Jack White just played two shows at The Anthem in Washington, DC, as part of his tour in support of his ambitious new album Boarding House Reach, and in between the gigs he decided to crash a high-school lunch hour with a surprise performance at DC’s Woodrow Wilson High School. And because—much like first-class airplane passengers in the ’80s—Jack White can do pretty much whatever the hell he wants, it happened.

According to the school’s paper, White had asked principal Kimberly Martin just days before if he could put on the event, and, apparently because she’s a very cool principal, she acquiesced, keeping the secret from even her staff until the morning of the performance:

Most days, Wilson students pour out of class after fourth period and shuffle down packed stairwells to the atrium, where they settle in for lunch or head off campus to get food. Assistant Principal Gregory Bargeman usually plays ‘80s hits from a speaker; once in a while, a few kids get up and dance.

Today, the second floor was rattling after fourth period. Noise echoed through hallways and drowned out conversations close to the atrium. In the art wing on the other side of the school, people speculated that Bargeman must have ramped up his sound system.

But it wasn’t Bargeman. 

First of all, let’s take a moment to recognize that this school’s principal is cool enough to let Jack White crash her students’ lunch, AND the vice-principal is cool enough to blast ’80s music for ever other day of lunch. That’s some solid leadership. Martin/Bargeman 2020!

Back to the surprise set: White, along with his touring band, played a few songs for the awe-struck students (no word if any of them actually got to eat lunch) including Boarding House Reach single “Over and Over and Over” and White Stripes cuts “Same Boy You’ve Always Known” and a finale of “Seven Nation Army” that saw White call the students to join him “on stage.”

White eventually ended the show as the class bell rang, leaving the school’s teachers to deal with a bunch of hyped-up teenagers and try to get them to learn calculus or something. Hats off to you, teachers. 

Watch a video of “Seven Nation Army” below (courtesy of Jordon Grobe of I.M.P and The Anthem via radio station DC101), and see more photos from the surprise show via the school’s paper here. 

White also happens to be the subject of the June 2018 issue of Relix‘s cover story, which can be read here.