Junior Rose Hawking instantly felt a spark with the Creative Arts Society at their Coffee House in 2023.
“It was very impactful to see other people present,” Hawking said. “It felt like a very non-judgmental zone where you could share a poem or share a song, or do something that was maybe a little silly.”
However, it has been one year and four months since the last Creative Arts Society meeting at UPrep. A club that provided a space for students to showcase art is gone; nonetheless, Hawking is fighting to bring it back.
“I feel like there should be something that’s more broad for people to just show whatever they are passionate about,” Hawking said.
Aside from mixed media or fine arts class, students lack a space to explore various art forms while sharing with the school community; that’s what the Creative Arts Society did.
UPrep alum Alice Kauffman (‘23), who helped run the Creative Arts Society during her junior and senior years, agrees with Hawking.
“There are art classes, concerts, and music classes, but outside of classes, there’s not really a big community to share work,” Kauffman said. “A big part of doing art in the real world, is finding a community and working collaboratively, getting critique and feedback.”
Kauffman also organized Coffee House, creating an avenue for students to share their passions with the community.
“It was a nice space where everybody got to be a little bit vulnerable,” Kauffman said. “You don’t have to be the best at something to enjoy doing it and enjoy sharing it with others.”
Hawking is not only aiming to recreate Coffee House. She is contacting clubs, such as the Yarn and Thread Club, to collaborate. One of the plans includes organizing a fashion show displaying various pieces of clothing made by the Yarn and Thread Club.
“I am someone who wants to be able to work with other people at our school,” Hawking said. “I think when you have a club that is that cool, there should be ways to show it off.”
Reviving a club is no easy task to pull off alone, but Hawking has received guidance from faculty members, such as Library Director Annie Bingham, who was once the club’s adviser.
Bingham wants to see more kids attend events like Coffee House because she understands the impact it can have on the UPrep community.
“We had this exchange student from China, Yu Sanyi was here and, he was a jazz singer. And he had four guys get up with him, and they laid tables down, and the guys had umbrellas, and they popped up and he sang, ‘Singing in the Rain,’” Bingham said. “There were just so many kids that you remember just doing something amazing.”
Determined to make their dream a reality, Hawking plans to reactivate the club in time for a Coffee House this winter.
“It’s gonna be a bit of work, but, you know, I think it will make something pretty cool,” Hawking said. “If you’re at all interested, just talk to me.”
