But South Campus Community School students Orishio Kingsberry and Jamaro Rawlings sang about the dinnertime staple during the school’s first-ever talent show. As senior Trevor Cole created the beat for the song, Kingsberry and Rawlings, both sophomores, brought the crowd to its feet with their funny lyrics and smooth dance moves.

The crowd’s reaction surprised Rawlings. “I thought everybody was going to be like, ‘Boo, get off the stage. Y’all are rapping about macaroni and cheese. What’s wrong with y’all?’” Rawlings said.

For the talent show, students belted out songs, recited poems and danced with hopes of stunning four judges. But Kingsberry and Rawlings knew their routine was slightly different from the other acts. They performed moves in slow motion, ala Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix.”

“The first time we did it was the best time ever,” Kingsberry said of the slow-motion moves. “We were just in class ... singing the song and then we broke out into the motion, going in slow motion and everything, and the song picked right back up. We were like, well, shoot, we might as well add that part in.”

To the trio’s surprise, they won first place in the talent show. Dion Surles, a keyboard player and singer, and Courtland Vinson, a poet, tied for second place. Anthony Sosa, another poet, nabbed third place. Prizes included school supplies and a certificate.

Winning was not important to Rawlings. He just wanted to have fun. At the same time, he wanted to break down negative stereotypes about alternative schools.

“We kids,” Rawlings said. “We big kids, but we kids. We’re not bad kids. Sometimes, we choose to have fun in wrong ways, but I mean, we don’t be trying to go out there and get in trouble.”

South Campus isn’t the prison some people think it is, Rawlings added.

“It’s not like we walk around with cuffs and shackles everywhere,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of freedom here, as long as we earn it. We had to earn this talent show here.”