The November Coffee House took place after school on Monday, Nov. 11 in the Chalmers Lounge. The show was open to all students to either perform or watch and Prefect Council provided free snacks from Nothing Bundt Cakes and Starbucks Coffee.
Senior Prefect Victor Suh ’25 said Coffee Houses are spaces where the community can celebrate talented students.
“The school is nothing if not a breeding ground of talent,” Suh said, “The tragedy of its intrinsically rigorous environment on the academic side is that we often struggle to find the time to appreciate talent outside of the classroom. Coffeehouses are one of the ways in which we hope to spotlight said musical, comedic, lyrical and all together beautifully artistic talents in a cozy community space.”
Mae Mae Gad ’27 said they decided to participate in the Coffee House to have an opportunity to perform for others.
“I signed up for the coffeehouse because I love doing open mics and just performing music whenever I can,” Gad said. “It’s really hard to find good open mics around LA that accept people under 21 since most of them are hosted at bars, but they’re great for meeting people and practicing performing in front of audiences. I love events like that, and I had a few other friends signing up for the coffeehouse too, so I decided to join in.”
Gad, who writes music and sang one cover and one originally composed song, said they chose their repertoire to match the atmosphere of the Coffee House.
“At the Coffee House, I sang and played guitar on two songs,” Gad said. “One of them was a cover of the song Daydreamer by Adele, and the other one was an original called ‘Like The Stars Do’. I chose to perform the cover because it’s just a really fun song to sing, and it has a very cozy feeling, which I thought fit with the event. The second song I chose because it’s one of my favorite songs that I’ve written so far, and I also just released it on an EP called Erosion on all platforms, along with three other originals. I wrote ‘Like The Stars Do’ a few months ago, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
Junior Prefect Sarah Anschell ’26 said she hopes that Coffee Houses are relaxing and fun for all students.
“For the students who perform, I hope Coffee Houses give them a place to feel like their talents are recognized,” Anschell said. “For everyone else who watches, hopefully, they are a fun, de-stressor after school where they can support their friends.”
