MONTREAL — Sara Camacho, 19, has always had one dream: to sing, but her shyness has been a major obstacle to her goal.
Yet, when her classmate at John Grant High School came up with the idea to make a music video, she knew it was her chance to make it happen.
“At first, it was difficult, but then I realized that I can pretty much do anything,” said Camacho.
Music teacher Marie Francis asked students write and perform a song; a government grant allowed the group to have their piece professionally recorded.
The result: a powerful story, and a boost of self-esteem for the students involved.
“It definitely made us closer, especially showing and expressing and writing down our emotions,” said Camacho.
Students at John Grant High School have learning disabilities.
Every day at school is a challenge, so their teachers are constantly coming up with innovative ways to make them shine.
“The students are talking about breaking through the barriers,” said Francis.
“Basically, some people see them, because they’re special needs, as ‘special-stupid’ as I sometimes say. They’re not. They just have different ways of expressing themselves, expressing their emotions.”
The song, titled Breakthrough, is an emotional one.
It tells of the struggles the students encounter and the challenges they continue to face in their everyday lives.
“Some of the students who you see in this video are selective deaf-mutes, who actually perform for the first time,” said Francis.
“Other students are talking about the deaths in their families, either of their parents, or talking about how people see them as second class citizens.”
“Certain stuff came out about everyone that was kind of shocking, that we didn’t know,” said 15-year-old Joshua Phillips.
“After that it was like ‘woah that’s a lot of emotions.'”
Teacher Catherine Rendell-Green said she was in shock when she heard the song for the first time.
“I had goosebumps. I was in tears,” she said.
She decided to take the project one step further.
“I wanted it to be visual,” said Rendell-Green.
“The song is so strong and it can’t just be listened to, it has to be experienced. When we showed it at our last assembly, there were probably tears from most of the staff, and many of the students were in awe.”
“It felt kind of good,” said Phillips.
“After doing all of that, I’m like damn, imagine what I could do if I go through with it. Like, if I continue pushing and motivate myself, who knows what could happen next.”
The students have not only become the latest superstars of John Grant High School, they’ve also gained an important dose of self-confidence and learned an invaluable lesson: they really can do anything they set their minds to.
WATCH: The music video for Breakthrough below: