In a fun and unique twist to the school day, Cardozo staff members have begun taking over the bell playlist, offering students a fresh and entertaining experience throughout their school day.
In the past, Cardozo has often chosen songs and instrumental tunes to play during passing, reflecting holidays and heritage months. Now, students and fellow staff members get to know the teachers and staff throughout the building through their taste in music and bell selection tracks.
From classic hits to their personal favorites, teachers and staff showcased their personalities into the daily soundtrack. The “Staff Takeover” event has been a huge hit, bringing together students and faculty in a fun way.
Two staff members brought about the idea, Ms. Hochman and Ms. Calcagno. Ms. Calcagno shared that she came up with the idea from Sirius XM Radio.
“I listen to Sirius XM in the morning in the car on the way to school and they usually have on Pop2K. They were doing a “takeover,” which was MySpace Top 8 themed and the idea popped into my head for the staff to be able to take over the bell music in the same fashion,” she explained.
Since then, the idea has taken the school by storm, as teachers rush to get their top hits into the rotation for the takeover spots.
“When I saw that we were starting this, I immediately rushed to fill out the Google Form,” Ms. Gutterman, journalism teacher, shared. “Music is such a huge part of all of our identities, and you can really get to know someone based on what they listen to regularly.”
“I love it,” shared history and law teacher, Ms. Adezio. “I think it’s a great way to get teachers involved in the school and also get teachers in a positive headspace throughout the day. Also, it’s fun to get to know people’s taste in music.”
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Mr. Kroll, English and broadcast journalism teacher, shared that it helps bring people together. “There are times where I’ve gone and spoken to teachers about their music taste that I’ve never really spoken to before this. It’s been a bonding experience.”
“The staff takeover playlist allows staff members to share their personalities and their interests with the building and provides a sense of community and belonging,” explained Assistant Principal Ms. Rothenberg. “Additionally, there is no greater unifier than sharing music with the people we care about.”
Students have also been thoroughly enjoying the takeovers, with many of them sharing it’s a fresh change of pace.
Senior Falisha Majid said that she enjoys it because it’s a huge change from what we usually listen to every day at school. Jack Wang, another Cardozo senior, said it’s fun to hear throwback songs on the playlists and songs that he doesn’t usually hear on his own rotation.
Freshman Joshua Torres explained, “I don’t love all of the songs but it’s cool to get a lot of different genres and a lot of music from different generations.”
Student Mehnaz Rinik also felt it keeps things fun, sharing, “It’s nice to not hear the same soundtrack every single day. It’s good to have a change.” Senior Ryan Lin agreed, saying that it’s good to have different things and it’s been fun to get a new playlist everyday.
It’s clear that the Cardozo community is truly having a blast with the new Staff Takeovers. Keep an ear out to see if your favorite teacher gets featured this week!