Lynn Classical teachers to hit the dance floor

LYNN – Most high school students couldn?t imagine seeing their teachers drop it low or trying to dance. However, students at Classical High School will get to revel in their teachers? embarrassment tonight for “Dancing with the Teachers.”Classical?s Koolie High Swag Team is hosting the event. Eight teachers will be joining members from the Swag team to make teams and compete against each other. It will be at Classical Auditorium at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door. All money will go to support the dance team.Math and special education teacher Estelle Dill is one of the teachers participating in the event. Dill decided to get involved to further connections with students. “It is an opportunity to get involved with the students and connect with them outside the classroom,” said Dill.?I was surprised to see how excited the students were to teach us,” said Dill.?I just wanted to see the kids in a different aspect outside of school,” said teacher Mark Gately, who is also performing with the students.Dill will be performing a hip hop dance and this is her first time learning hip hop. “I needed a lot of practice,” she said. “I needed step-by-step instructions.”While this is Dill?s first time learning the swag of hip hop, she says the girls in Koolie High Swag Team are anything but amateurs. “They are amazing,” said Dill. “They are naturals at what they do.”For the students, it has been fun to get to see a different side of their teachers. “It was cool,” said freshman Joke´ Jolaogo. “The teachers were fun to work with.”While working with the teachers has been fun, teaching them the dance moves hasn?t been easy. “It has been a little hard teaching them,” junior Nichelle Cox said.Putting the event together wasn?t easy either. “It was hard. It took a lot of patience and dedication,” said Koolie High Swag Team?s co-president Martine Valentin, who will also be hosting the event. Valentin is quick to thank her peers Britney Greer and Varvarra Valentin, who also helped her with planning the event.?They are so talented and amazing,” said club supervisor Colleen McNulty. “They have done all the work. I just make sure everything is OK.”?What I am most amazed about is how the girls juggle everything,” said Dill. “Some of these girls have jobs and they are all full time students and yet they make it here to practice. It shows a commitment to our school.”With the big performance tonight, nerves are shockingly calm. “I am amazingly not nervous,” said Dill.Most of the students just want to get in front of a live audience. “I am most excited to get in front of the crowd and see how they all react,” said Valentin. They also are excited to see each other?s dances. “I just want to see the different dances people come up with,” said Jolaogo.The event has been causing buzz around the school. In one day, they sold 106 tickets for the event. “At first I was afraid that no one would come but now I am worried we won?t have enough room for everyone,” said McNulty.The idea for the event happened when another teacher told McNulty that Danvers High School did a similar event. “I went to the kids with the idea and they all loved it,” said McNulty. “Luckily, I found teachers willing to make a fool out of themselves.”The Koolie High Swag Team is extremely grateful for the teachers who participated. “We appreciate the teachers for doing this and moving around their schedules,” said Valentin. “I am proud of all of them and now they are a part of Koolie High Swag Team.”?It is all about building a connection with the students,” said Dill. “That is most important.”