Middle schoolers' viral song reminds Super Bowl goers how to stay warm in Minnesota
— -- As thousands arrive in Minnesota from across the country for the Super Bowl this Sunday, one middle school class came up with a catchy song to remind out-of-town guests what to pack to keep warm.
Franklin Middle School teacher Michael Bratsch, who's known as Mr. B to his class, joined "GMA" with his students from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to talk about their hit song "Coats, Hats and Gloves."
Bratsch said their "Welcome to Minnesota" song, which has more than 220,000 views on Facebook, was inspired by the magnitude of hosting the Super Bowl in the Bold North this year.
The students, under Bratsch's leadership, worked together with the performing arts department and another teacher in the school district over several weeks to come up with the tune. He said "it pays tribute to the Minneapolis sound" that many people might recognize from the state's home-grown musicians including Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
"People call us the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis of the school district," Bratsch said of his friend and fellow teacher, Adrian Davis, who collaborated with him on the song.
"Mr. B wrote some of the lyrics and then he had the idea that we should write some lyrics," one of the sixth-grade students, Nakaiya Abdullah, told "GMA". "You know, we wanted to get the message out that when you come to Minnesota, you need coats, hats and gloves."
Mother nature even pitched in, creating the perfect winter backdrop just in time for the class to shoot their masterpiece.
"Hollywood pays millions of dollars to get the type of scene that we had set for us," Bratsch said. "They started to say winter storm coming and we're like, 'This could be perfect.' And, lo and behold, on that Thursday, snow was falling and it was cold."
Bratsch said the success of the project was a win for everyone because it builds community, showcases unity through project-based learning and "also the hook is so catchy."
The stage is set as Super Bowl festivities are set to begin in the students' home state and they are happy to be a part of it.
"I'm very excited for the Super Bowl to finally come to Minnesota when I'm here," Nakaiyah said.
