Coffee+House+Idea

We host a biennial coffee house on March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday. All day long (8 seatings in all), we provide coffee, cream and sugar, cups and napkins (lots of those). The cost of coffee, cups, napkins, cream sugar, coffee stirrers is around $300.00 to feed 500 students. We borrow large coffee makers from the athletic department who run the food shack at athletic events. During the 30 minute segments we coordinate with the music department to have the music classes perform (guitar classes, ensembles, solo accoustic artists - (we do not do any electric guitars, drums, etc as the head bangers have a separate venue with a Battle of the Bands one night in October ).

One year students from AP English wrote poetry and their class read the poems to those in attendance.

With any performance, care must be taken by a teacher on staff/librarian to ensure appropriate language/content of what is being performed.

I have found that students in the audience need something to keep them busy - they are a multitasking generation. I have had literary word search, crossword puzzles (this year a geek technology crossword), a Harry Potter quiz, A "remember when" childrens quiz, a continuous story that each group adds on a new scene/plot development.

The foods classes make treats (cookies, pastries) for everyone to eat - we usually feed 500 students during the day. I pay the foods class $100.00 to make 1000 treats so as not to bankrupt the department budget with my added request. So the total cost to the coffee house is around $400.00 which I take from the library budget. I leave 10 minutes in between seating to clean up/replinish food and coffee.

It is a big hit with students and staff possibly because the kids ask when can we do that again - instead of saying oh, it's the coffee house again.

We decorate the library with streamers over the front doors to the library, party supply decorations of music notes, inflatable music instruments, etc that we reuse one coffee house to the next and put up projects collected over the two years from English teachers - posters, multimedia genre projects, etc. One year we had a bookmark/T-shirt decorating contest that involved the graphic design/art department. One year we had a creative writing contest and gave prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place. Prizes were gift cards from local merchants.

Teachers sign up to bring their classes - I limited it to 9th and 10th grade in the am and 11th and 12th grade classes in the pm so as not to have the same students in each presentation. The school musical is usually mid- March so the drama department send a group of singers to promote the musical by singing a selection from the musical.

It's hard work setting up, running it, but the results are well worth it. Let me know if you have any other questions.

A number of years ago we had a fun program in the library: students from our literary magazine/club held a sleepover in the library. We had literary-themed foods, poetry/prose readings, movies made from books. The headmaster came in fairly late and read a bedtime story, then an English teacher came in and read her own poetry and sang lullabies. It was a wonderful night that I would happily repeat; unfortunately the teacher who is not in charge of our litmag has zero interest.

We also do a poetry/prose reading during our annual Writers' Week. Students are nominated by their teachers - it is something of an honor to be selected. We held our event three weeks ago - about 80 people attended (our high school has 540 students) and the readings were wonderful. Desserts and flowers provided by parents, coffee and tea provided by the Writers' Week budget. We have done that event for five years now and each year it's better.

have a large coffee house event every year. Last year we tried to bring on other groups from the high school. The PAWS club ran a pet need drive before the event, the art club donated mugs, special ed handled the coffee and the Library Club provided food. For a donation people could receive a mug with coffee in it and watch the show. Staff and students performed. The event ran 2 hours and raised money for the Dane County Humane Society. I am sure we had 60 students involved. It was great. Our next one is scheduled for April 27th.

At our junior high we hold a slam. It runs at Barnes and Noble (as a

bookfair) and the kids compete.

We had to drag the most popular kids (boys especially) up to the mike.

That made it cool, and then the girls came to support the boys.

Then, it just grew.

5 years later, we offer gift cards as prizes. $50 for first place. $40 for 2nd, $30 for third and $20 raffle drawings for all participants.

That also helped it stay strong.

We make a book out of the poems, complete with pictures.

Do it, do it, do it! It's so much fun! I have two a year--one during Teen Read Week in the fall and the other during National Library Week.

I'm lucky to have a largish classroom area as part of the library, and I used to do all the work with volunteers, but about three years ago our drama instructor needed a project for his classes, and since then he's taken over setting up the stage and backdrop. I still use volunteers to help me hang twinkle lights and get the snacks ready and cut programs and little jobs like that.

I put out the call around three weeks before the event for performers, and I have a form for them to fill out, and I ask for a copy of the lyrics to make sure all's school appropriate. I also select a couple of students to be the hosts for the evening, and they will introduce the acts and do some jokes (knock-knock and others) between performances. I order cookies from the school kitchen (really cheap!), pop up a big bowl of popcorn, and provide a cooler of ice water. Parents and friends are invited to come, and I usually have about 12-15 performers and a crowd of around fifty people. After the last act, I get on the mic and ask everyone to help move tables and chairs back to their normal places for school in the morning. It's wonderful! The kids all jump in to get the chairs and parents grab tables and someone is on the vacuum cleaner and anther on trash duty and in 15 minutes all that's left is the drama department's stuff.

I also do small gift bags for the performers and hosts and load them with movie theater boxes of candy ($1.00 around here at Wal-Mart), a bag of popcorn, a coupon for a pop from my fridge, a couple of metallic Sharpies, and a small journal. My student aides design covers, print them, and glue them to the front of the bags.

I have done what I call the "Haunted Halloween Coffee Shop" for 2 years now and it has gone over well, especially with 9th graders. Students have to come to the Media Center to pick up a ticket to attend. I decorate the entire library with the Halloween theme, shut off all the lights and even paper over the doors so that no light is shining through. I sit up at the front and read a short horror story. We serve hot chocolate and other drinks, provide candy and popcorn, and sell brownies to make a little money. I do this only during lunches so that it doesn't conflict with any classroom time