Faculty Follies Assembly

By MICHELLE CHOO, ANGELA HE, AVA TRUONG, and FORREST ZENG

What started as a routine Friday assembly on winter safety and mental health took an unexpected turn when faculty revealed the real agenda: Faculty Follies. The assembly quickly became a showcase of humor and hidden talents with teachers trading their usual roles for the spotlight. This year’s performances featured a playful dog show video, an energetic dance compilation, and a rock concert featuring the band Döömsgrïndër that had the audience cheering in equal measure.

Students were caught off guard when the faculty took the stage. “I was expecting something really serious, like a PowerPoint presentation about the feelings we might go through in winter term,” said lower Angelina Wang, “But it was a really pleasant surprise and it was entertaining.” 

Prep Minnie Kim agreed, “It was fun to see the teachers, who are mostly very serious people, get up on stage and really break out some moves.” 

The highlights of the assembly varied for many students. “I really loved the dog videos,” Kim shared. “The rock concert was definitely very loud, and the dance performance was fun, especially since some of my teachers were in it.”  

Upper Stella Heng was particularly impressed by the effort the faculty put into their performances. “It means a lot to see that they put so much time into bringing a smile to our faces during hell weeks,” she said.

Even faculty members were astonished to see their colleagues step into the spotlight. “Astonishment,” answered Instructor in Art Adam Hosmer when asked about the atmosphere in the assembly hall. “I’d never seen a Faculty Follies before, so it was very exciting. Liz Calandra and David Rhee’s dancing was definitely show-stopping, and Mr. Hearon’s dog doing Shakespeare was pretty cool too.”

For many, this assembly felt like a perfect way to kick off the winter term. “It was effective in making me happier for winter term,” said Wang. 

Kim added, “It was sneaky for them to call it a health and safety assembly, but it was good.” 

The surprise element of the assembly was the perfect touch to transform an otherwise mundane Friday into a hysterical memory. Upper Tiffany Sun thought that it was the perfect dash of whimsy into a weekday.  “I think for a lot of people their advisors had said that it was going to be a very important assembly about mental health, so we were all kind of preparing for a grim lecture,” Sun said. “But then we came in and saw all the faculty preparing to do silly things.”

Other students noted that the assembly allowed them to see another side of their teachers. “I think it was great. It’s just always fun to see your teachers in a different light. No matter if it’s at the grocery store and you see them and you realize you have a life or if it’s at the assembly where they are on stage. And you know you get to see them in costume! It’s really funny,” said upper Sophie Yu. 

Sun agreed: “It was nice to see our faculty outside of the classroom environment.”

While Faculty Follies might seem purely for fun, many agree that it was necessary. Especially during the bleak atmosphere of “Hell Weeks,” time set aside for pure entertainment can completely change students’ moods. Yu said, “I think it’s pretty necessary, especially to lift spirits during a more dreary period of transition where we are starting a new term and for uppers and seniors it’s especially tense.”

The whole event took a massive amount of planning. Faculty rehearsed secretly, often disguising rehearsals as official meetings. “Some groups practiced in the evening, the deans used our office meetings to practice; a lot of secret rehearsals happened to make sure we were ready for the big day,” Dean of Students Ashley Taylor said.

Instructor in English Tyler Caldwell was central to planning and organizing the entire Assembly. Caldwell expressed his happiness with the event as a whole. “Faculty Follies is for the students—to bring some joy, spontaneity, and laughter to their week,” he said. “But, I also love the opportunity it provides the faculty to come together and have fun.”

It is easy to underestimate the importance of a few faculty members gallivanting on stage, but Faculty Follies brings an undeniable energy to campus. For the price of a half hour, students left Assembly with smiles on their faces and hopefully a lightness that will propel them during these last few days until winter break.