But it's not a musical form that has captured students' interest. Instead, it's painting the dozen or so boulders outside the school.

Shelton High School Headmaster Donald Ramia lets students paint names, class slogans and team mottoes onto the boulders, something unheard of at most area high schools in the region.

"What I do is let them paint the rocks, as long as it's in good taste," Ramia said. The tradition is about six years old.

Every year, students, mostly seniors, paint the rocks, and then in the summer paint them black, leaving the next year's graduating class a fresh "canvas."

"If you let kids do a little of what they think of as mischief, you get no problem," Ramia said, explaining why he lets students get crafty with paint on the boulders.

"If you don't give kids an inch, they take a mile," he said.

Currently displayed on the rocks along the driveway leading to the school just off Meadow Street, include "Jessica," "Lindsey," "B-ball" and "Class of 2003."

Anything off-color is quickly blacked out, Ramia said. In fact, there is evidence around the schools grounds that workers have cleaned up some unwanted artwork.

Just don't call the sanctioned stuff graffiti, said Raymond O'Leary, chairman of the Board of Education.

"Graffiti is a form of vandalism. This isn't vandalism, as long as it's in good taste," O'Leary said. He has no problem with the painted rocks as long as students show discretion.

Students seem to appreciate the unusual venue for expressing themselves.

"It's a good idea," said 17-year-old Alicia Capozziello, a senior.

"If they didn't let us paint on the rocks it might be on the side of a building," said Jessica Woehrle, 18, also a senior.

"There should be more rocks [to paint on]," Woehrle said.

The girls have made their mark, literally, having painted some of the rocks. So has Victoria Jelenik, 18, another senior.

"I have some of my own [painting] on the rock," Jelenik said. "I can drive in every morning and say, 'That's my rock.' "

Painting the rocks is not the only privilege that Ramia allows. Students are also allowed to sit outside during their lunch period.

Sure enough, on a recent day, at least a dozen students were sitting outside the school's main entrance during their lunch period.

Nobody was smoking cigarettes

the school system has a strict policy against that

but the students clearly enjoyed being out in the sun. Students said they're not allowed to bring lunch trays from the cafeteria outside, but they can bring a bag lunch if they'd like.

"I'm a little more liberal than most people are in their own building," said Ramia.

Anthony Spinelli, who covers the Naugatuck Valley, can be reached at 736-5440.