Houston High School’s surprise assembly celebrates Blue Ribbon nomination

HOUSTON — On Dec. 6, Houston High students were instructed to bring their coats, hats and gloves with them to first hour because they would be outside for about 10 or 20 minutes for a fire drill. This unique fire drill was only the beginning of an entertaining and motivational assembly the entire staff produced for the students.

As students headed outside, they were directed to the front of the building because there were fake blue flames simulating a real fire in the back halls. Students were told to stay away from the back exists. After all the students were out of the building and had completed the fire drill, the street lights were turned off and a fireworks show began. For the next few minutes, the students stared in awe as Gorilla Fireworks put on a show that will not soon be forgotten.

The students were then directed to the gym where teachers Megan Webb and Scott Helle and HHS Alumni Josh Beasley were playing introduction music. Students sat down for yet another mind-blowing surprise.

The lights went out making the gym pitch black, and then spotlights came on showing Principal Bill Johnson and Activities Director Norm Bouchard standing in all black suits with sunglasses in front of microphones. They went on to sing and dance the entire “Soul Man” routine by the Blue Brothers.

Johnson said he had to memorize the words so it looked good, and he was actually singing all the words but no one could hear him because the speakers were playing the real song. Johnson said, “I listened to the song to and from work so that I would have it all memorized.”

Bouchard shocked many by showing off his dance moves and showing that he could indeed do the walrus. He practiced his dance mostly at home, and the weekend before the performance, he and Johnson practiced for the first time together.

“We basically had two days to put it all together; it was fun,” Johnson said.

Next Helle, Beasley, and Webb took over playing ”Wipe Out” and “Rock this Town,” which Helle had re-written for this special occasion. Helle was on the guitar, Webb on the keyboard, and Beasley on the drum set. Together, they blew the students away with their impressive re-make.

Helle said he practiced for around 15 hours memorizing “Rock this Town” and practiced with Beasley for many hours. He said he chose to do this song because it is catchy and would appeal to the students.

After this, Special Education Assistant Soledad Aubry and Safety Officer Tanya Larrabee dressed as cavewomen and showed the students the first ever dance routine from when cavemen first discovered music. While Aubrey tried to open a squash with a rock, Larrabee danced around shimmying and doing such movements as the sprinkler, which drew laughs from the audience.

Houston junior Samantha Dodds said she enjoyed the entire thing and appreciated the time teachers dedicated for the performance. It showed how great the pride is in our school.

The whole staff joined Aubry and Larrabee and showed off a dance routine they had been practicing the past week. Their dance routine included different decades of music including the twist, the hustle, and the hand jive. During the hand jive, there was a dance off with several teachers including Chad Rice doing the moon walk and Marco Carter break dancing. Staff finished with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Johnson said, “Most staff practiced an hour a day for a week.” However, Magy and Scott Helle worked for about three weeks to put it all together said Johnson. Colby Wolfer, Kristin Hammers, and Johnson added little bits in here and there, but the Helles put a lot of work into it and made it possible, Johnson said.

Johnson ended the assembly with an inspirational speech to the whole school about the meaning of being nominated as a Blue Ribbon school and how important it is for students to keep up the hard work.

“The main point of the assembly was not only to celebrate, but also to motivate the student body to work hard to get the Blue Ribbon,” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, Houston has a really good chance at getting the award; however, it is not guaranteed the school will get it. The staff at Houston wants to motivate students to keep up the good work because a large part of getting the award is making AYP again, which is based on student performance.

Johnson said, “The big message we want to put across to all students is: we will be engaged, we will achieve, we will be there, and we will graduate.” Johnson said this is how students become proficient, and everyone in the school has a big part in winning the award.

If Houston gets the Blue Ribbon award, the school will be recognized at the national level in Washington, D.C. Plus, Houston would get the satisfaction of knowing that it is one of the top schools in the nation.

There are three schools in Alaska that were nominated this year Houston High School, Chugach Optional Elementary, and Unalaska Junior/Senior High School.

The winner will be announced in September 2011 and the principal and a teacher from the winning school will get to attend the recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Katie Jensen is a senior at Houston High School.