Not So S.A.D. After All
As the fourth blizzard in a series of weekly storms raged on, a group of about thirty students gathered in the Academy Center this past Saturday to take part in a schoolwide night of entertainment. Upper Stephen Hu walked on stage amidst shrieks, screams and cheers of encouragement from friends during Student Council (StuCo)’s most recent event: Singles Appreciation Day. This open mic night, which took place on Valentine’s Day in Agora welcomed singles and couples to enjoy a night of food, poetry, music and good company.
Prep Evan Stanton shared his sentiments regarding the event. “I think students should be able to express their ideas freely without being afraid of messing up or embarrassing themselves in front of the academic community,” Stanton said. “It is really inspiring when people can share their ideas with their friends.”
Performers and non-performers alike were able to share something that they are passionate about, without any feeling of pressure or competition that usually accompanies Exeter life.
“You never get the chance to show the talent you have because this place is so competitive,” lower Nada Zohyr said. “This is a nice way for people who are writers, songwriters, singers, musicians or artists in general to express themselves without having to worry about being criticized or compared to someone else.”
Artists around campus cherish such opportunities to express themselves through their music and writing. Stanton said, “This event is very helpful in the way people can come together and share their ideas through music.”
“This event is very helpful in the way people can come together and share their ideas through music.”
Many people believe that the informal environment of open-mic night encourages students to put their best foot forward fearlessly. “So many of the things that we do are carefully structured,” Music Department Chair and Instructor Peter Schultz said. “We have official performances in the music department, official performances in the theater department or official performances in the Assembly Hall. But there is a lot to be said for something that is informal, low key, low pressure where you can share what you are passionate about with your friends.”
Upper Rebecca Ju agreed with Schultz, saying that the idea for the event came highly-requested from performers. “A lot of people were asking for a chance to perform as we didn’t get a chance to host a talent show,” Ju said. “We had an overflow of people from last term’s open-mic and we also thought some cheesy love songs and poems would be fitting for Valentine’s Day.”
This event is only one among the many that Student Council has recently organized. There was an all-school dodgeball tournament, followed by a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and now a Valentine’s Day open-mic and there are no plans to stop. “We just listen to what the students want and we try to accommodate all requests,” Ju said.
As for the Valentine’s day open-mic itself, the turnout was quite impressive. “We expected a small crowd, so we were actually quite pleased with the turnout,” Ju said. Additionally, the majority of the attendees were quite happy that they came.
Overall, students agreed that the night was a success. “They wanted to do something nice and kind for the students—trying to connect the community together,” Zohayr said.