Coffeehouse vs Coronavirus

With virtual school in session, Coffeehouse, a Pottsgrove tradition, could look very different this year due to the Coronavirus.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee flowed throughout the air as students were listening to the calming music of their classmates performing live music. The cafeteria turned into a beautiful stage in less than a few hours to put on a wonderful performance that makes students return every year to hear more. That was the image of the last Coffeehouse in February. Coffeehouse has been a Pottsgrove tradition for many years and has acted as a fundraiser for the Genetics, Immunology, and Marine Biology educational class trip to Wallops Island. This event is available for any student at Pottsgrove to perform at. Through this event, memorable bands have emerged and have shaped the culture of the school. For upperclassmen, we all remember last year how Speed Lemon was a band that had put on memorable performances at Coffeehouses for their classmates. Other memorable bands that have been at Coffeehouses throughout the years were Catharsis Theory, Theory of a King, Skeleton Party, and many other bands as well as solo performers. Jakob Marlow is a Pottsgrove senior and he has performed at numerous Coffeehouses as the drummer of the band Skeleton Party. Jakob Marlow says, “Coffeehouse to me is a fun way for students to show their musical abilities and play for an audience.” Although it is a treasured tradition, with the current rise in cases of the Coronavirus pandemic, the future of Coffeehouse is up in the air.

Coffeehouse performers, like myself, are getting more and more anxious about what the future holds for this event. Alison Federoff, Pottsgrove science teacher in charge of the Coffeehouse event, has come out with a statement regarding Coffeehouse. Mrs. Federoff states, “Due to current restrictions on indoor gatherings I do not think it’s possible to conduct our normal coffee house fundraiser this year. In addition to stopping the transmission of this respiratory virus it’s important to wear a face covering especially if you are within 6 feet of another individual. This would be hard to maintain with vocal performers and their band members.” With the uncertainty of the times, performers must prepare to adapt to the changes that they will be presented.

Though times are abnormal to say the least, there is a glimmer of hope in regards to the Coffeehouse. Mrs. Federoff is strategizing plans in order to still make Coffeehouse a reality. Mrs. Federoff says, “I would think moving the coffee house online might be a solution, but we would have to work on the logistics of how that might be done to accommodate student performers and our fundraising efforts.” The details of how a Coffeehouse will be executed online are still in the planning stage so it is unknown to give an accurate depiction of how it will look. Despite how much performers wanted to do the event in person, regarding the circumstance it is amazing that there will most likely be a Coffeehouse. This will fulfill the performers’ wants to perform and will raise funds for the Genetics, Immunology, and Marine biology class to go on their trip, if travel restrictions at the time allow. The upcoming virtual or in person Coffeehouse in 2021 will provide Pottsgrove students and faculty with a sense of normality that they have been craving.