A Buffalo Public School is showing off its school spirit to celebrate the Buffalo Bills reaching the playoffs. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says students created dance videos to cheer on the team.
For the first time students at PS #6 Elementary School of Technology on South Division Street are able to celebrate the team's success – something we haven’t witnessed since 1999. Now a new generations is standing up to "shout".
“They’re super excited, so all they know is the Buffalo Bills are going to the playoffs. They don’t know any of the history. They are so excited – you know making up their own chants, wearing their red, white and blue,” said Angela Ryan, instructional technology coach at School Six.
Ryan said the principal asked if she and other teachers could come up with project to show the school’s spirit. They helped students in grades Pre-k through 8th create videos to cheer on the Bills.
“Every classroom in our building has an IWB – Interactive White Board and so we made up a video that scrolled the lyrics to the ‘Shout’ song so every classroom had that playing and they taught the kids the song,” remarked Ryan.
The video features a different choreographed shout dance for the team. Some students waved 'Go Bills' signs and handmade. The international students, who represent a variety of countries at the school are still learning English, so they would jump in on the word ‘shout’.
“Shout, shout, shout” students yelled in the videos.
“We have students from Iraq. We have students from Yemen, students from Congo,” explained Shawna McMahon, English as a New Language coach at School Six.
McMahon tells WBFO News using music and sports is also a great way to teach students.
“They have the video playing in the background with the lyrics on there. They have all their classmates saying the words around them,” McMahon noted. “Anything repetitive is really good for them and they’re able to participate pretty easily.”
Principal Karen Piotrowski and assistant principals will judging all the videos and vote for the best. The winners get a pizza party on Monday.
