Science music videos, themed lessons and spirit week costumes are all a part of the environment she’s cultivated.

For Charbonneau, education doesn’t have to become monotonous as students get older.

“If you think back to learning when you were in elementary school, learning and playing were synonymous,” Charbonneau said. “There’s no reason that has to change so much in adulthood. It can still be fun.”

Provided by Sonia Charbonneau

Students in Charbonneau’s second period study DNA structure by building 3D models. The group managed to construct a model that reached the ceiling, totalling nearly 6 feet in length.

Charbonneau has been teaching at Bellaire for two and a half years, but her teaching career began at a private school in Mississippi, where she taught AP Chemistry. Over the years, she has taught multiple AP level sciences, such as chemistry, biology and physics.

Senior Samantha Tran, who took the course last year, believes Charbonneau’s approach to teaching helped her get through the class.

“AP Biology is demanding by nature,” Tran said. “But Ms. Charbonneau transformed it into a class that was actively engaging with monthly labs and fun activities. It was never overwhelming — I always had the freedom to explore different concepts at my own pace while still being challenged to think deeper.”

Last school year, students in Charbonneau’s fifth period suggested she create an Instagram account to share the fun moments they kept capturing during labs and class activities. That suggestion became what is now @charbiebio, a page filled with candid lab photos and lighthearted classroom moments.

One post in particular caught unexpected attention.

Each year, after the AP exam, Charbonneau assigns a final project allowing students to creatively apply biology concepts they’ve learned throughout the course to fun music videos. While Charbonneau’s projects allow students to be creative and have fun, her academic results remain strong. Of Charbonneau’s students, 96.1% earned a three or higher in last year’s AP exam, with the global average being 70.4%.

“After the AP exam, I still want it to be a period of learning for the students, but I feel like we can have a little more fun,” Charbonneau said. “It doesn’t have to be as stressful.”

Last year, senior Amy Lee and a group of students from Charbonneau’s seventh period created a parody of “Gnarly” by KATSEYE to explain mitosis.

“They made the video right here, just out in the hallway, and it was really fantastic,” Charbonneau said. “They used their legs for chromosomes, they choreographed the dance, and they used stop-motion filming to show the phases of mitosis.”

Provided by Sonia Charbonneau

Seniors Jordan Tidwell, Amy Lee, Catherine Xue and Joy Xia pose for an end-of-year photo with Ms. Charbonneau (middle). The group of friends created the ‘Gnarly’ parody video and never anticipated its success. “I remember checking back on the video every hour or so and seeing the numbers rise,” Lee said.

For Lee, the project didn’t feel like anything more than an ordinary assignment at the time.

“The video was filmed over a few days,” Lee said. “When we were filming, I wasn’t thinking too much — I was just having fun.”

Charbonneau posted the video on Instagram. By the next morning, it had already reached 10,000 views. Today, it has accumulated nearly a million likes and over 5.6 million views.

Lee didn’t expect the video to be posted online, much less go viral.

“I was very shocked,” Lee said. “I was definitely not expecting it to blow up, especially to the extent that it did.”

The video’s unexpected virality exposed Charbonneau’s account to students and classrooms far beyond Bellaire.

“I could not believe it,” Charbonneau said. “There were people privately messaging me through Instagram, teachers asking me for the assignment to give to their students, and students asking me for PDFs so they can study for the AP exam.”

Sophomore Chloe Carlson, a current student of Charbonneau’s, heard about the account before she even stepped foot in the classroom.

“I just thought she sounded like a fun teacher,” Carlson said “I was interested in what she could be posting about.”

When choosing what classroom moments to feature on the account, Charbonneau aims to highlight a broad spectrum of her students from as many classes as possible to represent them well. Alongside lab photos and classroom moments, she also posts a “one-pager hall of fame,” highlighting standout student work.

“I’m really glad she posts the one-pagers, because that motivates me to put more effort in,” Carlson said. “I still haven’t made it onto her hall of fame yet, but hopefully I will by the end of the year.”

What students experience as a “learning party” is, for Charbonneau, simply what it means to be a teacher.

“I’m so happy I have a job I love,” Charbonneau said. “I love my content. But if students aren’t having fun with me, then I don’t think it would be as rewarding.”