Boardman Spartans rock
Seniors embark on magical mystery tour of hall of fame
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BOARDMAN -- Boardman High School teacher Eric Simione said his bosses came to him about seven years ago and asked him to start a history of rock 'n' roll music class as an elective for seniors.
"I guess I was qualified because I've been to a great number of concerts in my time," Simione said with a laugh as he gathered his 100-plus seniors outside the south door of the high school Friday morning.
They were getting on three buses headed for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
"This is always the cap to our class. A nice trip at the end of the year," Simeone said.
English teacher Holly Piper, who was among the chaperones, chimed in that it would be her first trip to the Cleveland landmark.
"I'm truly excited. What a day!" she said.
Simione said about 150 students have taken the semester course, which includes movies about the rock stars and lots of music.
"I have a fair number of albums and CDs," Simione said.
It wouldn't be unusual to go by Simione's classroom and hear Led Zeppelin playing.
The students just got through watching a biopic of James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." Some students wanted to look him up on their travels through the museum.
"He had some rough beginnings to his life," said senior Cindy Yauger.
Simione said some of the parents of his students may get a bigger kick out of the class.
"From the emails I received, the parents must like my class better. One thanked me because his daughter began listening to the Four Seasons," he said.
Boardman schools spokeswoman Amy Radinovic said the music students gain a better appreciation of the craft by taking the class, while others can learn some neat twists of history.
"There was a lot of historical information gained by listening to the lyrics from some of those songs from the 1960s and 1970s," she said.
Simione said his own appreciation of rock music dates back to the first concert he attended in 1989.
"That was the Rolling Stones playing at old Three Rivers Stadium," he said.