On Friday, March 11th, the National Art Honor Society hosted the 2022 coffeehouse. Members of NAHS displayed their artwork while some of East’s talented musicians performed - and, of course, attendees enjoyed the Wawa coffee!

The event is generally held in December, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed back to March to allow for the safest and most successful night possible. After last year’s event was canceled, the long wait only added to the excitement of East’s artists as the 2022 coffeehouse finally approached!

East’s cafeteria was transformed into a magical atmosphere with lots of lights and decorations, inspired by the tarot card themed t-shirts that were designed by junior officer Alex Sourdis and worn by NAHS members.

The coffeehouse began with solo performances by Emily Humphreys and Devika Nair, as well as a duet by Tanya Akula and Sneha Mahadevan. Then, Jeremey Savard sang a few songs and played the guitar. Naomi Virtue, an amazing spokesperson and junior at East, introduced each act.

After these two musicians, NAHS Presidents Eleana Rudderow and Aileen Humphreys grabbed the microphone to greet everyone with a message about the event. The NAHS officers (seniors Aravind Alwar, Grace Holland, Natalie Mignogna, and Priyanka Natanasabapathy; juniors Alex Sourdis, Erica Martin, and Kelly Warner; sophomore Ava Clous) also stood by the stage as the presidents introduced them. Eleana and Aileen thanked Mrs. Duli and NAHS advisor, Ms. Bellucci, for all of their help with organizing the coffeehouse; they also expressed their appreciation for all of the attendees.

The incredible live music continued with Jacob Samuel, who sang, and Joel Falkenstein, who played the guitar. Three Mile Island - lead singer Ellie Blanck and guitar players Ryan Dow and Gabe Salloum - also wowed the audience with their talent.

Then, Kylie Hechinger played the cello and Claire Chen played the piano for a performance of “Money Power Glory” by Lana Del Rey. For another song, Julie Rostock played the viola, Maria Guzmanschere and Dominic Avagilano both played the violin, and Kylie played the cello. As Louise Sims sang “Jolene,” Kylie played the guitar and Maria played the bass.

To conclude the event, Matt Niemeyer and Thomas Walsh (Veronica’s) played some covers and originals - including their song “Like I Do,” which can be streamed on Spotify!

On behalf of the National Art Honor Society officers, thank you so much to everyone who supported our coffeehouse! To Ms. Bellucci, Mrs. Duli, and Mrs. Mauer - we appreciate not only your help with the coffeehouse, but your guidance and support through our journeys in art. Additionally, thank you to East’s janitors for their help with the set-up and cleanup, and the music department for lending us some equipment.

We could not have held this event without the participation of these wonderful artists and musicians. All of you add to the magic of the coffeehouse with your creativity, talent, and hard work!

And the attendees - it was truly special to see so many family members and friends supporting our event and the talented students that made it possible. After the last two years, the environment of togetherness and joy that you helped us create means so much to us all.

Thank you to Naomi Virtue for announcing the musicians and Prisylla Schultze for taking so many great photos!

Finally, we cannot forget to give a shout-out to the Wawa on Paoli Pike for donating the coffee!

Photographs by Prisylla Schultze