Continuing the annual tradition, the Black Box held the fine arts show Coffee House, an open mic night with an art showcase just outside, on Nov 30. Coffee House is a tradition in the school to showcase the fine arts and the students behind them. This year, the show expanded to include an art walk as well. It also offered extra items for the show, such as blankets and cushions, to raise money for charity.
“The goal of Coffee House on a schoolwide basis is to give opportunities for students and staff to share their feelings and abilities through literature, art, music, and other performances. This year, we donated 100 percent of our proceeds to Hope For The Day, a suicide and depression awareness foundation, so we were very excited to be partnered with them,” said senior Victoria Frederichs.
The show was set up in advance through sign up, and two students, Ari McFaul and Victoria Frederichs, introduced each act as they came up with jokes and support. Through a little hard work and practice, the showcase began.                                                    “Ms. Church did a lot of the behind the scenes communications. We brainstormed ideas and themes and ways to make Coffee
House interesting each year, and she handled most of the emails and connections with other clubs and organizations. We publicized and asked for submissions from people, and we started selling tickets. Then we had a rehearsal where everyone
ran through their parts and we sorted out lighting and such, and then the performance was the next day. Thanks to everyone’s dedication, it all fell into place pretty easily,” Frederichs said.
The house was full and supportive the night of the performance, and many patrons walked through the art show afterward. Food and drinks, including coffee of course, were provided afterward. The show raised $800 for Hope For The Day.
“My favorite thing about this community is how supportive everyone is. People that come and watch really want to be there.
There’s freshmen for instance that perform, and it’s their first time publicly performing anything, and everyone’s just so sweet and supportive. I love seeing kids coming together for a really good reason,” said the event organizer Stephanie Church.