School spirit exudes in the third annual “Make a Joyful Noise” friendly musical competition among Catholic schools in the Diocese of Allentown. Students and faculty can be seen joyfully singing, dancing, and expressing love for their faith-filled educations.
The video by Good Shepherd Catholic School in Northampton is a salute to the 1980s featuring the 1986 classic song “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi and a break-dancing sixth grader named Michael H.
The video exhibits great school spirit by everyone, even baton-twirling teaching assistant Shannon Beitler, six pastors from the regional school’s parishes, and school bus driver who bops along to the music.
When the cost of renting a bus for two scenes proved too high, Good Shepherd called on their “good friends” at Allentown Central Catholic High School, who loaned one of their buses for the shoot, along with Bob the Bus Driver, who “had a lot of enthusiasm” for being a part of the video, according to Principal Susan Parker.
“What our students and our staff are giving us in the video is genuine. It’s such a family feel when we’re all together,” said Parker about the high energy and school spirit on display in the video.
The “creative minds” behind the video, said Parker, are Advancement Director, Erica Nochton, and previous Advancement Director, Lauri Tripaldi. Though the two are heavily involved in the many weeks of planning, Nochton said the students contributed their own ideas.
“We like to work in their ideas as well,” said Nochton. “That’s what brings their excitement even more” to the video, which is one long shot covering the school hallways, classrooms, and gymnasium.
In the video by St. Joseph the Worker School in Orefield, students perform “Party in the STJ,” a parody written by nine eighth grade students of the song “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
The students’ lyrics highlight that the school now includes Early Childhood Education through eighth grade to make them “one big family now.” Students sing about starting each day with prayer, of the many school clubs where they can express themselves, and that their “happiness all comes from Jesus Christ.”
Music teacher Kaitlin Kolonia said she sat with the students during a recess period to analyze the original lyrics, and the parody lyrics “took off from there.”
These nine students additionally gave up their recesses for nearly a month to rehearse and record. “We had fun times doing this,” said eighth grade student Colin. “It was a good experience.”
When the recorded song was complete, the rest of the school was brought in for the video shoot, and the parody was revealed to them, which created “so much excitement,” said Kolonia.
“We were all really happy with the final product,” said eighth grade student Isabella.
Love and friendship are key themes in the video by Immaculate Conception School in Pen Argyl. It features two songs: “ABC” by the Jackson Five and “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars.
The video displays great camaraderie among students and faculty, plus an impressive leapfrog, five dancing Dominican sisters, and much confetti and celebration in the hallways. There are even cameos by beloved classroom pets, the school secretary, and cafeteria servers.
Students at John Paul II Center for Special Learning (JPII) in Shillington got a little help from their friends in the making of their video. Muhlenberg Junior High School students Kasey O'Mara (vocals) and Victoria Tambo (piano) perform a beautiful rendition of “Roar” by Katy Perry, while JPII students can be seen dancing in the gymnasium, learning in classrooms, helping in the cafeteria, and celebrating what makes their school unique.
“All schools did a great job getting their students, teachers, and staff together either on film or collage of pictures,” said Valerie Versmee, Program Manager of Scholarships for the Diocese of Allentown. She said the videos all display “the essence of their school, the joy of being Catholic, and their community spirit.”
On the competition’s website, www.weloveourcatholicschools.com, each school has a fundraising page where anyone can watch a video, cast a vote for their favorite video, and donate to the school through Feb 23.
By Gia Myers
