A new substitute teacher can be seen rocking the halls of WA. Always sporting a black vest and jacket, Greg Alexandropolous has returned to his own high school, but is now on the other side of the classroom, as a substitute teacher.

Alexandropolous graduated from WA in the class of 2010, and went to UMASS Lowell, where he earned a degree in music business.

In class, he occasionally mentions his retail job from his time in college, which is interesting to students, however this is not his main topic of discussion. At the end of the day, his music business education and the music business industry is where he is most passionate.

“I spend a lot of time telling some of these kids all of the problems with [the music industry] like Spotify and Bandcamp, and how little appreciation artists get because of the problems of piracy,” he said.

But the most unique aspect of Alexandropolous’ music career is his participation as the lead singer in his band, Western Education.

“How ironic, right? I wasn’t a teacher before that band name happened, but now I guess it’s funny,” he said.

Western Education is classified as an Indie Rock Band, and they describe themselves as a blend of The Killers, Interpol, and Muse, and recently have been touring the East Coast for their album Let Your Secrets Out.

“It’s been really crazy! How it happened originally was I put up a flier in the UMASS Lowell music building looking for anything. I’m a singer, so I was looking for anything, a guitarist, a bassist, a drummer, anything,” he said.

In 2011, Alexandropolous was joined by bassist Will Hunt and guitarist Georgio Broufas. Drummer Mark Ragusa joined in 2012, and with his addition, the band was complete.

“For the past two or three years we have played all up and down the East Coast, our album Let Your Secrets Out came out in July last year, and it went into stores, so we get the chance to play in cities where we aren’t from, and sometimes I’m driving in my car and I hear my own songs on the radio and its amazing,” he said.

As for substitute teaching, Alexandropolous enjoys the job, not only because of the flexible hours, but because of his passion for teaching. At WA, substitute teachers are allowed to choose what subjects they cover, and Alexandropolous prefers to sit in on music classes, where he can have the most impact on students.

“I was a tutor in the music department [at UMASS Lowell], and seeing the lightbulb go off for students that struggle is a great feeling,” said Alexandropolous.