From Nov. 25-26, history teacher Alex Hain had students present a topic of their choice in Contemporary History class. This topic covered an influential figure, group, or movement from the 1960s or 70s.
Some, like senior Sam Aschwege, covered a general topic, like the counterculture hippie movement, or for senior Nick Steuter, a brand like Nike. The most popular topic was the history of a band or artist.
Senior Brayden Armagost covered the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival.
“People still listen to their music and use their songs in movies and TV shows,” Armagost said. “They also influenced other musical artists of the time.”
Similarly, senior Cotter Yant covered singer Frank Sinatra.
“I enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra, so he instantly stood out,” Yant said.
Besides this reason, he picked Sinatra due to his Catholic beliefs, political connections, and influence on the evolution of music, calling him the greatest singer of all time.
However, senior Aldo Horta covered another artist that he calls the G.O.A.T.: Jimi Hendrix.
“A lot of guitarists still refer to him as the best, he was incredibly skilled and on top of that, he was a musical genius,” Horta said. “I think he has inspired a lot of people to play guitar.”
He ended his presentation by breaking out his own guitar and playing one of Hendrix’s songs, “Purple Haze,” marking the end of presentations.
