Gaithersburg High School’s Student Government Association has gone viral after releasing a short, funny video aimed at a familiar issue in schools everywhere… students arriving late (video available below).
The video uses T-Pain’s song I’m Sprung, timed perfectly to the moment he sings “you do,” while the words “Who needs to start coming to school on time?” appear on the screen. As the lyric hits, various Gaithersburg High School staff members point directly at the camera, delivering the message with humor and personality. Since being posted, the video has already been viewed almost a million times in two days.
The idea started with SGA sponsor Mrs. Nilda Keres, who had seen a similar trend on TikTok and thought it would be a fun way to address ongoing lateness at the school. With a new year approaching, the SGA wanted to promote what they described as a “new year, new attitude” and encourage students to take punctuality seriously, without sounding preachy. The school’s SGA president worked alongside Mrs. Keres to gather clips and ultimately edited and created the final reel.
The goal was not to call students out negatively, but to show that staff genuinely care and are willing to meet students where they are, even if that means jumping into a TikTok trend. According to SGA members, the hope was that the video would motivate students to come to school on time while also showing a lighter, more human side of the staff.
Getting staff involved turned out to be easy. Administrators, security, and teachers were immediately on board once they understood the purpose of the video. The entire filming process took about a day and a half, and the team intentionally waited until the new year to post it.
Despite the strong response from staff, the SGA did not expect the video to take off beyond the school community. They originally thought it would mainly reach Gaithersburg students. Instead, it quickly spread far beyond the building, with viewers from outside the area sharing and commenting. The students behind the video say they are proud that it reflects positively on the school and highlights how much staff are willing to do to support students.
Since students are still on winter break, the only official reaction so far has come from the school’s principal, who the SGA says is very happy and excited to see people enjoying the video.
Behind the scenes, filming the reel was just as entertaining as the final product. The SGA president said it was especially fun to see staff being themselves outside of their usual professional roles. There were plenty of bloopers, including a failed first take where a door unexpectedly locked during filming, forcing them to redo the shot. Another memorable moment involved Mrs. Keres repeatedly being asked by a security guard what was going on during filming, leading to a brief, humorous “crash out” that was later shared as a blooper on the SGA’s story.
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