everyday. 

HOPE provides specialized districtwide support for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) or have visual or orthopedic impairments.

Jarvis has worked with Cobb Schools for six years now, the last four at Kennesaw Mountain. This year, however, is her first as a part-time teacher. She begins her day in the classroom, instructing hearing and non-hearing students in ASL communication during first and second periods.

“I find value and reward in the human interaction part of anything that I do,” the ASL instructor said. “With teaching, though I’m new at that part of it, I love having the opportunity to connect with more students in a different way, and I love being a facilitator in blending the hearing students with the deaf students and providing them with a common language.”

A PLACE ON THE TEAM

For Jarvis, finding a common language on the football field began as soon as she arrived at the school. Kennesaw Mountain is the District’s western hub for HOPE and has served many DHH athletes over the past decade. In Jarvis’ first year at the school, there was a deaf senior football player, and she covered the whole schedule with him as an interpreter. 

“It was a very overwhelming experience,” she recalled. “By the time the season ended and that student was graduating, I was fairly devastated that it was over. Not just that the interpreting was over, but that being a part of this program was over. I had fallen so much for this program and group of people, I so badly wanted to be a part of it and to continue to support it.”

Jarvis approached Head Coach Caleb Carmean and asked if there was any other way that she could serve the team. His response was, “Let’s figure it out.” 

That conversation eventually led to Jarvis taking on the role of Director of Operations. 

“I started with small jobs here and there,” she said. “That turned into me looking at roles and responsibilities that the coaches had that I thought might be distracting them from actually coaching. So, I work every day trying to help alleviate the demands on coaches so they can focus on coaching.”

Coach Carmean believes that her contributions are invaluable.

“She is a tireless worker and has a positive attitude in everything she does,” the Mustangs head coach said. “Her impact on the daily operations of our program is immeasurable. She is a glue piece that allows us to operate efficiently with the best interest of our players always in mind.”

THE SIGNS OF THE GAME

Football is a game built on communication. Quarterbacks distribute play calls to the offense and signal adjustments to receivers. Coaches relay signs to their players, sending in offensive plays or changing defensive formations. Officials convey penalties to those outside the lines and whistle the ends of plays. Communication is constant throughout the game, but communication has never been limited to sound. 

In fact, one of football’s most familiar traditions has roots in Deaf history. Paul Hubbard, a Deaf quarterback for Gallaudet University, is credited with inventing the football huddle in 1894 to keep opposing teams from reading the signs he used to communicate plays to his teammates. Other teams noticed the strategy, and soon the huddle was a staple of the sport. Today, communication through signs remains an integral part of the game, as seen in the work Jarvis does on the KMHS sidelines.

She is Coach Jarvis, or Miss Diana, on the football field during practices and games. Standing beside the coaches, interpreting their instructions, she is there to support the deaf athletes in their success on the field. 

“To me, interpreting is the greatest job in the world,” Jarvis said while smiling. “We get to support Deaf kids doing amazing things. I get to stand on the literal sideline and watch them develop into confident, proud Deaf people, without getting hung up on something that makes them different. It's my favorite thing that I do. My life’s highlight reel is doing this.”

HURDLING HURDLES

Coach Jarvis’ highlight reel this season is working with sophomore linebacker Larenzo Parker. 

“When I was little, I was always upset and crying because I didn't understand what was going on all the time,” Larenzo signed, with Coach Jarvis interpreting, when reflecting on his experience growing up deaf. “But now, honestly, I was blessed by God because He made me this way.”

That outlook speaks to Larenzo’s determination in life and serves him well in athletics. He has played football since the seventh grade and has shown a commitment and desire to compete.

“Larenzo plays football all on his own. I’m just there to remove some of the hurdles,” Jarvis emphasized. 

Sometimes removing those hurdles means watching him communicate with his teammates and coaches without needing her.

“If he can get notes directly from a coach or advice directly from fellow players, that’s ideal to me,” she explained. “To watch all of them learn how to do that without having to go through me makes all the difference in the world. And it’s entirely a testament to the culture of this program. Larenzo is one of them. He’s going to be included like one of them, yelled at like one of them, because he is one of them.” 

Still, while Larenzo can be independent, having Coach Jarvis on the sidelines in support is reassuring.

“Having an interpreter on the field with me, everything runs a lot more smoothly,” Larenzo acknowledged. “I'm genuinely really thankful. Things can be a struggle, and they can be hard, but people should know that this is possible. I can achieve my goals. I start on JV and play a little bit with varsity as well.”

Seeing him blend into the fabric of the team is a win. Seeing him pull down an interception in a game is a moment that inspires.

“When Larenzo got his first interception in a game, I was so pumped for him,” Jarvis beamed. “I went home after that game, and I sent that clip to my parents, my brothers, Larenzo’s mother, and the team of interpreters. I always believed he could do it, and I think it was the moment that Larenzo really began to believe in himself.”

ONE TEAM, ONE CULTURE

Gallaudet University is a world leader in Deaf education and claims to have introduced ASL to the world. Their first Deaf president, Dr. I. King Jordan, has been famously quoted as saying, “Deaf people can do anything hearing people can do, except hear.”

This is part of Coach Jarvis’ charge: to support Deaf students and players in a way that allows them to learn that they can do anything. Along the way, she helps the football program operate more efficiently in her role on staff.

“I believe a lot of people would assume Diana’s impact only affects one player on our team when, in fact, her impact positively affects our entire program, all of the players, coaches, and families within our program,” Coach Carmean insisted.

Her influence reflects the culture of Kennesaw Mountain High School and its Athletics Department. Their people – the coaches, the players, the community – work together with a willingness to include those that are sometimes under-seen. It’s recognizing the humanity in everyone. Culture. People. Humanity. Three things that Jarvis was drawn towards in college.

“If I believe in anything, it’s human connectedness and how life is a big tapestry of human connectivity,” Jarvis proclaimed. “Being a single weave in that tapestry is what I think life is all about.”