We all have a hero. Someone that we look up to, or inspire to be like when we’re older. But how cool would it be to live in the same state as your hero. Even better, how about going to the same school as your hero? Amazing right? Well that’s the case for some of us here at Annandale.

Dave Grohl, 16 time grammy winner, 39 time grammy nominee, and rock and roll hall of famer, attended Annandale Highschool sometime in the mid 1980’s. He dropped out his junior year to pursue his passion as a rock star. Which, turned out to work in his favor. Dave was born in Ohio, but moved to Springfield, Virginia when he was a kid. Most might know him from his work as the drummer in Nirvana. Working with the laid Kurt Kobain. But later, after such a tragedy, Dave was able to find his newself in his current band The Foo Fighters. 

Dave has had a very successful career. He is one of the few examples of a success after dropping out of highschool. You would think, if you drop out of highschool, there is definitely going to be one person who disagrees. Your mother. That was quite the opposite for Mr. Grohl. His mother Virginia Grohl was on board, and the most supportive a mother could have been. I could imagine that she wasn’t the happiest to hear her son wanted to ditch education and move to music. But, she recognized her son’s talent, and how badly he really wanted it. So she has been by his side through everything.

Besides being the best road mother a son could have, she was the reason they moved to Virginia. She was a teacher at North Springfield Elementary school. So, accordingly, Dave went there as well. 

To some Dave is just another old guy rock star who plays music no one listens to anymore. But for others (like myself) Dave has been an inspiration for music, a lifestyle, and an attitude on life. My father (I’m sure like many others) would play his music all the time when I was younger. So growing up to learn that he went to the same schools as me, and lived in my neighborhood, blew my mind.

Last year, before the school year ended, Dave Grohl actually visited the school, and Mr. Tippins (a past administrator) and Mr. Thomas (a past principle) were able to snap a photo with the phenom, and it was the cover of the school paper. Maybe if we’re lucky, we will get to see Dave another time, the next time  he decides to visit his home sweet home.