There is nothing more embarrassing and awkward for an artist than to be caught lip-syncing during a performance. But for Lafayette teachers, lip syncing was encouraged during lunch shifts last week. Numerous teachers participated in a sing-off that resembled the competition as seen on Jimmy Fallon. The faculty battled it out to see who would prepare a final song to perform in front of over 2,000 students at the Academic Pep Assembly.

During the first lunch shift on Tuesday, there was the duel within the Math Department.  Stephanie Hruby entered the stage first and had a surprise twist to start the competition off right. She used her power as the Varsity Escadrille coach to rally the crowd. Escadrille members joined their coach onstage to to provide support for their coach during her own rendition of “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.

Next up was math teacher and football coach Tom Beckmeyer. Already having copious supporters, he had a leg up in the competition. Beckmeyer performed “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond so fellow students would have a chance to sing along. He wore a pair of sunglasses to complete the rockstar look. After he performed, it was clear he had a flair for being onstage.

Shortly after, Kathy Soucy appeared to give the performance of a lifetime. She surprised all of her students by singing a song by Eminem, “Love the Way You Lie”. During the rap solo, she was willing to risk it all when she kicked the microphone down passionately and continued through the song after losing her headband.

The winner was determined by the volume of applause and it was clear who the real winner was. Soucy took the victory with her extravagant rap skills and her gutsy performance.

“Everybody knows I love the Backstreet Boys, so I knew everyone would assume I would sing a song by them. I tried to think of a song that would be funny to have an old, middle aged white lady sing. So I decided on a rap song,” Soucy said. “I knew the words because I would practice in the car so I had a lot of one handed motions. But other than that, I was clueless.”

On Wednesday during second lunch, the competition was fierce between teachers such as Scott Beaver and Doug Ell.

“I practiced in front of my little girl because she’s not judgmental and she cheers me on no matter what,” Beaver said shortly before the show began.

Beaver walked onstage confident in his song choice. Having picked “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor, Beaver wasn’t afraid to shake the competition with his fire dance moves, such as shaking his tailfeather.

Ell had some big shoes to fill. He sang “Magic” by B.o.B. While he was onstage, Ell demonstrated his power dance moves. After a show of hands when the two were done battling it out, it became apparent Beaver had won.

“I feel like I didn’t even win anything because now I have to do it all over again with a new song. Plus, Soucy is intimidating,” Beaver said.

The final sing-off took place on Thursday during third lunch. Lauren Arnet and Natasha Toro put their friendship aside to battle it out in front of their students.

Arnet took the stage first and sang “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé. She wowed the crowd with a sassy hair flip and impressed her students with a full on dance routine. The song along with her performance made her a crowd favorite.

Next up, Toro was faced with the daunting task of outshining her friend. After settling on her song choice, she decided to rap to “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled. She worked the crowd by bouncing around on stage and showing off her gangster style. Her inner rap star came through while performing. It was a close battle—no one knew the verdict after the two had finished. With a slim margin, Toro was the final victor.

While Arnet put up a fight, she couldn’t secure the win.

“It was hard to choose my song. I had to get a lot of input from my students. Ultimately they voted to help me choose. I went to YouTube for a Single Ladies tutorial so that I could practice my dance moves,” Arnet said.

The teachers know what it takes to win over the crowd after performing in front of a bunch of high school students. There’s nothing more amusing than watching your teachers act out of character—come cheer your favorite teacher on at the Academic Pep Assembly.