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Duo Helps Students Get In Groove

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 3, 2007

Updated: 11/01/2007 09:22 pm

EGYPT LAKE - Warning: spoiler alert.

A mystery along the lines of Santa and the Easter Bunny has floated around Egypt Lake Elementary for four years - who is the Word Up Crew? The duo appear at events and on the morning show, singing and dancing to academically based tunes but disguised in wigs and jumpsuits.

Children scrutinize their sneakers and sunglasses to see whether they match ones their teachers wear. They ask their suspects where they were during Word Up performances. They look for slips, such as a wig that almost flew off during a dance.

The men behind Word Up change their shoes, hide their sunglasses and whip up alibis.

So if you want to preserve the mystique, stop reading now.

Really, we mean it.

Word Up started as a trio, with Gary Etherton, writing resource teacher; Joey Willoughby, music teacher; and physical education teacher Mark Bachman. Bachman has moved to another school, but Etherton and Willoughby keep the tradition going. The men perform in disguise.

"We've had a lot of fun with it," Etherton said.

The songs help children learn complicated concepts by setting them to music. Etherton helps come up with the words, and Willoughby matches them to existing tunes or his originals. Michael Jackson's "Beat It" became "Read It" with the refrain "Read a chapter book, and get the answers right; read it; just read it."
Willoughby branched out to his own melodies to challenge himself to write music. Teachers have requested songs on topics ranging from the water cycle to onomatopoeia, and Willoughby's compositions experiment with styles - salsa, '50s, hip-hop, Gospel.

"It keeps it fresh for us," Willoughby said.

And they can turn anything into a song. Etherton spotted students having trouble distinguishing between expository and narrative writing, a requirement for essays on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The "Expository Rap" was born, with the chorus "Expository papers are the ones that explain" repeating to a beat that helped the explanation stick in children's heads.

The group started performing at parent open houses and PTA meetings and spread to the morning announcements and guest appearances at school events. They estimate they have a catalog of at least 15 songs.

This month, Egypt Lake invited the Krewe of St. Florian, a community service firefighters group that sponsors a reading incentive at the school. Children who earn the most Accelerated Reader points can win a spot in the Gasparilla children's parade with the krewe. Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computer program where students accumulate points based on how well they test on books at various levels.

At the end of the krewe's presentation, teacher Tracy Gonzalez introduced the Word Up Crew. Students at the assembly screamed as "Big E" and "Da Man" ran out from an adjacent building onto a play court. They jogged around the group and launched into "I'm into the AR zone," a takeoff on Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" from the movie "Top Gun."

"Are you guys awake?" Etherton Big E shouted. "Put your hands up!"

Teachers sang along, and the Word Up Crew danced and mugged to the crowd. When the last song ended, they sprinted back into the music room.

Children spotted Etherton and Willoughby in their street clothes afterward. "That was you," a couple of students said.

No, the men said. The Word Up Crew was back in another classroom, getting changed. Etherton and Willoughby had been watching the show with everyone else - the students hadn't seen them, they said.

"We saw them," Willoughby said. "They were awesome."

Reporter Courtney Cairns Pastor can be reached at (813) 865-1503 or cpastor@tampatrib.com.

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