Coffee House. Everyone knows it and everyone loves it. What people don’t know though, is how it all started.

The idea of Coffee House was originated from a former teacher at Ames High, Mr. Greenlaw. He wanted to give students a chance to be creative in the music they shared, rather than singing songs in the musical. He also wanted to give a chance for students to sing in front of a live audience because being a singer/songwriter himself, he “knows how important it is to perform in front of an audience.”

Before knowing how big Coffee House would become, this lunchtime event took place in the multipurpose room. Unlike now, there was once popcorn and coffee during the performances. When the multipurpose room started to exceed its capacity, Coffee House was moved to the media center. After becoming too messy and not having enough, coffee and popcorn stopped being served. For a while, student council sold pies to raise money.

Now being in the auditorium, Coffee House is bigger and better than ever.

“Performances were eclectic. Some poems were written on the spot, and others were heartfelt and showed a lot of thought. Musical performances were variable as well. As you know, we have no shortage of talented performers at Ames High. ALL students who performed were supported by their friends and peers, and left the stage feeling like they accomplished something important.” Mr. Greenlaw said. Coffee House is packed every time, but hopefully it doesn’t outgrow the auditorium otherwise there will be no where else for it to go.