In 1979, punk rock band The Ramones sang about “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School.” This fall, George Nettels Elementary School principal Andy Gotlobb and his teachers are welcoming their students back to Rock ‘N’ Roll Elementary School.
On Thursday morning, Gottlob donned the garish threads of a rock ‘n’ roll front man to help film a welcoming video for the students, in which he portrays a rock star arriving to the raucous cheers of his adoring fans — or in this case, adoring teachers. Inside the front entrance of the building and just beyond the main office, hundreds of rock “stars” bearing the names of students hang from the ceiling like tentacles on a jellyfish.
Throughout the year, students who become “character rock stars” will have their names emblazoned on the wall of the building’s main hallway for everyone to see. Students also will choose their meals from a rock ‘n’ roll menu and eat them in “Hard Rock Cafeteria.” Teachers also will give away tickets to a rock ‘n’ roll-themed social.
“The kids are already planning which rock star to be,” said third grade teacher Amy Bartlow.
It’s all part of the school’s “Rock Star” theme this year, which Bartlow said is the first school-wide theme in the district. In the past, she said, teachers picked individual themes for their classrooms. But they liked an idea that surfaced at a teacher conference this summer and decided to unite their creative talents, she said.
“We decided to do a school-wide theme to make (the students and employees) feel like a family,” Bartlow said. “Unity is crucial for the kids and we wanted to make sure they’re excited for school.”
The teachers on hand to help film the video certainly were having fun. Bartlow said she’s sure the students will enjoy themselves as well.
“I think they’re gonna be pumped,” she said.
Even Gottlob was enjoying the ride.
“I’m excited that they’re excited,” he said, adding that teachers provided all the props. “I’m all for it. When they came to me with the idea I said ‘go for it!’”
Though Gottlob described himself as being “the furthest thing from a rock star,” he jumped right into the role, nailing the body language and attitude of a musical egomaniac.
“I was trained,” he chuckled.
Gottlob said everyone is getting into the act, including support staff, food service workers and custodians. If the experiment works, he said, it could become an entrenched George Nettels tradition.
“If this goes the way we think it’s gonna go, we’ll try to do this every year,” he said. “The camaraderie is great.”
