Greenwood 4th-graders make end-of-year music video from their homes

GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — In Jordan Johnson’s fifth year teaching at North Grove Elementary, he’s created a tradition with his students. Every year, they create a music video celebrating the end of the school year.

However, the 2020 school year and the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to interrupt that tradition.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to happen at first,” Johnson said.

He says his class, still eager to keep it going, gave him the push he needed to still find a way to get it done.

“They were pumped about doing it this year and I didn’t want to let them down,” Johnson said. “I was motivated to make it happen.”

Instead of putting it together himself, he asked the parents for help, that way every kid could submit their own video and he could edit and piece them all together.

Johnson said after being away from his kids for so long, the video gave them a way to gather as a class one last time.

“It was awesome all getting the video clips, because obviously I hadn’t seen them in person, so just kind of seeing them be themselves, have each of their personalities and creative minds and seeing their dances they came up with — it definitely brought a lot of positivity to the situation we’re all in.”

He says the video, in which Johnson and his fourth-graders dance to “Gonna Make you Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” even uplifted people in his community outside the classroom.

“A lot of my friends have been blowing up Facebook talking about how awesome it is and their favorite parts.”

Above all else, Johnson wants the video to stop people in their tracks and make them smile.

“I think it’s just a way to see that teachers and students have a relationship that’s positive and we’re just being silly together, and I was motivated to keep doing it this year just to bring joy and positive media and hopefully it’s bringing smiles. That’s the whole point of it.”