BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP — On Sunday night, when Shannon Smith got word that schools in Barnegat Township would be closing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had an idea.
The principal of Russell O Brackman Middle School wanted to do something uplifting for students and staff.
“I just started writing lyrics and going back and forth,” Smith said. “In the wee late hours of the night, I emailed our chorus teacher.”
Chorus teacher Erich Wald agreed to have Smith come in and record her own version of the iconic theme song to the 1990s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” Smith’s ”Fresh Prince(ipal)” rap debuted to teachers and students via YouTube on Tuesday morning.
“She’s just incredible,” sixth-grade language arts teacher Samantha Burke said. “I can say that there’s a lot of tension in the room with us having to come into school and so many unknowns. Us ending the day on a positive, fun note was rejuvenating for all of us. And just knowing that she has our back.”
Burke said the video, which featured staff in various parts of the middle school building Monday, spreads positivity and is very much in character for the school chief.
“The fact that she probably threw it together that day, it shows her dedication to her staff and her students,” she said.
Smith’s lyrics start off with the story of “how life got flipped, turned upside down” and continue into “how virtual learning can be done from anywhere.”
“For a couple of weeks, we’ll take it nice and slow. Before you know it you’re a Google Classroom pro,” Smith raps. “If you forget to post your work, you’ll give your teachers a scare. They’ll say, ‘You are the reason for all my gray hair.’”
Smith said she didn’t tell the staff who came to work Monday to prepare for the transition to remote learning what the video would be, but asked them to take part. She surprised them at the end of the day with the final product.
“We just need something fun because right now everybody is so stressed out about all of this,” Smith said.
She said she wants to let students and staff know they will get through this together.
“We’ll communicate and adjust as we go on in this new adventure,” Smith said. “I have no problem embarrassing myself for the students.”
Katie Romano, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Brackman, said the supportive message was great for staff morale.
“It’s stressful because you’re basically taking your classroom and turning it into Google Classroom,” Romano said. “I hope she inspires other school districts to remain positive because being positive is really key to this situation.”
English teacher Marie Kozlowski said Smith’s message was inspiring.
“It’s a life-force,” Kozlowski said, praising her principal for helping teachers like her who are not tech-savvy get prepared for remote learning.
“To take something that is serious: a kid’s education, and make it a little lighter so you can approach it with a better attitude is something I think we need especially at a time like this,” Kozlowski said. “This is a little more frightening, and she did try to erase that fear and make us all believe that we can all do that.”
Watch the full video at youtu.be/ejQZ_1pM73c.
