Sometimes, in the midst of exam week preparations and stress, all you need is an opportunity to kick back, relax, throw out some dollar bills, and watch your favorite economics teacher’s cover of “I’m Too Sexy.”

That’s exactly what St. Louis U. High students were able to do at the annual Teacher Karaoke event on Dec. 14, the Tuesday before fall semester exams began. This annual event is planned and hosted by the National Honor Society; the karaoke is supplied by faculty members daring enough to perform in front of hundreds of teenage boys. All proceeds raised during the performances are donated to a charity of the NHS’s choice; this year, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) was the charity of choice.

“In the end, the event was a huge success,” said senior Gavin Lawhorn, NHS president. “We raised around $3,000 for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, which is Henry Diemler’s charity that goes to researching muscular dystrophy and providing financial aid for those that need it.”

PPMD fights to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the condition that Diemler has. Of course, NHS and the rest of the SLUH community were eager to support this cause.

“I'm glad to be here for this charity, which is really what it was about,” said AP Economics teacher Rob Hill.  “It was about actually trying to get kids to come enjoy the charity of the Diemler parents’ foundation that they've set up.”

Hill was the first to perform, rocking the stage right off the bat with his cover of the 2007 hit “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred. Catching the student body off-guard with his surprising song choice, he sang and danced with a number of props and well-planned choreography.

“This is my very first year looking at it,” explained Hill. “I've never seen this thing before, but somebody said it's not just karaoke. There's actually more to it. Okay, so I got all these costumes. I got wigs. I got hats. I got a stuffed animal dog. So this would be kind of funny. I just hope I don't embarrass myself nor my freshman son.”

Hopefully Hill’s son doesn’t get embarrassed over his father flaunting his God-given assets up on stage in front of his entire school, or else they may have had a few disagreements at home. But it’s all for charity, right?

Hill’s exhilarating entertainment was followed up by the acoustic rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” performed by math teachers Joe Stickley, Dan Becvar, and Tracy Lyons, along with counselors Ken Mckenna and Walter Kempf.

With the bar set high by the preceding performances, those expectations were surely met with the boisterous rock of Latin teacher duo Jennifer Ice and Rich Esswein. They both graced the stage with a sudden turn in the music vibe, showcasing their unparalleled enthusiasm and energy. 

“Our song was “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne,” said Ice. “Mr. Esswein and I did the song because that was the agreement when we were asked.” 

Ice and Esswein made the perfect pair, partly because of their mutual understanding of their weaknesses as vocalists.

“Neither one of us can sing,” said Ice. “We didn’t give much thought to the song.”

That didn’t prevent the performace’s contagious emotions from piercing through the hearts of the SLUH students like a Crazy Train.

“I was involved in Teacher Karaoke years ago when it first started,” said Ice. “I did it a few times but stopped because I can't sing at all and I felt like the odd woman out because everyone else could sing.”   

Ice may have gone off the rails by agreeing to do it again, but their performance was an instant hit in the crowd.

“Mr. Esswein and I were both asked by members of the NHS to do it,” said Ice. “I had no plans of ever doing it again, but Mr. Esswein and I couldn’t say no to John West. And of course I love raising money for a good charity cause.”

To conclude the competition, no one was expecting a full-on rendition of “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, but Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ took it on, and man did he deliver. Then again, he did seem to have an unfair advantage.

“Undergrad, I majored in vocal performance,” said Stewart. “I have a master’s degree in choral conducting. I’d say over the last 20 years I’ve been in a lot of performances as a professional singer and professional choir stage shows.”

Some might conclude that his entire life’s work has led up to this performance. Others may argue that his priesthood is the result of these studies. We may never know. Either way, both Stewart and his audience enjoyed the event immensely.

“I thought it was so fun,” said Stewart. “It was an amazing experience of a community coming together after a difficult semester to just enjoy it. It was just a voluntary recreational thing, but to see so many people there enjoying each other, I just thought it was incredible.”

For the grand finale, the entire faculty and staff present at the event climbed up on stage to perform “Jingle Bell Rock” together, accompanied by the crowd of Jr. Bills. Arm in arm, their voices mingling in a symphony of Christmas spirit, SLUH’s own spirit showed for just a moment, only to soon be crushed  by semester exams.