YARMOUTH, N.S. — Staff at Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School are having some fun with Halloween this year but what they really are looking to do is connect with students and the community.
The school has posted a ‘Chills and Thrills at Yarmouth High’ video online that is a follow-up to a Christmas video is produced last year after being inspired by their Drumlin Heights Consolidated School counterparts who had produced a Christmas video of their own.
YCMHS put out its Halloween video on Monday, Oct. 28.
Steve Berry, a student support worker at the high school, says YCMHS has worked hard this year to improve on staff/team building activities.
And they also want to add some fun to the school experience.
“Because of this there’s been a huge push to engage staff, students and community,” he says. “Social media updates, better communication and lots of activities that provide students and staff a chance to interact have been taking place. School spirit is at an all-time high at the newly coined ‘Viking Ship’.”
Berry says the school staff want kids to connect with them not just as teachers.
“Finding others ways to connect with kids outside the classroom and showing them our human side helps create a positive environment that the students respond well too,” he says.
“A few of us staff came up with the idea to do another video. We put out a call to staff and had almost all staff show up after school to shoot the production,” he says, adding, “The Viking ship prides itself as being an all-inclusive school that wants everyone to be involved. Please check our website for updates on events and all the great things students and staff are doing.”
As part of the Halloween video the staff do a full choreographed dance mimicking the original Thriller video.
The video was filmed and edited by Lauren de Groot.
Student Zoe Schwan was also involved in the fun.
“Megan Fitzgerald choreographed the dance party. We met (on a) Monday after school to shoot some zombie parts and practice the dance. We met (on a) Tuesday to shoot the group dance part and the rest of the pieces to make the production. This one’s a little upscale from our Christmas video,” Berry says, adding, “I’m sure Drumlin will want to try to keep pace. But we’re the Ship. Good luck keeping up, lol.”
