♪ Things are lookin' up, up, up ♪
♪ Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh ♪
♪ Reachin' up, up above ♪
♪ Your sky-high love ♪
♪ Lookin' up, up, up ♪
♪ Reachin' up, up ♪
♪ Just a touch ♪
♪ Sky-high love ♪
That's the YMCA. That's Baldwin Middle School.
That's where I went to fourth through sixth grade.
This is Tangerine Lanes up here where we bowl.
That's the mall over there.
-Oh, y'all have a mall? -Oh, my gosh.
What's KC's General Store?
That-- It has the best drive-through pizza ever.
They have the best pizza.
Oh, my God. That was where the Blockbuster was!
Netflix.
-I'm just sayin'! -That was so meta!
♪ You get into my life ♪
♪ And my world never looked so bright ♪
♪ It's true You bring out the best in me ♪
♪ When you are around ♪
♪ Things keep getting better ♪
♪ Better ♪
♪ Things keep getting better ♪
♪ Better ♪
♪ Things keep getting better ♪
You guys, welcome to Quincy, Illinois.
-This is my hometown.
And our hero this week is Kathi Dooley.
She runs the music department for all the public schools.
She was my orchestra teacher. I've known her forever.
I just don't ever remember not being singing and dancing and producing things.
I just remember always wanting to teach.
If you missed something last time...
All right, girls sing out a little bit more.
And here we go.
I think it has to do with-- Well, that's my passion.
She has actually created this, like, thriving music culture.
There's, like, bands, there's choirs, there's show choirs.
Kathi and her husband, Gar Bear, who was my health teacher,
-never had a child. - Aw.
But they consider their students family.
-That's so sweet. -Aw.
She was nominated by Sarah, who is her assistant and right-hand girl.
-So, Auburn, yes, is coming. -We have Auburn, Central.
A-C Central's coming.
Kathi is the most dedicated person I have ever seen in Quincy Public Schools.
The Quincy Blue Devil Marching Band, the orchestra, the choirs.
The only reason they are as excellent is because of Kathi.
White, blue! White, blue!
Who, who, who are you?
Kathi has very long days at school. They start at 7:30 a.m.
"If she makes it home for the ten o'clock news,
she's doing all right."
Wow!
That's insane.
-Basically, her life is at the school. -Honey.
Kathi is so dedicated to the school
that she is the last person on her list.
She puts herself absolutely on the back burner.
She is most famous for her fiery red mullet,
and she's had this hairstyle for literally generations.
Does she have a face for a mullet?
-No. -Does anybody have a face for a mullet?
-It needs to change. -Yes.
I was a student in the '90s at this school,
and that was the same style and cut.
My students would probably say that I've had this haircut
since the beginning of time.
-You gotta get to class now? - Yeah. Bye!
Bye, guys.
They just really don't know me any other way.
After she gets off the band bus for competition,
she'll, like, wing it back and like-- like, stuff like this,
then, like, make sure her part's good.
I sort of curl the top,
and then I curl the ends at the bottom.
I buy most of my clothes on shopping channels,
'cause I really don't have time to go out
shopping at malls, or anything like that.
We'll watch your favorite channel, dear.
- It's 50 percent off. -Fifty percent off.
She has not had an update,
not because she doesn't care about herself,
but because she has literally been giving her life to this music program.
Her fashion was in style,
I would say, in the '80s and '90s.
"Over 20 years ago, Kathi started a marching band parade
and a fundraiser for student musicians to compete from several states."
It is very important for the music program.
And they do it once a year?
Yep. It's also a way to get people interested in the arts
and kinda bring people together to celebrate.
And this year, the town of Quincy and the gorgeous Public School District,
is going to be honoring Mrs. Dooley as the grand marshal of her own parade.
-Yes! -That's adorable.
We definitely need the Fab 5 to come in here and get her ready
to be the grand marshal of the Octoberfest Parade.
-It's time for a change.
Our mission this week
is to make Kathi's middle name "Diva"
and turn her into Kathi "Diva" Dooley, honey.
Hold on, I can't-- Stop. There's nerves happening.
-You're a little nervous. -I am a little nervous.
It's coming! Oh!
Oh, my God.
Okay, it's totally fine. Why am I crying?
-It's totally fine. -It's good.
Oh, my God. Is it hot in here or is it just me?
Ah!
We're at the school!
-We're here. - Oh, my God.
My friend, Shannon Scott, dropped right here in cheer practice and broke her ribs.
-Right there! - Why did you do that to her?
-She was about to become the captain. - Shut up!
Once a Blue Devil cheerleader, always a Blue Devil cheerleader.
Back in the day, I was one of the first male cheerleaders in Quincy's history.
-Are you ready? -Yes.
I'm so excited for this.
Walking back into the high school
that I did all my high school cheer tryouts in
is a very surreal feeling.
-Come on, Jonny! Lead the way! -We're back in high school!
All right. Octoberfest is on what day?
October 20th!
And the parade starts at?
One, two!
- Two! -Two p.m.
The parade starts at...
- Two! -Two p.m. And then--
Hi!
Hi, guys!
Oh, hey!
How are you? So good to see you.
-Don't you feel weird? -Yeah.
Blue Devils, make some noise!
Can you all just give a huge round of applause
for your very own Jonathan Van Ness?
Kathi.
Mrs. Dooley.
-Yes. Hello. -Hi.
Okay, but wait. Can we just do, like, a stand-up and cheer or something?
-I just need, like-- Please.
-Fab 5, you go up there.
Want some of that? Come on.
Hi. How are you? Hi.
You guys.
Jonathan, you join in! Give me the mic, you join in.
Okay. I'm really excited for this.
White, blue! White, blue!
Who, who, who are you?
Blue and white! Blue and white!
Quincy High School! We're all right!
Oh, my gosh!
You still got it!
-You still got it!
Dooley! Dooley!
Dooley! Dooley! Dooley! Dooley! Dooley! Dooley!
- Dooley! Dooley! -Yeah!
I'm obsessed with you guys.
Like, it's so good to be here and to see all of your beautiful faces,
but really, really, really, this is such a celebration of educators,
and you have changed...
so many lives.
You have been changing lives since I was here,
you continue to change lives, and I really wanna celebrate you.
And I also...
wanna celebrate...
the fact...
that I'm going to be cutting your hair.
All right, now it's our time to take you away,
because your makeover starts now!
Yes! Yes!
Okay, this looks exactly the same.
-Well, this is all good. -Hi.
Except now we have a security office.
Cheerleading was one of, like, the only things
that really got me through some of my darkest times.
You know, for 17 years, as, like, trapped and sad as I was,
I did have so many little pockets of joy
where I was performing and having so much fun,
and I was just in my skin and loving it,
even when it was hard.
Wait, can I show you my table?
-Please, go show 'em your table. -Where I ate every day.
-So, anyway...
This is my table. Oh, my God, this was my seat.
I had a really great time in high school,
but walking these hallways, I know that's not true for everyone.
I mean, Jonathan has expressed to us that he was bullied.
-It's a wonderful-- -Concession stand,
-gas station thing. -And that's the gas station, okay.
But now what's different than when you were here, we have,
-you know, exotic coffees, and... -Ooh!
But luckily there's teachers like Ms. Dooley
who wanna support you.
We got our little sweet baby Jonny,
you know, because of a teacher like Ms. Dooley,
who said it's okay for you to be you.
-So, where is the teachers' lounge? -So, we're gonna go right over here.
-Here we are in the, uh-- - Very...
-brown. -Right, there we go.
I think my church had the same color carpet when I was little.
Yeah-- Yes, I-- I'm sure.
The first thing I noticed about the teachers' lounge
is the word "lounge" should not be used to describe it whatsoever.
It's more of a teacher purgatory.
Kathi, the teachers' lounges I'm used to, maybe it's a foreign thing,
but there's usually sofas and it's comfortable and cozy and--
-Yes. No, no, no. Well-- -No wonder nobody hangs out here
They're in and out, because the teachers' lives now
are just bombarded with constant work.
No wonder why no one uses this lounge.
It's a cold, institutional room
that hasn't had any love in 50 years.
How can I make this a space for the teachers who give
pretty much their whole frickin' lives to these kids?
-I would imagine more comfortable chairs. -Yeah.
-Okay, definitely we have to do that. -Or just comfortable chairs.
-I don't see any comfort at all here. -Maybe some fluff. You know, some--
Because they probably don't get to do fluff when they go home to their family.
-Maybe like a massage chair or something? -Oh, my goodness.
Well, see, you're definitely thinking out of the box.
American schools don't look like English schools.
This school has 2,000 students.
My school had 200 students.
We call this a theater
because we have three amazing auditorium spaces in Quincy, Illinois.
It's full-on High School Musical.
I'm just imagining at any moment, kids will run in,
they'll start dancing on a table, there's a sing-along that's going on.
Very good!
- Very graceful!
♪ On top of the worlds we keep inside ♪
♪ And it's always sunny When we're running towards the light ♪
I can't get over the fact that you're responsible for raising money
to continue all of these programs that you're running.
Um, the state of Illinois has been in various levels of financial disarray,
and the arts are always one of the programs that are--
You know, they really have to fight
-for their existence. -Right. One of the first to go.
My understanding is, we're gonna be raising money.
-Right? -We hope to at our Octoberfest Parade.
And after the parade, they'll go out to our field competition
where we have two concession stands.
That is almost our entire budget for our music department.
So, we need something that the families, that the students--
A crowd-pleaser that everybody's gonna wanna get their hands on.
You come up with a special name for it
-to attract people. -We gotta make money.
It makes the world go round.
Students. This is Jonathan Van Ness, formerly of Quincy Senior High School,
wishing you a gorgeous day.
Full of gorgeous little baby moments
and pockets of joy.
- Kathi, do you have wardrobe here? - Yes, I do.
So, do you always keep a change of clothes in here?
-Yes. -Just in case you stay the night.
-Is it because--? -In case I have another activity to go to.
-Here'd be a typical-- -Bring them out for me, please, Kathi.
Okay. If I was gonna get up on the stage,
so we might have, like, a practice during the day,
I'd be wearing, like, something like this. Okay?
Then I might have to be a little more formal
'cause we'll switch to the nighttime when we have a concert.
And then I'll be putting on something like that, actually.
-Let's talk. Come talk to me about this. -Okay.
-Can I take these from you? -Sure.
Okay. So, let's talk about these clothes.
This looks very similar to the shirt you've got on now.
There's a lot of jersey going on here.
These are very comfortable and functional.
I still have to move around a lot.
Yes. Your hair is...
You know, it's stuck in a certain time period.
-Absolutely. -Some of your wardrobe is also.
When was the last time you would've had a different look?
Um...
that's a very good question.
I don't know. Probably the same about when I first started teaching.
-Thirty-five years ago. -That's right. Probably--
-Yes. Right. -Okay.
Do you feel that that style is still very much you,
or do you stick with it because...
-It's safe. -It's safe, you know it.
It's familiar, it's comfortable.
Is that the case?
-Oh, absolutely. Right. -Okay.
I'm good at, like, putting people in costumes
and things like that or whatever, but not on my own.
Well, that's it. You spend so much time giving to others,
and we wanna make sure that we're taking care of you.
I wanna find a look that people look at you thinking,
"Not only is she doing incredible work,
she looks incredible."
I definitely need your expertise about that.
I am so excited that we're here,
and I'm really, really so excited to get to spend time with you,
and it's been a little bit.
Um, I would remember you'd be late for orchestra, or you forgot your violin,
-and you were waiting for your mother. -God, that's so me.
And whatever, but usually when you were running in is because...
you were always helping some girl.
Some, like, you know, "Mary Jones couldn't get her locker open, and..."
-You always had this excuse. -It was probably all lies.
Well--
So, grand marshal realness.
You're going to be the grand marshal of this parade.
-This is a celebration for you. -Right.
-It's so your turn to be celebrated. -I'll practice.
I think you've been... very saintly,
you know, helping so many people,
but there is someone in here who deserves your attention, too.
And also...
I mean, I, like, really could get emotional talking about this.
I think there's a lot of people that would've not been able
to have leaned in the way that you have.
Um, but I just wanna show you what you're working with.
Like, you are beautiful,
and you're beautiful on the outside, you're beautiful on the inside,
and you deserve to give back to yourself.
I want to take some of your resourcefulness
and some of your creative energy
that you have been pouring into this program for all these years.
I want you to take that,
and I want you to turn it inward and give it to yourself.
'Cause your hair could use some creativity, honey.
-Well, there you go. What-- -We're gonna have so much fun.
-Are you nervous? -Very. Well, yes.
It's gonna be so cute. It's gonna look amazing.
We're gonna show it off in a different way.
What do you do outside of school?
Um... no, we don't-- We really don't do a lot.
I get to go see plays that my students are in.
What if the next thing you say
-cannot involve... students? -Okay, I--
-Or school? -I don't know if I--
Just because that's the love of my life. That's what I do.
I'm a teacher, and I always wanna give the best impression to my students.
I don't wanna let them down, you know. I grew up in a selfless family.
I'm the product of, you know, veterans,
and the highest goal in life was to-- to give back.
But as much as you give, you have to take time for yourself.
Because at some point, your tank is gonna go low,
and you're only gonna be giving them
half of what you could because you're only giving yourself half.
That's very, very true.
-Can I take a moment? -Please. Oh, yeah.
I need to slow you down.
-You gotta slow down. -That's probably true, yes.
-Why does it make you emotional? -Because it's, um...
It's-- It's just not easy to do.
I just think it's how my generation was raised.
We just sort of skip that chapter of me.
When you think about yourself, you're being selfish.
And being selfish is, like, a very bad thing
-in my generation, you know? -Yeah.
Because the people who came before us
were totally selfless
and gave their lives for our country,
and did all these things that were just amazing.
But you're not being selfish.
I do know that in my inner heart,
but it's hard to-- to go that route.
It's funny, you just said that you were taught to skip that chapter of me.
-Did I say--? Yes, I did. -Those are your words.
I don't want you to skip the chapter of you anymore.
I hear what you're saying.
Hey, oh, oh, oh, oh!
And yell for me!
I've known Kathi Dooley for 26 years,
and she has been equally busy the entire time.
When you're doing the job of, like, 25 people,
you may not have time to get a new hairstyle.
And that's why I know that I've gotta get this hairstyle back on track.
♪ That mullet's got to go ♪
Good afternoon, you guys.
Hi. How are you?
This is somebody who's been stuck in a rut,
but small changes can make a huge difference.
Cut back at work ever so slightly, change up that hair every now and then.
You took some creative liberties, which I love.
I'm not asking for a major change here, I'm asking for baby steps.
I'm incredibly impressed by the arts program,
and they owe everything to Kathi Dooley.
She's the one responsible for raising money for this.
The school doesn't supply this on their own.
So, for this fundraiser,
we have to make something that is cheap,
that has a very high profit margin,
and that's a crowd-pleaser.
I just want Ms. Dooley to get to a place
where she understands today's a new day,
and today, you should be focusing on yourself.
So, that way, you can be rejuvenated so that you can give to the kids,
and be there for them for another 30 years.
After getting to know Ms. Dooley,
I know that she would want us to help all the teachers.
We feel more comfortable showcasing our students,
and what they can do and how well they can do it.
Every single one of these kids are your successes.
And it is okay, now and then, for you guys to take a bow.
-'Cause you deserve it. -Thank you.
Teachers are a treasure, and we need to make sure we're taking care of them.
♪ Live your best life ♪
Hey, friends
and all my Blue Devils.
This is Karamo Brown,
and I wanna remind you to share your milk,
cover your mouth when you cough,
and call your mama and tell her you love her.
- Good morning, everyone. - Morning.
Thank you so much for letting me come into your class.
-Of course. -Thank you.
We all know and we love Ms. Dooley.
She does so much for the school,
but she needs to raise money for it to continue.
So, tell me about Octoberfest.
Octoberfest is what we use to, kind of, raise money,
not even just for the band, but it buys everything
that the music department needs to provide for the kids.
I heard you guys sell food at Octoberfest.
-That's true. -Yes.
I ran a little poll, and I heard that potatoes and cheese
are, like, two of the most popular things.
And your mascot here is the...?
- Blue Devil. -Blue Devil,
so I found blue potatoes, which kind of look purply,
but purple is as close as I could get to blue, so we're just gonna go with it.
And, as an homage to one of the most important people in my life,
and the reason that we're here, Jonathan Van Ness, he loves queso.
So, I kind of thought we could make a little homage to the Blue Devils,
and you guys can sell those
and make money, so that Ms. Dooley can sleep a little easier at night.
So, the thing that I'm gonna teach you guys about today
is what a double boiler is.
Typically, if you're heating something in a pan like this, which is really thin,
it's really easy to have anything burn.
With a double boiler, you basically have steam that comes up,
and it melts whatever is in a nonreactive bowl,
so you can melt it without burning it.
Let's get started.
Half a stick of butter,
and then you're gonna just start crumbling the cheese into it.
It's just gonna help melt it easier.
We have butter in here, we have milk,
we have the cheese.
Sour cream's gonna add a little bit of tang.
Cumin, garlic powder.
So, this is gonna add a little bit of a kick.
And then... potatoes.
We're gonna toss this in a little bit of olive oil and a bit of kosher salt.
We have to season every step of the way.
Oh, also, obligatory towel.
So, you can wipe your hands after to get all the oil off.
Pass one down and throw it around your shoulder, please.
I'm gonna throw these into the oven, 420.
Okay. So, do you guys know what the price points are
for all of the items that you sell at Octoberfest?
-Yeah. -Nothing is over $4.50.
Nothing's over $4.50. So, we gotta keep it cheap and cheerful.
So, how about--? I think, is four--? Four dollars is cute.
Isn't that cute?
Okay. Potatoes are ready.
Who likes spicy?
Who likes pickled and spicy?
You don't know it yet, but you're gonna love it. I promise.
Now we're gonna fold in some pickled jalapenos.
Because they're Blue Devils, they're devilish, they're spicy.
-I'm very proud of this invention.
And then we just drizzle a little bit of the queso over.
Beautiful. Can you pass one around?
Potatoes and cheese. Can't go wrong.
-You guys have to figure out the name. -Blue Deviled Potatoes.
Gold star!
Yeah!
At the count of three.
Three, two, one...
Blue Deviled Potatoes!
-For four dollars!
Hi, class.
-Hi. -Hello.
I'm your substitute for today.
Yeah!
You can call me... KB.
None of that "mister" stuff. I'm KB, all right?
Today we're gonna learn about...
culture.
Spelled right?
- Yes. -Okay. Just making sure.
All right, do you all know what culture is?
Anybody? Culture?
-Yeast. -Yeast.
Actually, yeah. That's one of 'em. Yeah.
It's like, um, different places, like, religions and how they live life
-compared to other people's way of life. -Yeah.
Culture is just really about shared attitudes,
shared emotions, values that make us who we are.
What's a shared attitude that's in the culture of this school?
Uh, I think we like to support each other so we all can do our best.
I like that.
Well, speaking of the culture of support,
we're really all here for one reason,
which is Ms. Dooley.
-Do y'all love Ms. Dooley? - Yes.
She's pretty amazing.
But I realized that
as Ms. Dooley has sort of been here,
some of the pressures and things that y'all are going through,
I realize she's sort of trapped in that, day in and day out.
Like, you all are gonna graduate and get the chance to leave it.
She's, like, here every single day.
Did y'all ever think about that when it comes to teachers?
What do you think that's like for her?
-Stressful. - Insane.
By being such an amazing teacher, and being always in everyone's life,
Ms. Dooley really hasn't taken any time for herself.
Have y'all noticed that?
-We noticed. -Yeah.
If you drive by the high school at any time of the day,
you will see her car here.
- She's usually here till 10:30. -And sometimes, like, midnight.
-Yeah. -She has a cot in her office.
- Really? -She does not. There's not a cot in there.
-Those are rumors? -Those are rumors!
When I think about Ms. Dooley and her future,
what would you like to see Ms. Dooley do to inspire her?
I think she should pick up some exercising classes
and do some Dooley-cising.
Does she do Dooley-cise?
-Yeah. -She does.
-Can you all show me some Dooley-cise? -Oh, my God. Right now?
Five, four, three, two, one, swoop!
Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!
Swoop, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!
Oh, my gosh! I love Dooley exercising!
-Dooley-cise, is that what it's called? -Dooley-cising.
She needs to make a YouTube channel of her Dooley-cising. Why not?
-Hi, guys. -Oh, my gosh. Good timing, all right.
So, how are you?
-Why so nervous? -What-- Because I--
-Well, take a seat. -Okay. Oh. In our beautiful chair.
-I know.
We were actually talking about you.
This is not very comfortable for any teacher.
So, if you all could imagine a future for Ms. Dooley,
what would that future look like?
I think she should play accordion.
-I feel like--
German bands.
-Yours? -You could go and, like,
travel to different places,
and just go see the world and, like, experience things.
-For you, and actually see-- -Instead of five buses with me, right?
-Yeah.
I feel like, uh, you can go see more musicals.
And not only that, but, like, go see some, like, other bands,
like, show choirs that, like--
-that you haven't seen or-- -Are not ours.
Yeah, that's not here.
I like that. If I could do that,
I would be able to come back and help them more.
- Not a bad idea. - No, that's awesome.
And then you come back and share what you learned and what you experienced.
That's what culture's all about.
- You see? - Yeah.
Awesome. Awesome.
Kathi said she skipped the chapter of me,
and that hits me at my core.
She came from a generation of women
who thought, like, spending time on yourself is being selfish.
But Ms. Dooley deserves to take care of herself.
All we heard was nothing but positive stuff about you in here, everything.
We heard one rumor. Do you have a cot? Do you have a cot in your office?
-Well, yes. I mean, I don't-- -You do have one?
It's right!
Sarah told me it was fake!
-Sarah said there wasn't-- -It's very functional sometimes.
A functional cot!
-Yes! - Not a rumor!
Blue Devils, it's your favorite corgi lover.
Make sure to buy your Blue Deviled Potatoes
at this year's Octoberfest.
Eat your veggies, kids.
And have a nice day.
I have never been here before.
Okay, I want you to start to shop here 'cause it's fantastic.
Okay.
The beauty of a local boutique is that the owner has curated pieces
for their local customer.
They know that customer, they are that customer.
You shop where?
-Usually, the shopping channels, yes. -Okay.
I just needed to hear it again. Why the shopping channels?
Many times I'll wake up in the middle of the night,
I'm thinking of something, and it's convenient to turn the TV on and...
I love that that's where you go in the middle of the night,
-you go to shop. -Mm-hmm.
-Yes. - Well--
I need to show Kathi there are options other than home shopping.
-Let's see what's over here a little bit. -Yeah.
And...
I would gravitate toward this,
-but know that that's not my color. -Okay.
-Definitely not those things, right? - Okay.
-Do you feel lost when you go shopping? -Such nice things.
-Yes. Because I don't know-- -Is this making you feel lost?
Um, a little bit. Yes.
This is a side of Kathi I was not expecting to see.
You're gonna try on
-a couple of outfits for me today, please. -Okay. All right.
Up until now, she has been so strong, so powerful,
and she's been a real presence.
To see her meek and nervous,
I didn't think I'd get to this point and I'm glad she's saying,
"I'm not comfortable in this space and I need your help."
So, you do wear layers, for right now--
But it's usually on one piece.
I saw the amount of layers you-- ruffles that you had on one thing.
I wanna try and encourage you to wear simple items like this,
and then layer on top with something else.
I've already set up a fitting room for you.
I've put together some outfits that I would love for you to give a try.
We're gonna start with this one.
-Thank you. -All right.
Mrs. Dooley?
-Yes. -Are we ready?
We are!
Okay.
I'm just gonna get you to stop here for me.
This looks way more age-appropriate.
It's sophisticated,
-it's sharp. -Absolutely. Very classy.
Sophisticated is a great word for it.
It's just a beautiful, beautiful texture and material, it's just really gorgeous.
-What do you think your husband would say? -Um, hopefully, he would say, "Wow."
-Let's get you into your second look.
Hi, Kathi.
Well, here's some sophistication.
-Oh. -The glasses you have,
I think are pretty, but I think we can do better.
Okay.
-So, can I take those from you? Please? -Absolutely. Here.
-These are just a little younger. -Okay.
And I think they're gonna frame your face--
There you go. I just wanted to see your eyes more.
These were distracting me a bit with all the pink.
Okay.
-They're comfortable, too, yes. -Good.
Tell me what you think about the outfit.
I love the color and I love that this is a wonderful texture.
You look very, very classy in this.
-It feels very glamorous. That's right.
You look incredible.
Teachers like Kathi do so much more for the kids in the school.
It's just not lining up there. You might have to take it back out.
- This way for a second. -You have more torque.
Their classroom can be a safe haven for those kids
who get bullied, who don't fit in at school.
Even for those who have a bad home life.
Hey. Looking good.
You just don't know the impact it has,
both before the bell and after the bell.
Oh, we're done. Yay.
Gorgeous Christopher.
-We love. - When did he move here?
They just moved here, Kathi.
Let's proceed, in your words, without further ado.
-Absolutely. -We're going back.
Kathi's name is Kathi Dooley.
It is not Kathi "Joe Dirt" Dooley.
And I will not have this mullet
living anymore while my gay body walks this Earth.
Are you nervous? You wanna say goodbye to this girl?
I was gonna put some of this in a-- in an envelope, okay? So, I can--
Oh, we can put it-- I--
Want me to put it in a little ponytail and cut it off?
-Yes. -One hundred percent.
-We need to auction it. -Okay.
This-- This little ponytail I feel like, could probably get like
-a gajillion dollars. -There we go.
-Kathi, this is, like... surreal.
-I love it. -You're telling me.
Do you have any, like, last words?
Do you have any, like, words of love or excitement for yourself?
I might. My hair has done me-- done me well for a long time.
-Oh, my God. Kathi, I love you!
And you know what, too? I have to say,
inside and out, you're beautiful even with this haircut.
You really are.
This is a lot, and, uh,
I'm just really grateful that you trust me and that we're doing this together,
and I just love you, and it's gonna be fun.
You do you, and I'm just gonna be back here doing a gorgeous little haircut.
-Are we ready? -We're ready.
-Bye, queen. You were so cute.
Okay. There's one.
Okay. Here we go.
-There's the other little girl.
-There we go. -The hardest part's over, Kathi.
Now we're just gonna have fun.
-Oh, my. -It's gonna look cuter, don't worry.
I'm having phantom hair...
-feelings. -Oh, phantom hair pains?
-Yes, right. For-- For my hair.
You know, you-- it's something that you think about a lot.
But, you know, it never... gets taken care of or done.
It's your identify. That's all it's, you know--
We're not changing your red color. I'm obsessed with your red.
But what if this haircut essentially makes you, like,
the new Lin-Manuel Miranda?
Oh, would that be, like, just incredible?
Kathi.
This is the moment where the front of your haircut
is meeting the back of your haircut for the first time!
Front of the haircut, meet back of the haircut.
I love you so much! Yes, queen!
-Have you ever colored your hair before? -No.
-It's, like, literally your first time? -Absolutely.
It's really kinda cool.
I'm not not making you red.
Like, I am just emphasizing what God already gave you.
Are you feeling relaxed?
-I'm feeling relaxed, yes, really, I am. -You are?
Is this the most you've relaxed, like--?
Yes, probably the most I sat in a chair, right?
-Except on a trip. -It is, right?
Lean on back for me.
When you do your hair at home,
when you get out of the shower, I'd put in mousse.
It just kinda gives your hair a little bit of control
-and, like, muscle memory. -Okay.
I know said we were doing red, it kinda went green, but it's fine.
-I'm just kidding. -Oh, okay.
I couldn't help it. I'm getting you back for saying I always forgot my violin.
There we go.
Okay, without further ado...
Oh, hey, you get to say that!
Are you ready?
-All right, I-- I guess I'm ready. -Three, two, one.
And so...
Oh, my gosh!
You can go like that.
-Absolutely. -You can do a little, like, these moments.
Tell me what you feel. Do you feel crazy?
I feel crazy, yes.
Wow. Now, how will I get it to do all this?
You literally just blow-dry it. It'll just fall like that.
-It'll just fall like that? -Yeah.
Oh, my gosh. Look, my neck.
Look at how pretty, though, your neck is from the side.
Look in this mirror.
Look at how long and-- I mean, that's beautiful.
-Look at how chic you look. -Right.
-There we go. -Oh, it is really cute with your glasses.
Your hair looks so good. I love you.
Thanks. Thank you, kiddo.
- Here they come. - Oh, the windows are tinted.
Can't see it!
- Okay, Mrs. Dooley. - So...
-Oh, my gosh! - You look gorgeous!
- Why, thank you. - I snuck in!
-Thank you. Didn't he do well? -So gorgeous.
-Oh, she looks so good! -Jonny, I love the color.
That slide and a bit of shine. You look so good!
You really look like a completely different person.
The color is beautiful. It brings out your eyes.
You should get used to this,
'cause people are gonna be gushing over you constantly.
Everything we saw and that was in you is just shining.
-Well, thank you. -On the outside now.
-Thank you. -So, just get used to this.
I will try. I will try my best.
Yes! Let's go inside, let everybody see you.
You know how to work this, too! Your hand in the pocket?
Like, she has got it down.
Kathi is embracing this new look like I never expected her to.
She knows that this was the version of herself
that she could have been all these years.
Are you ready to see the new teachers' lounge?
Oh, my God.
You already know.
-You already know. - Oh, my God.
Look at it. This is beautiful.
It is now a lounge.
- Oh, my gosh. - What does everyone think?
- Yeah!
Wow.
Everybody here wanted everyone to know how much you do.
And so the teachers' lounge is now...
-the Dooley Den.
Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much.
For the first time, this is really a lounge.
It's a place where people can come and relax and recharge.
Lots of great sofas,
two new massive sinks and refrigerators,
three new microwaves.
-A little coffee station. -Oh, my gosh!
We have a little coffee station!
Oh, you guy-- you guys!
-There's a coffee station over here! - You like it?
Oh, and the massage chairs!
When I first met Kathi,
she was in no way comfortable being the center of attention.
-I hear her voice, but I don't see her.
Now, look at her.
You look absolutely stunningly beautiful, dear.
-Thank you. -Yes, yes.
Oh, my gosh.
- How you feeling? -Just completely overwhelmed with...
excitement, and the levels of emotion are just--
I am just so proud of you.
You know, I feel so blessed that we met all these wonderful friends and people.
I almost feel a little bit,
um, like, you know, undeserving of all of this attention.
But I know, like, I've worked hard on, like, uh, just saying thank you.
Well, I just wanted you to appreciate the endless well of energy
that you give everyone around you,
and the changes that you make in people's lives and...
um...
I...
was so-- like, very excited to come,
but I was also very nervous.
And...
You know,
Quincy, like, ever since I've left, has had...
a very, like, particular kind of painful place in my heart,
'cause it was very--
Like, as much as I loved being a Blue Devil
and having an experience here, it was very hard.
But one thing that you did,
you know, for me and other kids like me, is you always
treated me the same as-- as-- as if I was like anyone else.
And as an LGBT person,
I think, you know, so badly, like, we just wanna feel normal,
and, like, not treated differently,
and you always did that.
And...
I just feel like my scars were very much healed, like, this week.
It just--
It really is very moving, and you have such a part in that.
And you have literally saved people's lives, like, mine included.
That is big words that I just said,
so I just want you to be able to keep giving back to yourself,
so that you can keep doing what you love to do.
Thank you. 'Cause, uh, well, the arts are a amazing,
amazing vehicle to, you know, be able to...
you know, cry and emote and bring all those emotions to the forefront
so that we can all share what makes us human.
-Yeah. -We couldn't be more proud of you.
I love you to pieces, Kathi. Thank you so much.
Kathi has so much love to give, and she has so much work left to do.
Look at how that frames your face so differently.
There's so much going on underneath her.
She's one of the most passionate, loving, committed people
I have ever met in my entire life.
-They are so cute. Thank you so, so much. -You are so welcome.
-Yep, yep. - Kathi has always had goals,
she's always had dreams, and all of those goals and dreams
were for all the kids of Quincy High School.
There is nothing I can really say
that could ever put into words, like, what Kathi's done for me.
All of this was step one of her saying, "I'm gonna start taking care of myself."
But now, step two is remembering that she has to
actually take time and go somewhere.
- Actually do it. -She has to do it.
-Yes. -That'll be awesome.
I have a surprise for you.
I made a call to your former student,
the producer of the Broadway musical, Waitress.
- Ryan. Ryan. -Yeah.
And he is giving you and your husband
two tickets to go.
He's also gonna fly you out first class.
Oh, my goodness.
So you can have the most amazing experience ever.
All right. That would be just wonderful.
There were never so--
Very, very generous.
It's won-- very, very exciting.
Well, you deserve to take a moment for yourself.
Don't get into a space where it's always about everyone else
and there's no time for you.
We can't thank you enough,
and I'm thanking you for all the teachers who have helped me,
all of us who have had our teachers who helped us.
We don't have them to thank, so we're-- we're thanking you.
Well, on behalf of all your teachers,
I'm sure they're as proud of you guys as I am of him.
Thank you so much for everything that you've done,
uh, for our community.
You're gonna be the talk of the town, girl. Get ready for it.
I will see you in December.
-Let's give her a group hug. -Come here, gayby!
Group hug. Group hug.
Well, I think we should have
a gorgeous reunion moment with the Doolster
and see how that gorgeous parade is.
Not before you thank me for making you queso.
That is so sweet of you to make me some gorgeous queso.
I only wish we had some purple potatoes to go with it.
Cue!
You all ready to watch Ms. Dooley?
- Yeah, we are! -Uh, she's spilling.
All right. Let's do this thing.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special announcement.
We have been host to the cast and crew of Queer Eye.
The Fab 5,
including QHS graduate, Jonathan Van Ness,
were in town to celebrate
longtime QPS music director, Kathi Dooley, and got a complete makeover.
Tonight, it is our pleasure to reveal the results of that makeover.
Please give a warm Blue Devil welcome
to QPS director of music,
Kathi Dooley.
Aw!
She looks great!
This is literally the first time that she has, like, been in public
without a mullet in 33 years.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Dooley! Dooley! Dooley! Dooley!
Dooley! Dooley!
Look at my shoes, girls!
- Are you, like, so overwhelmed? -I'm quite overwhelmed!
I bet!
We should've given Bruley a mullet for today.
I can't wait to see her at the parade.
She is the Grand Marshal Dooley.
-Oh, am I going back there? -Yep. You're gonna sit right up on top.
-Oh, my God, there's Gary! - Gary!
Oh, my God.
You're sitting all the way up on top, right in the middle.
-I'm homecoming queen.
Are you ready, dear?
I am ready, yes.
Thanks for coming out, guys.
Thank you, Mrs. Ruth.
Hello, Nelson.
Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.
She's like a celebrity!
- Yeah. -You don't even recognize me, do you?
- I love it. - Thank you so much.
Trust and believe.
The chapter of Ms. Dooley is just now beginning,
and it is going to be fabulous.
Public school educators are one of the most important pieces
of the fabric of our society,
yet they're one of the least valued and least celebrated.
Thank you, Kathi. Thank you.
We are so blessed to have a public school system
where all children can be treated equally.
That's what public schools in the United States
are supposed to be about.
I hope younger teachers who see this
will know that it's really rough out there,
but if you hang in there long enough, you'll get to see
the rewards of your efforts.
Thanks for coming out, guys.
I love Kathi so much, and I love you guys so much for coming and helping me,
like, just do that major makeover.
Thank you for showing us your home and where you were raised.
-It was so special. -Without further ado...
Yes, without further ado,
-Ms. Kathi Dooley. -Aw!
Ms. Dooley!
-And all teachers who have shaped us. -And all teachers.
We wouldn't be here without them.
Do an inventory on the people in your life,
because some of your day one friends have been hating on you since day two.
Invest your time in people who love and support you.
Remember, it's about quality, not quantity.
♪ Our engine starts again ♪
♪ We'll take it to the end ♪
♪ Let's keep this going on and on ♪
♪ And on and on ♪
♪ Our engine starts again ♪
- Class.
Hi.
Today, we're gonna have a little geography lesson.
So, this is the state line.
It is a ten-mile divide between Kansas and Missouri.
This is the Kansas side--
Who threw that?
Detention.
-No! - Come on, Jonny.