The espresso machine bubbles and frothing milk hisses in the back of Philz Coffee. At a table strewn with science papers, seniors William Devanney and Amrit Rihal brainstorm lyrics for their latest project: a music video for their group, the Catalyst Crew. Alongside other members seniors Colin Chow, Austin Liou and Reagan Markert, this creative pursuit aims to bring academic content to life through memorable raps.
Catalyst Crew formed during the group’s sophomore year, when chemistry teacher Connie Leung offered extra credit for making a poster on chemical bonds. Taking it a step further, Rihal proposed turning the poster into a music video.
“When I tutored my friend, I found that making funny analogies allowed the concepts to stick better,” Rihal said. “So by making an engaging music video, I wanted to help struggling students retain information better.”
With Leung’s approval, Rihal recruited two of his friends: Devanney and Markert. Inspired by “Mathematical Disrespect” by Lil Mabu, a rap song with math-related verses, they decided to make their debut video a parody with a chemistry twist. The trio spent 18 hours creating the final product, titled “Power of Bonds.”
“I was a bit skeptical at first, since it requires a lot of work, but I was super impressed with the outcome and effort they put in,” Leung said. “They hit all the learning points and the students loved it.”
Encouraged by the positive impact their videos had on peers, the group continued their work as juniors. For their second project, they produced another video for Leung called “500 Moles,” a parody of “500lbs” by Lil Tecca.
“Because of the enthusiasm, we wanted to keep giving teachers content to show,” Markert said. “This video was my personal favorite since we had no deadline to film, so we were able to invest our full effort and time into it.”
Entering their senior year, the original 3-member crew expanded to five. Brought together by a shared physiology class, they invited Chow and Liou to join their team. Each member plays a unique role that reflects their talents: Devanney and Rihal write lyrics, Liou supplies vocals, Markert plans visuals and the storyboard and Chow films and edits. With a larger team, the Catalyst Crew’s creative vision has broadened, leading them to venture into bigger projects.
“The Catalyst Crew is a special passion project, as it’s not tied to any class, and is one of the most supportive friend groups I’ve seen,” Leung said. “Their ideas have gotten more elaborate, the quality has increased and they coordinate with more people.”
The crew’s most recent major project was their Class of 2025 rap. Chow, tasked with creating a video for the Farewell Rally, decided to feature teachers giving advice to graduating seniors. Using advice collected from participating teachers, the crew freestyled and composed song lyrics. Over one week, they filmed and edited audio and footage of the teachers.
“After the video was played, a lot of underclassmen came up to us and told us they wanted to make their own video for future years,” Devanney said. “We hope the Catalyst Crew will continue inspiring people to go out of their comfort zone and make something cool.”
Though coordinating filming times under tight deadlines proved to be a challenge for the crew, the end product has always made the process worthwhile.
“I find a lot of joy in working on these videos,” Chow said. “The best part is realizing all the time we spent together and seeing it come together is rewarding.”
Looking ahead, the crew intends to release two more videos: one for their physiology final and another on mental health for their Story and Style class.
“I hope we can show people that learning can be fun and creative,” Markert said. “Creativity is a virtue we shouldn’t lose because it’s entertaining and helpful, as many people have different learning styles.”
