Parth Patel…

The sophomore, the myth, the legend recently found fame on TikTok along with many Fredericksburg High School teachers. In January, Patel shot a short video on the app calling various teachers by their first names to get their reactions.

“I just did it to see what people would say. I wasn’t expecting to have it blow up,” Patel said. “The video was just a thought – just to see how people would react.”

Calling teachers by their first name was a trend that first started on TikTok in the fall of 2021. The fame from the recent TikToks hasn’t just reached Patel. With over 30 million views, people from all over the world have seen the videos.

“I have a lot of people reaching out to me,” Coach Chadd Flick said. “I have had old friends and old buddies from college say, ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe it’s you.’”

Mr. Jarrod Stokes even had a former student from his old school district see the video and reach out to him although Stokes said that no one yet has asked him for an autograph. For Mr. George Burns, fame is nothing new.

“Locally, the fame hasn’t affected me much,” Burns said. “I was already famous in Fredericksburg.”

Many who have seen the viral video have questioned whether it was a true reaction or if it was planned ahead of time.

“Yes, mine was staged,” Mrs. Kimberley Zuberbueler said. “I told Parth to give me a minute to prepare my snarky lines. I got my part in one take. It took Coach Weirich at least seven tries to get his video segment perfect. He couldn’t stop laughing.”

Some of the teachers featured in the TikTok were sure to put on their best exuberant acting skills including Mr. Oscar Hernandez.

“I usually roll my eyes and ignore Parth,” Hernandez said. “It was fun to poke some fun at him.”

As many Gen Zers already know, the TikTok comment section is always fun to explore, especially when it comes to the opinionated ones. Zuberbueler was one of those hit with much “fire.”

“My favorite comment was ‘I am an educator and working with Kimberleys is the worst,’ and I’m like, ‘Girl, you would be lucky to work with me,’” Zuberbueler laughed.

Other teachers, including Burns and Flick, have gotten completely other types of comments, regarding their reactions.

“The comments have made me realize how truly awesome I really am,” Burns said. According to Flick, “I’m a giant, based on the comments. They said I should be playing for the Knicks, maybe the Lakers, and definitely on an NBA squad.”

Patel, with maybe a flicker of luck, or perhaps a social media genius, made Fredericksburg High School, a seemingly small town in the heart of Texas, an internet sensation.

Stay tuned for the next series of videos with Coach Justin Tims. The first in the series has already been published with Tims ripping a thesaurus. Check out the viral videos on Patel’s TikTok @parthpatel___.