Ever scroll through TikTok and see a trend you wish you could bring to your school? Good news—you can! Social media continuously generates viral trends that successfully draw millions of views from audiences. High schoolers actively participate in many of these internet fads, including challenges and viral dances. Unfortunately, not every trend is school-appropriate. However, in your position as a social media intern, you have the unique opportunity to transform your school social media pages into exciting media outlets that align with school values without crossing the limits of appropriateness. In this guide, you will learn to identify trends while making them relevant to your school values. Then, produce exciting content that generates high engagement levels!
At Kearney High School, we started releasing trending videos every Friday. This consistency gave our community something to look forward to each week and motivated us to create fresh, engaging content regularly. One of our most successful videos (the Teacher Walkout) featured teachers walking out of their classrooms to a song of their choice. It performed so well that we created a second version featuring coaches, which also gained significant traction. Another highly engaging reel from a homecoming week pep rally showcased our students’ strong school spirit. Lastly, my personal favorite, a School Tour Video scripted by interns, was a fun, creative, and engaging way to highlight our school.
Step 1: Identify Popular Trends
The first step is to stay up-to-date by following creators who post content through TikTok and Instagram, and by watching viral video hashtags. Also look for videos that capture viewer interest through songs that have gone viral, popular challenges, or intriguing approaches to storytelling, as well as educational trends.
Recent examples include: teachers guessing student names by their voice, a school tour video with an adult using a student-created script, and athletes or teachers surprised with requests to sign childhood pictures.
Editor’s Note:
This piece is a step-by-step walkthrough created by Raghad Elfawal, a student content creator from a public high school in Nebraska. At Class Intercom, we’re passionate about empowering content creators to learn new skills and evolve existing ones. That includes formal instruction in the classroom, learning by doing, and experimenting with tools and ideas. The next step is sharing that knowledge with others. The Insights from Student Content Creators series allows students to share their knowledge and experiences with a global audience.
Step 2: Evaluate for School Appropriateness
After identifying a trend, it is essential to evaluate its alignment with the school’s core values. Ask questions like:
- Does the trend involve inappropriate language, gestures, or themes?
- Could the trend be dangerous or disruptive in a school setting?
- Does the trend or skit promote inclusivity and respect?
Step 3: Adapt the Trend to a School-Safe Version
Now for the fun part: Making the trend your own! The following steps demonstrate how to modify viral content for school applications:
For a viral dance: To create school-friendly dances, replace provocative moves with appropriate choreography while switching to either an instrumental version or a clean version of trending songs.
Example: Drew and Danny twining trend.
For Challenges: The challenge should transition into a friendly competition instead of dangerous dares.
Example: Interview-style questions to win a prize or a Guess-the-Teacher challenge.
For Storytelling: Source material that relies on storytelling needs to adopt light-hearted techniques for promoting school functions.
Example: Things at our school that just make sense.
Step 4: Share and Repeat!
Once the video is edited and reviewed by an advisor, it is ready to be published on the school’s official social media platforms. Study the engagement levels of the posted video and read the comments to help create better videos in the future. We like to promote engagement by asking a question in the caption or encouraging our audience to leave a specific emoji in the comments (for example: Drop a 💙 in the comments to help cheer on our Bearcats at State).
Now it’s your turn! Pick a trend, adapt it, and start creating. Your school’s next viral moment could be just one post away!
About the Author
Raghad Elfawal
Raghad is a senior at Kearney High School in Kearney, Nebraska, where she is part of a team of social media interns who help create content for the school. She enjoys being able to give back to her school community while learning and building skills. Next year, Raghad plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Kearney in pursuit of a Public Relations and Advertising degree.
This story is part of a series called Insights from Student Content Creators. If you know a student, educator, or community member with a skill or story to share about the power of content and storytelling, send them our way! Amplifying student voices and sharing authentic stories is at the core of who we are. Drop us a line and let’s get in touch.
