Thanks to their work with the nonprofit Facing History & Ourselves, a group of 11 Lakewood High students and their teachers spent three days in Washington, D.C., this week as a select audience of high school students from across the country who participated in a workshop on Feb. 10 at the White House on the impact of music from the civil rights movement.

The students were invited by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, which co-produced for PBS a three-day event in the nation’s capital that culminates with a live concert on Feb. 10 hosted by President and Mrs. Obama: “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music From the Civil Rights Movement” with performers such as Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, John Legend and Smokey Robinson.

The producers have surrounded the event, which is in honor of Black History Month, with educational events that include the workshop LHS students attended. Former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame educational director and current Grammy Museum executive director Bob Santelli and Motown legend Smokey Robinson led the workshop, which was introduced by First Lady Michelle Obama. Singers John Mellencamp and John Legend were scheduled to perform civil rights era songs for the students.

Facing History, which provides curriculum for educators looking to teach students about tolerance and moral choices, was asked by the Grammy Museum to invite up to 12 high schools to send students to attend the workshop. Thanks to Lakewood High social studies teachers Joe Lobozzo and Alisa Nazelli, who have developed a close connection with Facing History through courses they’ve taught at the high school including the Human Rights & Conflict elective, the local Facing History office came to Lakewood High first to see if students would be able to make the trip to Washington, D.C.

“It’s really a big honor for us,” Lobozzo said. “It’s a chance for us to look at music as a social force…and the political implications of this music.”

The trip is generously funded by the Lakewood Alumni Foundation, which has a legacy of offering Lakewood students enrichment opportunities beyond what the district can provide with its tight budget.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for these students,” said Fred Leick, president of the foundation’s board of trustees. “Lakewood High School has always provided an opportunity rich environment for its students and we want to do our part to see that this tradition of excellence continues.”

The 11 students traveling were chosen on the basis of their participation in the Human Rights class, the Race and Diversity Club as well as leadership activities they have taken on with Facing History’s Cleveland chapter. The students could not believe their good fortune of being one of 120 students from 12 schools who were set to be at the White House on Feb. 10.

“It’s going to be an awesome learning experience. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said senior Sarah Speice.

Besides the workshop, the students had the chance to take part in a student-led press conference with performers from the Feb. 10 concert as well as visit the American Folklife Center and other sites in the capital.

Lobozzo said the group was excited to learn about an aspect of Black History Month they don’t cover in class. Mostly, though, they were honored to represent Lakewood High School as they traveled around Washington, D.C. and at the White House.

The workshop will be streamed live online on Feb. 10 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. on the White House’s web site: www.whitehouse.gov. The concert will air on PBS at 8 p.m. on Feb. 11.