It all started with an idea, and it took the entire grade to bring it to life. Although the Class of 2024 did not emerge victorious, they put on a show that was all heart. With their choreography, funny jokes, props, and storyline, the seniors paid homage to one of the most iconic ‘80s movies. With their final Class Night performance of Back to the Future, the senior class, led by lead chairpersons, Zachary Buxton and Alayna Matern; art chairpersons Nicole Cardoso and Asia Maghoub; and class advisors, Andrew Rosenberg and Karen Smith, really showed the audience that sometimes it really is about the friends you make along the way.
“There were three main goals this year that I had for Class Night. One was to put on a great show that people would get excited for and enjoy, [the] second was to make sure everyone had fun in the making of the show, and the last was to win,” said Buxton. Buxton, Matern, and others brainstormed and worked for countless hours to write and perfect the script. “Back to the Future is known by all, especially the demographic of Lynbrook parents. [The head chairpersons] knew that Back to the Future would resonate well with all, and we chose it because we thought it gave us the best chance of winning and putting on a great show for the audience to enjoy,” Buxton explained. The script dictates all other aspects of the show like the dances, costumes, and props. After struggling with script writing for years prior, the head chairpersons wanted to reverse the mistakes and showcase the grade’s true talents.
The banner, props, and scenery were designed by Cardoso and Maghoub. Select groups of talented artists banded together and created captivating artwork to blow the audience away and to enhance the skit. The banner featured the iconic DeLorean car, a clock tower, lightning bolts, other ‘80s elements, and main characters Marty McFly and Doc. The box even had a rotating “OUTATIME” license plate.
The props and scenery truly elevated the performance. As the characters traveled through different decades, the prop made the audience feel as if they were truly in the decade with them. The skit featured juke boxes, records, and even a DeLorean that Doc got to ride in.
After the duration of the Class Night preparation period, all these elements came together to create the seniors’ rendition of Back to the Future.
The scene was set with Marty (played by Parker Sloan), Doc (played by Buxton), Einstein (played by David Barrere), and of course, the DeLorean. Doc and Marty are preparing for Marty’s upcoming graduation party. Doc decided to use the DeLorean to bring some friends back from the past to attend Marty’s party as guests. Biff (played by Jake Schetini) and Marty’s 50s-aged parents (played by Gabriella Ramsammy and Joaquin Vergara) emerge from the DeLorean, excited to reunite with Marty and Doc until Biff discovers an electric guitar. The noise from the guitar was so powerful that it caused Doc to fall over, hit his head, and lose all his memory. As a solution to this problem, the gang decides to utilize the DeLorean and bring Doc back in time to pivotal points in his life to try and jog his memory.
They begin by traveling to the ‘80s, where Biff and Doc attend a jazzercise class, one of Doc’s favorite activities back in the ‘80s. The girls emerged in bright neon costumes, dressed as jazzercisers, and ‘80s hits began to play. The girls’ dance was totally tubular and the first step in the journey to bring back Doc’s memory.
Next, the gang traveled to the 2000s, in hopes of sparking more of Doc’s memories as he listened to his favorite boy bands. The leaders of the “Broke Street Boys” (played by Ryan Bergrin, Maxson Weiss, Patrick O’Doherty, Peter Marinos, John Difiore, Craig Leszczak, and Zuhair Khan) introduced themselves to Doc and sang “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. They were then joined by the remaining members of the band and dressed in all white, the senior boys put on a performance to songs by the most popular 2000s boy bands.
Doc had already gained back some lost memory, but to take it further, the gang brought him to the ‘70s, to the moment when he met his first girlfriend. The scene was set with protesters, who were fighting to save the clocktower, when Doc, with help of Marty, approached the girl of his dreams (played by Mae Dooling). She and her protestors, who were members of the kickline team, showed Doc and Marty how they “rocked for the clock,” and performed the kickline dance.
The dance featured iconic songs like “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benetar, “Immigrant Song” by Led Zepplin, and “Dream On” by Aerosmith. There were lifts, tricks, and the girls “rocked it.”
They were forced to leave the ‘70s because of the threat of a storm, but luckily, Doc had regained his memory. They traveled to the ‘50s just in time for a sock hop. The sock hop featured the couples’ dance, and it got the whole crowd smiling and clapping to upbeat ‘50s jams.
The skit concluded with the entire senior class joining together to sing “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day. This song commemorated the memories the class had made while participating in Class Night for the past three years. After having the “time of their lives,” the Class of 2024 is preparing to close this chapter and begin a new one. The sendoff marked the end of Doc and Marty’s journey, and the skit closed when it became time for them to travel “back to the future.”
“My goals were just to give it our best shot. I wanted to bring our grade together and put on a show; we definitely did that,” Matern said. Buxton had a similar reaction to the outcome of the show: “I am very happy with the outcome of the performance. I think we did the best we could, and I think our show blew the audience away. They found it funny, interesting, and a satisfying send off for the senior class.”
Reminiscing on their experiences, both Matern and Buxton, along with many members of the senior class, had a blast participating in Class Night. Although the outcome was not in the seniors’ favor, this year’s Class Night marked immense improvement in performance and united the class to produce something great. Beginning as the sophomore class who came in fourth place, the Class of 2024 improved immensely over the years, finishing second for their final Class Night. From beginning to end, everyone was committed, making great memories and friends along the way.
