Hi, I'm Chris Getherd, comedian, podcaster, actor, etc. And this Mental Health Awareness

Month, I'm very happy to have conversations with people who are innovating in the ways they're

getting active about mental health. I got into this because I've helped Spearhead laughing

together, a nonprofit that uses comedy to help kids in schools. Today, I talk with Will Gallagher, a teacher at

Ralph McKee High School in Staten Island, New York, about why he brought laughing together to his

school and what the experience of improv brought to the table. Are there any moments from the semester

of laughing together that you oversaw at Ralph McKee High School, that jump out

where you go, I don't think I'll ever forget that, whether it was a big laugh, whether

it was a kid who surprised you. I know I have a handful, but I want to open the floor to you first.

VeggieTales 9-11. I'll never forget that for as long as I live.

There was, yes, there was an improv scene. It never works to explain improv afterwards, but yes,

there was a Veggie Tales 9-11 scene. These are all Staten Island kids. 9-11 has strong cultural

impact. This was not done insensitively, but there was a very funny scene that

the name of it can't be anything except VeggieTales 9-11. This is true. It was one of the moments

where they got the whole concept of game of the sketch, you know, and they kept repeating that

and hitting that. And I guess those are the moments that I remember most were like they got into

that flow state of like doing improv, you know?

Passing the ball back and forth with each other. Some pattern building in the language they

started using, mimicking each other, realizing they weren't going to get in trouble for doing

that and messing around outside of the exercise as long as they did it together. Yeah.

That was a big shift in the mentality in the whole room.

Comedy, like, it's just a form of expression, right?

...