The Holiday Song Project, an annual UC High tradition started by AP Government and Economics Teacher Michele Fournier will occur on Friday, December 15 in the Media Center, inspiring students to join the class and to pass on the tradition. Fournier explained the history of this tradition.
She said, “Every year, dating back to 2004, we have done the Holiday Song Project. I was at an AP conference and stole the idea from a man named Pete Pew, who pitched it as a fun way to prepare for the Winter Break without losing class momentum.”
The guidelines for this project aren’t the average PowerPoint presentation. “Students take any topic we have covered in the class or that’s in the news and use the topic to write lyrics to fit a traditional holiday song,” said Fournier. Those who take the class don’t have the choice of having stage fright. “They get up and perform it,” explained Fournier.
Most of these performances are nothing short of creative, explained Fournier. She said, “Students dress up and get into it, and sometimes they get innovated with a politician mask lying around.” This project lets students have fun with politics while being educational. Fournier mentioned her amusement of the performances, saying that, “A lot of them end up being pretty funny.”
“I hope that everyone who is able to come and watch the performance has a really good time and that it will maybe convince you to sign up for AP Government when you are a senior,” said Fournier.
Senior Clayson Shaugnessy is deeply excited to take part in the project. He said, “I think it’s a great way to look at the material from a different lens, which can often make it a lot easier to understand when you’re in
charge of writing the content and explaining what it means. Because we are allowed to talk about modern events, it can become a roast of politicians, which is always fun for everyone involved.”
The festivities stretch across all AP Government classrooms. AP Government Teacher. Lisa Perry’s Holiday Song Project was memorable for UC High Alumna Summer Kocher. She talked about her experience coming up with a catchy jingle for her performance. “I chose lyrics that rhymed and had a nice flow with Jingle Bell Rock,” said Kocher. Coming up with a whole new production of the classic song, her group conveyed the meaning of public policy. “We were using the syllable structure to create the same tune, writing entirely new bars,” said Kocher.
As daunting as the writing and preparation is, the tradition would be nothing without the actual performances. “We got to get a few of our eccentric props from Party City, like giant canes that we danced with,” explained Kocher. When it was her time to shine, she said, “I wasn’t nervous at all. I knew that everyone else was just scared of messing up themselves and I was not focused on my mistakes. If I were to give any incoming AP Government students any advice I would say go big or go home. It’s your last year; make it worth it!”
Even those who aren’t a part of the class get to be delighted by the performance. Junior Kimberly Ng said, “I really enjoyed how the students were able to portray important topics about how our government works in an entertaining and engaging way.” Ng saw the performance last year in her AP World History class. This festivity is a great way to get in the spirit of the holidays and of course the US government. Ng said, “I definitely
would consider taking AP Gov when I am a senior. I have only heard good things about that class and Mrs. Fournier!”