Students and faculty from the Poly Prep community came together on November 13 for the first Coffee House of the year. Coffee House is an afternoon dedicated to sharing a variety of talents Poly students and faculty have. The first Coffee House was introduced by former English teacher, Sarah Whalen and took place on February 7, 2019, according to a Polygon article. This fall, the event included a range of artistic performances from singing, to storytelling, to art showcases and even balloon art. Student leaders, Kailynn Hernandez ’27 and Adelaide Swartz ’27, accompanied by Performing Arts Faculty Member, Mariko Watt, worked together to make Coffee House a welcoming and successful afternoon.
Hernandez, Swartz and Watt started planning this Coffee House in August before the school year started. “I’ve always loved the arts, so when I got to high school, I was super excited about Coffee House, because it’s this place where you can open up yourself and show your talents, which is what I really love about it,” said Hernandez. This year, their biggest struggle was finding a day that wouldn’t conflict with Poly’s community members outside commitments because they wanted to give everyone an opportunity to watch and even perform if they wanted to. “I didn’t realize how much planning it was until we actually went through the process,” said Hernandez.
In order to promote the Coffee House, Hernandez and Swartz hung up posters around and QR codes directing students to a Google sign-up form around campus. The form asked what you were planning on performing and if there was anyone or props you would need to help you perform. “The first Coffee House was successful. We struggled a little bit last year with getting participants and even an audience in there, and this year, people seem very eager to do more performances,” said Watt.
The majority of the presentations were singing performances, such as student leader Swartz who performed “Angel from Montgomery” with Isabelle Kelley ’27 and a duet performed by Watt and Technical Theater Director Daniel Hogan. Additionally, new Mathematics Faculty Member Brian Choi, performed an Italian song. Other performances ranged from an art showcase from Madeline Gross ’26 featuring drawings to balloon animal creations from Kiera Kinnane ’27.
Lucy Fleishhacker ’28 performed the song “The Only Exception” by Paramore with background guitar from Choral Director and Music Programs Coordinator Vincent Iannelli. “I often find it a challenge trying to pick a song, finding what sounds perfect and being able to do it well in the time that I have, but it’s always worth the effort to perform,” said Fleishhacker.
Coffee House is supposed to be a supportive environment where Poly students can share about themselves and learn from one another. According to the newspaper Voices: A World Forum For Music Therapy, “performance should take place within an inclusive and supportive atmosphere in which participants can overcome anxiety, engage in the risk-taking of performance, and experience increased self-efficacy and confidence.”
“Last year, I went and performed and I realized, it’s just such a chill environment, and the energy is so supportive. It’s a time where the community can show they care about each other and it’s so nice to hear other students showcase their talents,” said Swartz. “It’s great entertainment. It’s great for the people who are performing and great for the people who are watching,” said Hernandez. Her dedication reflects on the broader impact of the arts. According to the Americans of the Arts, a nonprofit organization, “70% of American adults agree that the arts help students perform better academically.”
Hernandez and Swartz will help lead all of the Coffee Houses for the remainder of the year, and are currently working hard for the next one. “With Kailynn and Adelaide’s help, our goal is to expand who is participating in Coffee House. It’s been very singing and music heavy, which is wonderful, but we really are trying to push to expand this to involve a lot more types of art,” said Watt. She added, “For the last Coffee House of the year, we are also hoping to make it a joint night between all divisions on campus here.”
“I encourage everyone to come, even if you’re not performing, just be in the audience. I also want people to be inspired and make new friends, especially with being able to see people who might have that same interest in you,” said Hernandez.