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Aufnahme in die Hall of Fame Quelle: http://www.sharon-herald.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_136184035.html Published May 16, 2006 06:40 pm - It’s easy to tell by walking around Mercer Area High School the pride students take in having rock musician Trent Reznor as a predecessor. Rocker Trent Reznor makes surprise school visit Jerry Johnson, Mindi Griffith Boysen also join alumni hall By Joe Pinchot Herald Staff Writer MERCER — It’s easy to tell by walking around Mercer Area High School the pride students take in having rock musician Trent Reznor as a predecessor. “A lot of my kids wear Nine Inch Nails shirts and garb,” said Principal Dr. Hendley Hoge, speaking of Reznor’s band. Reznor, who graduated in 1983, has gone on to win dozens of awards for his music, including Grammy Awards and platinum records for sales of more than 1 million albums. Reznor has returned to the area to visit family members and friends over the years, but hadn’t been to the high school in decades. He returned last week to receive his latest award — to the delight of current Mercer students. “I kept this hush hush until the banquet started,” Hoge said. “When he came down with the two other inductees, that’s when people came out with their cell phones and cameras.” Reznor, of Los Angeles, was inducted with John G. “Jerry” Johnson and Mindi Lin Griffith Boysen into the high school’s Alumni Hall of Fame. Hoge said he promised Reznor there would be no press present and did not publicize Reznor’s induction ahead of time. “I was sky high to have him back here,” said Hoge, a former music teacher. “He hadn’t been back to this high school in 23 years.” Ms. Boysen remembered Reznor from when she was an eighth-grader and he was a senior. “He was always in the art room when we were in there,” she said. She also had a poem published next to one of his in the school’s literary magazine, she said. “It definitely added to the evening,” she said of being honored along with Reznor. “I think it was a treat for everybody.” The inductions were held as part of the district’s academic awards banquet, which honored students in grades six through 12. More than 300 students and parents attended. Reznor, who played in the Mercer Community Band, appreciated the freedom he was given in the band and art rooms to work on ideas, Hoge said. “He comes back now and appreciates the upbringing of being from Mercer,” Hoge said.
The latest batch of inductees into the Mercer Area High School Alumni Hall of Fame are, from left, John G. “Jerry” Johnson, a Mercer community leader and former mayor, councilman and county commissioner; Mindi Lin Griffith Boysen, who has made her mark in the fitness industry; and Trent Reznor, a rock musician who founded the band Nine Inch Nails. / (c) 2006 P. Amsler/special to The Herald
Kritiker melden sich zu Wort, mit einem Kommentar des Autors Quelle: http://www.sharon-herald.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_156184208.html Published June 05, 2006 06:42 pm - Oh no... Here we go again with the “rock ‘n’ roll will destroy the children!” argument. Reznor critic missed point of school award William Shutes Sharpsville Oh no... Here we go again with the “rock ‘n’ roll will destroy the children!” argument. Ms. Shipton’s letter condemning Mercer’s selection of Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor to the Academic Hall of Fame reads like a lost lyric from the tirades against society satirized in Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” more than an argument by a woman with “nothing personal against (Reznor).” I daresay that we have not forgotten Columbine. I completed a semester’s worth of research on the media’s responsibility for the shootings and know the music that the two murderers listened to. Among them was a German group, No Pity For the Majority) whose selected lyrics read: “I am your apocalypse” and “Chaos panic/no resistance/detonations in the distance.” We can say that music, video games, television, Internet, etc., caused Klebold and Harris to murder their schoolmates, but most of the kids who listen to the same music and play the same video games have never contemplated such heinous acts. And suggesting that because a teenager wears a “Pretty Hate Machine” (a NIN album title) T-shirt even remotely equates them with the Columbine murderers or, as Ms. Shipton suggests, Hitler, is reaching for justification and more than a bit offensive. I am a member of the Mercer Community Band and have often seen Reznor’s grandfather wearing a NIN hat and belt buckle. How shocking that he can enjoy the music we play as well as support Trent Reznor’s music career. Oh, wait. He’s proud of the accomplishments made by a family member. Could it simply be that Mercer is proud of its native son’s fame and talent? It is my belief that Mercer has every right to be proud of Mr. Reznor’s accomplishments. From a county whose best known products are rusted steel plants and the air pollution of two interstate highways, Reznor’s extraordinary talents deserve recognition. “Parents — is this role model we want for our kids?” A successful person who has made good on his talents — I think that’s exactly what any parent should want for their children.
Reaktion des derzeitigen Schulleiters Quelle: http://www.sharon-herald.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_158212125.html Published June 07, 2006 09:21 pm - Mr. Reznor was enshrined based on his accomplishments in the music industry Reznor's accomplishments merit honor of alma mater Hendley D. Hoge Mercer Recently, Trent Reznor (class of 1983) was inducted into the Mercer High School Academic Hall of Fame. The selection committee consists of school board members, retired and current teachers and administrators. The guidelines, as established by the Academic Committee, include accomplishments and recognition in a chosen field. Mr. Reznor was enshrined based on his accomplishments in the music industry (two Grammy Awards) as well as laying the groundwork for the revolution of industrial rock in the late 1980s. Mr. Reznor, in his acceptance speech to over 300 students and parents at our recent academic awards dinner, challenged my kids (Mercer student body) to not hold back their dreams and aspirations, even though they may feel restricted because they are from a small school in a small town in rural America. He shared that he could have remained in college majoring in computer engineering but felt led to try a different career path. He took a risk and, in a 20-year span, he has become an icon in the music industry. Mr. Reznor expressed appreciation to Dr. Gathers (former art teacher) and me (former music teacher) who allowed him to spend extra time in the art and music rooms to help develop his creativity. Mr. Reznor also shared that many of his peers in the entertainment business came from small towns similar to Mercer. As the principal, I am proud to say that I have 696 kids in my building and some do wear assorted shirts advertising musical tastes or groups such as NIN, Marines, Jars of Clay, Hillary Duff among others. A recent letter by Karen Shipton stated that one of my own “kids,” of which I have five, was wearing NIN apparel and listening to Mr. Reznor’s music. My children do not wear these clothes, listen to NIN, nor are they assigned to Mrs. Shipton’s school bus. But there are students who I call my “kids” who do wear these different brands. She says that she believes in freedom of speech and people can record and listen to whatever they wish. This I respect. Perhaps Mrs. Shipton would have thought differently of Mr. Reznor had she attended the banquet and listened to his inspiring speech. I know that many in the audience appreciated his kind remarks and the time he took to travel from California to enjoy this special evening. While in high school, Trent Reznor was an active member of the community, which included being a musician in the Mercer Community Band. Our first concert is on June 23 courthouse square. There won’t be any NIN music; however, listeners may enjoy some great Sousa marches. |
