'They pushed themselves to greatness': Milwaukee College Prep 38th Street glee club goes viral on social media
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Their harmonies close to perfection with every note executed carefully, preparing to make the world their stage.
The students at Milwaukee College Preparatory School on 38th Street made big noise in rehearsal and online.
This summer, a video produced to be seen by donors of the MPS Charter School got a few more eyeballs on it, going viral on social media.
The video has more than 40,000 views on Facebook, racking up more than 1,000 likes and shares.
The viral obsession with the video is easy to see and hear, but glee in the halls of MCP, 38th Street goes beyond singing.
"It's about having people beside you and having fun while you do it, having people to learn from,", said Jace Madison, a sixth grader and a member of the glee club.
Madison, who's wise beyond his years, said glee is a form of therapy.
"Sometimes I can be very stressed, but then I know it's that glee club day, and that will turn it all around," said Madison.
The club serves as a backdrop to help cultivate young dreams and aspirations.
"What do you want be when you grow up? A singer, a model, and an actor," said Brielle Hawthorne, a sixth grader and member of the glee club.
Going beyond the preparatory schools four walls.
"I got two colleges, but if I wanted to go to one, it's Kentucky," said Bentley Fowlkes, sixth grader and Glee club member.
The origins of the club date back only a year ago, founded by a faculty member who the students simply call, Chambers.
"The most perfect human you can get to perfect," said Fowlkes.
Chambers has been with the school for nearly five years.
The beloved teacher wanted to create something for the students that went beyond the ordinary eye.
"They’ve been breaking barriers for twenty years and more, constantly, every year, pushing that excellence for African American students," said Chambers
"A new superpower," said Madison.
"They pushed themselves to greatness once they got the skill to say hey this is what I'm looking for this is what I need to do, they achieved it and went further," said Chambers.
The students made the viral video, while using professional-grade equipment, making their pipes crystal clear to hear.
"It was very fun. We got to go in groups," said Hawthorne.
And while the fun was there, the students of course learned the ways of the pros.
"Tempo, speed, lyrics, flow, all that good stuff right there," said Fowlkes.
The program has broken the mold on what it means to be the cool kid.
"The people are different, what we do is different, the person who taught us is different," said Madison.
Chambers, the school's first openly transgender employee, said this club and the school hits every note on acceptance.
"The world was not ready for someone like me, and to come into this school every day and see the acceptance, see the love, see the inclusion, see the diversity, I think we are doing our job completely, because that is what America stands for," said Chambers.
Chambers and the students hope to keep the glee club operating for years to come.