The Dance Twitter Built

Turnabout. Sadie Hawkins. King of Hearts. Winter Dance. People call it a lot of different things, but one thing that is consistent is that Leyden hasn’t had a Turnabout dance in over five years. Numbers were low. Students just weren’t that excited about it. We tried different approaches; formal, informal, themed. It just seemed to make sense take the dance off the calendar. And we did. That is until this last Friday night. We had out first Turnabout dance in five years. And you know what? It was a HUGE success.

Anyone who was involved with the dance several years ago can tell you that the intention was always great and there was always a great group of students wanting to be involved. Isn’t that always the case though? But, for a variety of reasons, the interest just wasn’t there anymore. So, instead of continuing to push it, we made the decision to hold off for a while and see where that would lead.

Over the last few years, different groups of students have asked about bringing the dance back. Last year, we even looked at some possible dates, but when time came to start planning, interest had waned. So, what changed that led to last Friday night’s Turnabout, a dance where nearly 800 students came out and had a great time? Well, the truth is, everything and nothing. Students always have great ideas and they are always willing to step up. However, now, more than ever, we have worked hard to empower our students and ensure that they know that not only is their voice heard, but it is listened to. This dance is a perfect example of that.

We have really placed a concentrated emphasis on working to create student voice and empowerment; not simply hearing them out, but really working hard to provide opportunities so that students can actually accomplish real, tangible changes and know that their ideas are listened to. It starts with something as simple as being present in the halls, saying hello and talking with students. If they bring up an idea, listen. Work towards a building culture where ideas and creativity are encouraged and open. Provide venues for students to have these discussions and bring these ideas forward. While we are not perfect and are always looking to improve, because of our conscious and constant efforts, our culture of communication and openness gets better and better every day.

As we continue to grow, what becomes more and more clear is that we are here to serve our students; not the other way around. Through our conference, we build our junior Leadership Team, consisting of students from sports and activities alike. These students define and tackle real issues that are important to them, and throughout the last three years, what they have accomplished is impressive. The birth of our popular video announcements. Discussions with our administration about creating an honors level PE course. A renewed focus on getting students involved at school, with talks about bringing back Turnabout. Just this last year, we have had several groups of students bring us wonderful ideas about clubs they wanted to start, including “ExcELLence,” a group focused on getting our ELL and minority populations more involved in the school culture, as well as “Rebels with a Cause,” a group of students who want to come together to simply do good. What’s more incredible is that both of these groups were developed by freshmen. Why? Because they know that in their school, their ideas matter and their voices are heard. We are really excited to see what these groups can do!

That’s where Twitter comes in. Last Fall, after a successful Homecoming Week, students continued to bring up the idea of having a Turnabout dance. Our Leadership team wanted to help. So did our Girls Cross Country Team. And our Freshmen Class Board. And Choir. We couldn’t deny the fact that this is something our students wanted, but we were hesitant; would the interest still be there after a cold, long winter? (we never imagined it would be this cold and long) Then it happened. The night after our Homecoming Dance, one of our seniors who is well respected and liked, sent a tweet to our Principal, Jason Markey, with a simple message-bring back Turnabout. So, Jason did what he is so great at doing. He listened, and replied along these lines: Let’s see how much support there is for Turnabout. Retweet if you’re interested.

150 retweets and nearly an hour later, it was clear; this is something that our students want. And the retweets kept on coming. The next day, students were asking us all day long whether or not the dance was going to happen. We both knew it was, and before long, the planning was on. What’s amazing though is that all of the groups who said they wanted to make this happen-the leadership team, cross country, class board, choir-didn’t miss a beat. They hit the ground running and never looked back.

After five years without a dance, a dedication to student empowerment and voice, working hard to create a culture of ideas and creativity and one crazy Twitter campaign, Leyden brought back Turnabout. But Leyden didn’t just bring it back; Leyden students brought it back, and with class. 800 students came out for the evening and had a great time. That’s when I was chatting with Jason Markey and sent him a picture of the dance.

His reply? “The dance Twitter built…” What an amazing concept. What a cool thought. It brings a smile to my face knowing that this is something our students did. And I couldn’t be more proud.