Ottawa teacher parodies 'Hamilton' in school talent show video
An Ottawa teacher has put a cap on a school year like no other after two of his students helped him parody a song from the musical "Hamilton" for their virtual talent show.
Hamilton is one of the most famous musicals on Broadway, and now John Henry MacDonald, a math teacher at St. Mother Teresa High School in Barrhaven, is becoming famous in his own right.
“The atmosphere in that classroom is very much 'sense of humour,'” says MacDonald. “The kids are really good with teasing me. And I like to take a joke once in a while just to lighten the mood.”
MacDonald wanted to end the school year on a high note, and his video parody of the song "You’ll Be Back" did just that.
“Making something together, when we were actually all apart, helped us laugh the tough times off and get through these last two months of virtual (learning) that were pretty slow and hard to get through at times,” says MacDonald. “When we went virtual at the end of the year, I thought it would be funny if we redid one of the songs. And literally the next day they came back with lyrics.”
MacDonald’s Grade 7 students Olivia and Faith say they're obsessed with "Hamilton" and this was the perfect opportunity for them to put their own lyrics to paper and screen.
“We just instantly started writing,” says Olivia. “It just consisted of Faith and I on FaceTime and just brainstorming ideas. And if an idea pops into our heads we just write it down and make sure the words rhyme and everything.”
Faith adds, “We’d kind of just think of a funny lyric to do and just kind of think of something that rhymes with that so the song would just kind of flow.”
The whole process took about two weeks to complete with the help of MacDonald’s wife who shot and edited the video.
For the students, this was the perfect way to remember a school year like no other.
“I think I just really enjoyed talking to Olivia and deciding the lyrics and coming up with funny lines and making jokes about it,” says Faith.
“It gave us something to do to distract us from everything else that is happening,” says Olivia.
And this experience is also something that MacDonald won’t soon forget either.
“I feel like it helped them get though a tough year, with a little sense of humour.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
'Do I ghost her again?': Quebec minister's office ignores questions on housing as a human right
The office of Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau prefers to openly ignore journalists' requests.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.