Art Teacher Robert Zurenko and Library Technology Specialist Joelle Sabbagh created a lyric video for their original song “Driveline.” Over the course of two years, Canton’s dynamic duo wrote music and created animations from scratch to produce a device reminding students of proper Driveline procedures at dismissal.
Canton educators Robert Zurenko and Joelle Sabbagh created a song to help students prepare for the afternoon Driveline procedure.
The idea for Zurenko and Sabbagh’s musical creation stemmed from their routine helping students in the afternoon Driveline. The pair found themselves telling scholars the same things every day to the point they memorized the words, tone, and cadence of instructions. That’s when they came to the epiphany: “We should make this a song.”
After collaborating on lyrics and a tune, Zurenko and Sabbagh recorded a demo and then came together for a final recording. Zurenko said he used Aseprite, a pixel art tool, to design the visuals. He made pixel characters of himself and Sabbagh as well as three cars. Zurenko said scholars enjoy the pixel art because it reminds them of Pokémon or Minecraft.
Zurenko animated the characters in Aseprite, an animation tool, and said scholars often relate the style to Pokemon or Minecraft.
Both Zurenko and Sabbagh thought the song was important to create because they wanted scholars to have a daily reminder of procedures. With devices like these, it’s no surprise Canton has outperformed the local district for 14 years.
“If something goes wrong in Driveline, it’s a safety issue,” Zurenko said. “I think it’s important that scholars know what’s going on. In the winter, it gets cold, so we want to make sure they’re paying attention and looking for their car. If they don’t, they risk being left on the cold curb crying, and we don’t want that.”
Sabbagh said that the process involved two months of combined work that the pair did slowly over the course of two years.
Scholars at Canton love the song, and classes play the video before afternoon Driveline daily. They’re also fascinated with the work of their teachers, often complimenting Zurenko and Sabbagh and asking how they made it.
While they are glad scholars are getting equipped to take on Driveline every day, this teaching tandem is grateful the song also serves as a connection point for students.
“It’s a really great way to connect people,” Sabbagh said. “This Driveline song is bringing them all together. Different age groups, grade levels, and friend groups can all connect over this song.”
Classes show the video right before dismissal, sharing helpful reminders to make Driveline safer for everyone involved.
With the Driveline song complete, Zurenko and Sabbagh will continue to work on other tools for teachers, but their friendship is at the heart of everything they do as a team.
“We get through everything together,” Zurenko said. “At school, it’s nice to have help and a friend that you can work together with.”
“It definitely makes things more fun,” Sabbagh added. “You might be having the hardest day, but there’s someone there to laugh about it, and that’s sort of how the song came about.”
Way to bring some fun to a daily routine, Robert and Joelle!
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About Canton Charter Academy
Canton Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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