By Kevin Lim
Reflections
Novi HS
1st Place Division 1, Yearbook Verbal
Feature Writing – Student Life
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Clear, relevant, engaging angle
- Solid lead that draws reader into story
- Meaningful student quotes that enrich story and reflect effective interviewing
- Evidence of adequate research
- Adheres to rules of good journalism including: short paragraphs, effective transitions and use of active voice, freedom from editorial comment, careful editing and proofreading to eliminate mechanical errors, correct use of grammar
The week before Winter Break, the school usually fills with restless students counting every passing hour until the holidays. But this year was different: students instead were counting the hours until the Lip Dub.
Teacher Nicholas LeTarte had an idea. With the assistance of juniors Alvin Li, Grace Hocking, James Ashworth, and Ben Wilson, LeTarte and the group of students worked closely to create a Lip Dub video that would encapsulate the Wildcat spirit.
“It’s been trending on the internet for a few years, and I kinda thought, ‘I don’t know, maybe we should do this.’ I saw that Brighton High School did one, and they did a really good one,” LeTarte said. “I saw South Lyon do one and I thought, ‘Okay, we have to do this.”
And so the preparation started. It took several months to plan. The committee had to determine a definitive route to take around the school, which proved to be quite a challenge.
“The most difficult part was planning the route because we had to line up the song transitions with transition points in the hallways. It took a whole week to plan the route,” Wilson said.
The committee’s planning all culminated on Dec. 19, the day of the Lip Dub. As AA started, tons of students swarmed the hallway, becoming a sea of green, white and a lot of school pride. Students lined the hallways with their groups preparing for their part and ready to give it their all. As the camera started rolling through the hallways and people heard the sound of music blasting, tons of students and staff cheered and tried to get in one more shot of the Lip Dub.
“One of my favorite parts of the Lip Dub was probably when I got to scream in the megaphone,” Li said. “I also really loved being able to help people out and direct people in the video.”
During the Lip Dub, there were quite a few funny moments. Coordinating 2,000 students into a single take video is difficult to execute flawlessly. A close look at the video reveals a bunch of funny scenes, reenactments, and mistakes hidden behind the wall of students cheering in the video.
“My section to organize on Lip Dub day was the weight room,” Ashworth said. “And I spent 10 minutes explaining the route until I found out that I was giving them improper instructions the whole time.”
After the cheering subsided, and all the trash on the floor was cleared up, the committee was able to look back on the experience and reflect on it.
“I loved it,” Hocking said. “I loved being behind the scenes, choosing the music and planning the route, and I was really proud of the outcome.”
After such a successful Lip Dub, many students questioned whether it will become an annual tradition.
“If the students want to,” LeTarte said. “If a lot of people want to do it again and are into it, then yeah, we’ll do it again.”
The Lip Dub YouTube video has over 170,000 views and counting.