On Jan. 8, Watertown High School hosted its first Coffee House of the school year.

Taking place at 4:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall, the event proved to be a huge success, with all in attendance saying they thoroughly enjoyed the show.

While the number of students in the audience was reasonably small, the crowd was enthusiastic to watch their peers and teachers perform. The variety of the acts was impressive. Performances ranged from the spoken word to music from years past.

But the event was truly notable because it’s a type of event that rarely occurs at Watertown High. For the most part, regular extracurricular events at Watertown consist of sports games or the seasonal play, so seeing an event based on individual expression and performance achieve so much success is a step toward a more diverse Watertown High School.

Niko Carvajal led off with a beautiful rendition of a Spanish love song, setting the tone for the rest of the performance. Next, Sarah Rahim performed a spoken word piece about the conflict in Syria, the country of her origin. This was followed by a more light-hearted duet by Sasha Helfner and Kira Peterson.

Continuing with the light-hearted tone, Meghan Riling sang an upbeat song she had written about what it’s like to live in Watertown. Jake Roach, making a surprise appearance, performed “Let it Be” by the Beatles and added a bit of musical improvisation at the end of his act.

Returning to a more heart-felt mood, Zoe Grodsky and Rebecca Grossman sang their own version of “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson, a song about two people creating a life together. 

Finally, a pair of English Department buddies, William MacLaughlin and Malcolm Cooke, performed two pieces, “How to Save a Life” by the Fray and “Lightning Crashes” by Live, with Cooke on vocals and the acoustic guitar, and MacLaughlin on the electric guitar.

As the crowd dispersed following the conclusion of the Coffee House, excitement was the prevailing mood.  Those who performed felt that their talents had been recognized by their community. Those who watched felt that they had experienced a unique event at the high school, an event that brought people from different social groups together through the enjoyment of music and the spoken word. This was something most students had never experienced in a school environment and a welcome change.

Following the performances, Mr. Cooke said he would like to build on the event, stating his intention to put on a second Coffee House before the school year ends, hopefully with a larger number of students and teachers involved.

He stressed that a Coffee House is an open event, and any person can perform whatever they choose, not just songs and poetry.

If you would like to reach Mr. Cooke about the next Coffee House, contact him at [email protected].

–Feb. 22, 2014–