EAST ORANGE, NJ — The 30-day extension of the public health emergency in New Jersey inspired Cicely L. Tyson High School/Middle School Assistant Principal Elvin Williamson to host a virtual karaoke event for staff.
“I thought that it would be a great activity to uplift our staff,” Williamson said. “Karaoke is fun, entertaining and good laughs. It is the kind of event you would do with your family and friends on a Friday night. I just figured our Tyson family would appreciate it.”
Planning out the logistics of the virtual event, Williamson enlisted the assistance of a colleague, Joseph Bell.
“I needed someone to assist who was musically inclined and had the technical skills to streamline the event,” Williamson said, adding that they next had to formulate a playlist. “We included popular karaoke songs and surveyed staff about what they would like to perform or hear someone perform.”
With a playlist of approximately 40 songs and multiple genres of music, they were ready to launch the virtual event and have staff sign up.
The two-hour event drew 36 teacher participants, including former Cicely Tyson administration and teaching staff.
“Once a Tyson family member, always a Tyson family member,” Williamson said. “There would have been even more participants except that we were experiencing technical difficulties with Zoom.”
The judges included Bell and Principal John English. They considered the performance overall, the responses of the 60-member audience, including the chats that followed, and everyone’s facial reactions. Three staff members placed: Andre Moe in first place, Joseph Day in second and Robin Lewis in third.
Moe, a 10th-grade English and AP literature teacher, sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” from “Dreamgirls.”
“It was a nod to the Tyson stage production that we didn’t get to do this year because of COVID-19. The song was fun and showed my range,” Moe said. “And, it’s a song I could get silly with.”
He said the experience was “about the sense of community. It’s more important to me than anything. Besides, I wanted to show them that I can still kick their butts. I am the crown holder.”
Day, a middle and high school social studies teacher, sang “My Prerogative,” by Bobby Brown. Day was inspired by his appreciation of Brown’s talent. The experience overall, Day said, “was a very comical and bonding experience. For over two hours, I was able to forget that I was under home quarantine, and both sing and laugh with my colleagues over songs, both familiar and unfamiliar. Lastly, I was able to see the untapped vocal and performance potential some of our colleagues possess.” To further his stage presence, Day danced during his performance.
Lewis, a math coach, sang “Just My Imagination,” by the Temptations.
“It’s one of my old school favorite songs. It was fun,” she said. “This is good for the staff. It’s about self-care. This is the new normal. It’s a chance to get us together even though it’s virtual. We had fun and laughs. It boosts our morale.”
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