Videos of Margaret Starkes rapping with her students are nothing new to Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Ms. Starkes, principal of Pittsburgh Miller pre-K-5 in the Hill District, always makes a big deal out of back-to-school celebrations, and this year is no different.
Known as Pittsburgh’s “rapping principal,” she remixed Drake’s “In My Feelings” to give it a PPS spin and welcome students back for the 2018-19 school year.
The video, which features teachers and students as her backup dancers on Freedom Corner, was posted to the district’s Facebook page Sunday night and had about 10,000 views by noon Monday.
“When I went into education I always tried to find innovative ways to engage my students,” Ms. Starkes said.
“It was pretty jaw-dropping when (the kids) first saw me do it,” she said. “They love it, they love it.”
Ms. Starkes issued a challenge to other schools throughout the school district to put their own stamp on similar performances, and teachers and principals have already said they plan on participating. And, Ms. Starkes promised, Pittsburgh Miller will mark the first day of school Aug. 24 like it always does: with a huge bash and a surprise theme.
She has led Pittsburgh Miller for eight years, and has been an educator with Pittsburgh Public since 1993.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, she graduated from Pittsburgh Peabody High School and attended California University of Pennsylvania. But before she was a teacher, she was a rapper. Ms. Starkes said she was a teenager when she became the first female rap artist from Pittsburgh to release a record.
When she became a teacher, she realized that her musical talent enabled her to connect with more students and get them to engage. She’s been posting music videos and rolling out the red carpet — literally — for back-to-school celebrations for years.
Her dream, she said, is to make it onto The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“I try my best to try and create a culture where students and families want their children to be at,” Ms. Starkes said.
Elizabeth Behrman: Lbehrman@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1590 or @Ebehrman on Twitter.
First Published: July 30, 2018, 4:53 p.m.
