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
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Israel vows military operation 'in the very near future' following Hamas attack
Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, reportedly wounding several Israelis, while the defense minister warned of "a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza."
B.C. man wants homes for thousands of books he soon won't be able to read
In the 10 years since John William started to lose his vision, he's been finding new ways to enjoy his vast personal library.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
Panamanians vote in election dominated by former president who was barred from running
Panamanians began voting Sunday in an election that has been consumed by unfolding drama surrounding the country’s former president, even though he is not on the ballot.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
Denial and uncertainty are looming over a Biden-Trump rematch 6 months out from U.S. Election Day
Exactly six months before Election Day, Biden and Trump are locked in the first contest in 112 years with a current and former president competing for the White House. It's a race that is at once deeply entrenched and highly in flux as many voters are only just beginning to embrace the reality of the 2024 campaign.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.