On Tuesday, May 18, Kenwood music teacher Ms. Pennington hosted an open mic night for student performers. Around 15 students performed a variety of acts in the lawn outside Kenwood’s MPR room.

“I would say it went really well. People who hadn’t initially signed up even gained some courage to perform for the show,” shared Ms. Pennington.

With schools closed for a year and gatherings still restricted it was a chance for students to see and engage with their peers in person as restrictions were being lifted. “My hope was that it would be a nice night for people to get out of their houses, enjoy some cool performances, and jam together for a couple of hours for the first time in a while,” adds Ms. Pennington.

The isolation and lack of socialization has been tough on high school age students. “Life requires having fun and stepping out of your comfort zone. At the open mic performance it was such as serene event listening to incredible musicals performed by students. The bright smiles of my peers will be a moment that I will always remember forever and always,” shares freshmen Kelvin G who attended and performed at the open mic night.

Artistic expression whether through actual art or things like music is a great way to not only express ourselves but process tough times like we’ve all just experienced.  “We haven’t been able to make music or art in general in person yet this year, so it was wonderful that people signed up and put themselves out there to create art,” adds Ms. Pennington.

Though it was a much needed chance to interact with one another and creatively express themselves after this past year, hopefully next year students will come out again and show off their cool talents.