PERDIDO – Nobody said learning has to be serious all the time.

While state testing is serious business (it affects a district’s standing and accreditation level), a little levity can result in relaxed students who do better on the standardized tests.

So while preparing students for the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Plus Test (ARMT+), the staff and administration at Perdido School decided to mix in a little pop culture fun. Sort of Duck Dynasty meets Baldwin County.

Students in grades three through eight had a light-hearted blast the annual ARMT+ pep rally put on by the middle school faculty and staff at Perdido School. This year’s theme was, “Miss Kay Says, “Squirrel Brains Make You Smart,” and involved the whole Robertson clan from the popular television show Duck Dynasty.

The play was created by teachers Mary Grabill and Jody Jones and followed the two younger members of the cast, Jenna Jones as Sadie Robertson and Zeb Hillburn as John Luke Robertson, as they sought the help of their families to find the best way to prepare for the test. ‘In typical “Duck Dynasty” fashion, suggestions ranged from sleeping with the book under their pillow to staring their teacher in the eye in order to get the correct answer.

Once the women of the Robertson family got involved, ideas to help Sadie and John Luke pass the ARMT improved. After suggesting a contest to see which of the men could come up with the best idea, real help was offered. Having a good breakfast (squirrel stew with a sweet tea chaser), a good night’s sleep and getting to school every day were the winning ideas.

After the play, all of the students joined in with the cast to perform the Harlem Shuffle. The entire faculty and staff wore their “Pass it all Jack – ARMT Commander” T-shirts to the performance, and wore them throughout the week of testing. Reading coach Kerry Roley created the sets and kept everyone organized.

The purpose of the Alabama Reading and Mathematics Plus Test (ARMT+), including Science is:

• To assess students’ mastery of state content standards in reading and mathematics

• To report individual and group performance

• To report relative strengths and weaknesses of individuals and groups

• To provide data to study changes in performances over time

The school year for Perdido students will end this week. The 8th grade will hold graduation ceremonies Thursday night in the gymnasium at 6:30. Students must be in the school library by 5:30 in order to participate in the commencement. The last day of school is Friday. Students will be released at 1 p.m.