A tribute to teachers everywhere

Gabrielyn Watson touches many lives as choir director at Morgan Park High School on the south side of Chicago. One of her former pupils, Peter Frank, went on to become a finalist in Season 10 of "American Idol," and now works in the entertainment industry in California. But not long ago, he heard that his high school choir director went through a "rough patch" with her health, so he returned to Morgan Park to encourage her, and he wasn't alone. Other graduates who once sang in Ms. Watson's choir returned with him. They hid in doorways as she entered the school corridor for what she believed would be a "televised teacher interview."

                                                                                                                       YouTube video
Watch this YouTube video to see and hear what happened when Frank stepped into the hall in front of Ms. Watson and began singing "Amazing Grace." Then another of her former choir members stepped from a doorway and sang with him. And another, and another, and another (some of whom she had not seen for years) joined the chorus. Eventually she sang with them, but not before she dropped to the floor, sobbing. When he was her student, she bought Frank a tux for a choir competition because he could not afford one. After singing, he wept as he admitted to her, "Because of you, I am everything I am today." Watson says, "It's just great to feel loved, and that what you do matters." This video shows the power of love.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHH6oQl9z5k