Chaos erupted in the choir room during fifth period on Thursday, March 5, when an exhausted group of students allegedly turned a routine rhythm-stick exercise into what witnesses are now calling “the most violent musical uprising in school history.”
Instead of using their fists, students reportedly chose to settle their differences with the wooden rhythm sticks Mrs. Gurguis has them practice with every day. By the end of the incident, the choir room had descended into what some described as a full-scale battlefield, complete with flying sticks, emotional breakdowns, and at least one student dramatically yelling, “This is what Frozen has done to us!”
According to Mrs. Gurguis, the class had been unusually fatigued because it was show week for Frozen.
“They were tired and had little interest in learning their music,” Mrs. Gurguis said, in what may be the understatement of the year.
All but two students in the fifth-period choir were involved in the production and had reportedly been staying at school until 10 p.m. each night for rehearsals.
“I don’t think anyone in the cast has gotten a decent amount of sleep this whole week,” one anonymous cast member said. “At this point, I don’t even know if I’m a person anymore. I’m just a tired body in costume moving from class to class.”
Witnesses say tensions were already dangerously high when Mrs. Gurguis instructed students to pick up their rhythm sticks despite repeated complaints of exhaustion. With the jazz concert rapidly approaching, there was no time for rest, mercy, or apparently peace.
The violence reportedly began when Adavious Gigax, who sources say was “half asleep and barely among the living,” accidentally struck Zuzu Bailey in the head while tapping out rhythms. Bailey immediately retaliated, but in a tragic twist, her rhythm stick slipped from her hand and hit Owain Kelsey directly in the face.
At that point, according to students, the room “completely lost all sense of civilization.”
“It all happened so fast,” one anonymous choir student said. “One minute we were counting beats, and the next minute people were choosing sides like it was some kind of ancient war. I saw betrayal. I saw fear. I saw a freshman dive behind a piano for cover.”
Mrs. Gurguis reportedly attempted to regain control of the room, but her commands were drowned out by the sound of wooden sticks colliding and students screaming things such as “For Zuzu!” and “Owain didn’t deserve this!”
School officials say the conflict escalated so quickly that the principal was forced to enter the room with a police officer in what staff is now referring to as a “high-risk fine arts intervention.” It reportedly took all three adults several minutes to separate the students and bring the rhythm-stick rebellion to an end.
Although the entire group was initially sent to the principal’s office, they were later redirected to the counselor’s office after administrators determined the violence had likely been caused by a dangerous combination of sleep deprivation, rehearsal stress, academic pressure, and unchecked choir emotions.
“They’re all good kids. Some are even in NHS,” the principal said. “I knew immediately this was not a criminal matter. This was a performing arts collapse.”
No major injuries were reported, though several students suffered bruises, splinters, and what one staff member described as “serious theatrical exhaustion.” The nurse’s office remained busy for the rest of the day removing splinters and listening to dramatic retellings of the event.
In response, the school’s fine arts department has begun discussing new safety measures for future dress weeks, including mandatory naps, emotional support snacks, and the possible classification of rhythm sticks as controlled classroom weapons.
At press time, the choir was expected to resume rehearsal as scheduled.
