For PJ VanGrinsven, those first couple weeks attending high school for the first time felt overwhelming. “Every morning coming into school was difficult,” PJ says. But then the Grade 9 student would hear a song in the distance and see a teacher wearing an elaborate costume dancing in the hallway. “That was something special,” PJ smiles. “You don’t see that all the time.” But then she was told she actually would see it every day, and PJ knew everything would be OK. “It brings a lot of joy to your day,” PJ says. You see, Japanese and English teacher Dale Sakiyama had committed to dress in costume every school day during his final year before retiring. “I really wanted the idea of going out with a bang, not a whimper,” Dale says. So, Dale organized the collection of costumes he’d amassed over his almost 30-year career, which he’d used to celebrate holiday and special occasions. Then, he spent a week finding creative ways to combine all the items into different outfits, before constructing a schedule so that he could wear a different costume for almost 200 days. “I felt we needed something to jolt us out of our monotony,” Dale says, before showing the photos and videos of each day’s costume, which ranged from an inflatable Godzilla, to a Christmas Tree, to asparkling unicorn. Because his costumes were impossible to ignore, Dale made it possible to acknowledge every student he passed, by saying hello. “I wanted to make sure every kid is noticed,” Dale says. “To build that sense of community connection.” PJ says he inspires students to be themselves “and not let anybody judge you for who you are.” “He’s a really big joy in our school,” she says. While Dale had hoped to hear from students that he fostered fun and offered a lesson in the power of authenticity, the retiring teacher never expected to see what happened during his final staff meeting. “People just started walking in and they were wearing costumes,” Dale says, fighting back tears. One after another, Dale’s colleagues paraded into the room in tribute, decked out in all sorts of dynamic outfits. They were not just saying thank you for making such a positive impact throughout his career, they were showing him. “I couldn’t believe it,” Dale says. “It was deeply affecting.” Now that he’s just days away from teaching the last class of his career in costume, Dale hopes his lasting legacy is this: “Don’t expect that the job is going to bring you joy,” Dale says. “You have to bring joy to the job.”
