Making viral videos is quickly becoming a tradition at A. Maceo Smith High School.
Hundreds of students, teachers, and staff helped create the follow-up to the school’s wildly popular “Uptown Funk” viral video, which garnered more than 13 million hits.
With the same precision and flair that made their first video successful, the group danced, clapped, and stomped their way through the halls to Andy Grammar’s ‘Good To Be Alive.’
“(The song) uplifts you. it makes you feel good about yourself,” said theater arts teacher Scot Pankey.
Pankey said he chose the song because of its infectious message,” which students quickly embraced
“They really wanted to put a message out to whoever saw it that you’re special, that you are unique, you’re smart, you’re beautiful,” he said. ”For high school kids to think that, and to want to put that out there, that says a lot about our student body.”
It took performers less than a month to learn the intricate performance. Junior Deja Shipp led the choreography effort. She said students were genuinely shocked by the response the first viral video received.
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“All of us every single day were like, ‘Did you see this? Did you see that?’ she said. “We're a school-wide team and everyone is family so this will just bring us even closer.
Senior Micah Garden was behind the camera. It was his job to capture the massive team effort that went into making the video.
“Most people don’t like to work with other people so to show that a whole school can come together and show teamwork like that, it’s enlightening,” he said.
Given the large amount of student participation, Garden said he wouldn’t be surprised if making viral videos became an annual tradition at the school.
“Now people are going to start to expect it, so you have to keep it going.
