During homeroom on Dec. 7, a remix of the Hanukkah song “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” came over the speaker. Although the intentions were good, some students were upset with the timing of the song and the rendition chosen. 

“The gesture was nice, but they did a poor job of executing it,” said WHS junior Zach Rever.  “They played the song on the [sixth] night of Hanukkah showing that they originally forgot about it. The song that was selected was also very elementary and it seemed to me as more of a joke than the school honoring the holiday.”

WHS senior Justin Messerman felt similarly, saying, “Hearing the dreidel song over the loudspeaker during homeroom was nice, but it was also laughable given that we were listening to a little kids version.”

In regards to the “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel” rendition that was played, WHS junior and SGA corresponding secretary John Czarnecki acknowledged that it was not the best decision. “That was a complete mistake on my part and I apologize to anyone that I offended,” he said. “My desire was to play a Hanukkah song, but I picked a poor and offensive rendition of one, which is 100 percent on me.”

So how exactly are these morning songs chosen?

Every day during homeroom, Czarnecki chooses a clip of the song that will be played right before the announcements. According to Czarnecki, he is the one in charge of selecting the song, but he is always looking for recommendations.

Czarnecki also discussed the challenges of picking the music, as there are certain rules set in place by the administration.  “It can be tough sometimes to find songs that students will like because of the harsh restrictions that we have for what we must play,” said Czarnecki. “It must be ‘clean,’ but the definition of clean is very vague, so we have to be very cautious with the songs that are played.”

WHS senior and SGA Vice President Emma Herber echoed Czarnecki, also mentioning how limiting the restrictions can be. “We couldn’t even play ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ because it says ‘the smell of wine,’ but we try to do our best to have songs that everyone likes and that are fun,” said Herber.

If you’re interested in a certain tune playing over the loudspeaker, you can email the SGA at [email protected] or dm their Instagram account,    @whs.studentgov, with your suggestions.