BEDFORD, Ohio -- Third graders Justyn Lampkin, Ethan Hailey and Damarian Warren are stars in a school rap music video.
It's a method that teaches kids at Central Primary School in Bedford an important lesson.
“It’s OK to appreciate good behavior and it’s okay to celebrate your school,” says Kenan Gabriel, the creative force behind the video.
Gabriel is the school’s art teacher. He instructs every one of Central’s close to 500 students. He wrote, directed and voiced the Central Every Day video to promote how Central's staff is teaching kids how to "live above the line." It's a saying adopted at the school to help students take responsibility for their actions and to make good choices.
“These are standards and values that we have at Central that the children have grabbed on to and so I want when the world hears about what's going on at Central. I want it to be from the children.”
The rap song, written from a student’s perspective, puts lyrics like “I’m making my decisions; I quit making excuses; My mind is like a muscle and I’m not afraid to use it,” to a catchy beat with the highlight being the hook or chorus promoting respect, kindness, hard work and choosing to be great.
So why did Gabriel choose to express this message through rap?
“I'm a rapper and I know most of our children, our demographic, that's what they listen to,” says Gabriel, who has taught at the school for the past 12 years. “I’m gifted in many of the arts … writing, painting, drawing and music … I try to bring all of that into my art class.”
So why does Justyn, Damarian and Ethan have a prominent role in the video? Well, the boys were in trouble a lot, so Mr. Gabriel stepped in to mentor them. His motto "excuses are bricks that build houses of failure" is helping these young men choose to live above the line.
“That saying … like once he said that, that got me into telling the truth all the time,” says Justyn.
The boys’ main teacher, Melissa Rossen, says she’s seen a change in her students since Gabriel started mentoring them four months ago.
“When they do an action that they know is not what they are supposed to be doing, they end up thinking about it and saying, 'Oh, Mrs. Rossen, I’m so sorry I lied about that.' They take ownership of what they did. He (Gabriel) took those students under his arm and said let’s become the men that we need to become.”
Gabriel is now working on another version of Central Every Day. But on this song, students will rap the main verses because he wants to make sure all children know they have a voice.
“It’s important to me to let all the children know that your voice matters and the things you have to say and the things that you value matter. They can speak up and let people know who they are and how they’re distinct."