Every year in the Penn Harris Madison school district, the junior history classes honor 1968-1972. Pennstock is a throwback to Woodstock right here at Penn High School. Students can become a musician, speaker, or activist a few days. Musicians can perform any songs from 1960-1972, as long is it has to be about the Vietnam War, Cold War, or Civil Rights Movement. During this period of history, many Americans faced these issues, and speakers and activists often addressed them.
A famous theme of Pennstock is The Beatles. Some students dress up as them, singing one of their many songs released during the 1960’s.
Our own AJ Tu told PNN what being a student in Pennstock is like. “This event is to bring back memories of Woodstock and what the message was: spreading love, anti-war. Love is in the air!” Pennstock is a gathering of people who share the same message and the same hope.
The Woodstock Music Festival began on August 15, 1969 in Bethel, New York. About half a million people were in attendance. Woodstock became synonymous with the counterculture in America during the 1960’s, which was an expression of many Americans’ unhappiness about the Vietnam war, Civil Rights Movement, suburban lifestyle, and the standard American life. Woodstock is for people who felt alienated by their society. The music that came out this time period helped many young people feel like someone else cared, since it was a way to escape from what’s going on in the world. Music spread the message that someone else understood and cared, and it showed that your voice matters. That’s why Penn and its students should remember Woodstock for years and years to come.
For more information go to:https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/woodstock
Reah Frydrych 
Nathan Tingle 
Brandon Hall