By Samantha Gougher
Editor

Whether a student views the posters on the walls or the images on the school televisions, it’s nearly impossible to miss the many advertisements for Council Rock North’s unique Coffee House Club. The club, which started only four years ago, has been an open venue for performers and friends since its inception. Matt Stockburger, one of the club’s founders, comments that “it’s really nice that we can carry on the tradition of… music and the friendships we create,” even after his senior year is complete.

The environment of Coffee House Club is completely unlike that of a standard classroom: the lights are dim, music (either live or streamed) is constantly playing, and coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and donuts are available to students. The club offers a membership that entitles regulars to free food and drink and grants those benefits to the afternoon’s performers, as well. However, anyone is allowed to purchase the treats and should absolutely stay for the music.
The performance aspect of the club is also its heart; as club leader Maddy McCullough says, “Coffee House is the only place where for an hour or so [a student] can truly be [him or her] self.”

The club encourages students to share their instrumental, vocal, or collective talents, while enforcing a policy of respect and professionalism in both the performers and the audience. Club leader Jess Traub believes that these elements are extremely beneficial to club members, stating that “[Coffee House Club] allows musicians to grow into performers.”
If you have an interest in making music, enjoying music, or obtaining caffeine, please check out this unique club.
Coffee House Club is hosted on the first and third Thursday of each month in Mr. Sipler’s room.

By Esther Kardos
Reporter
 
Temperatures are dropping, Uggs are again socially acceptable, and getting out of bed is harder than ever before – or, in the words of Game of Thrones, winter is coming. But while some of us are taking this time to hang holiday lights and indulge in minty Starbucks drinks, a quarter of our school is tossing and turning over the dreaded college applications.

The U.S. college admissions process is a difficult one in many ways. For one, parents often begin worrying about paying for a child’s college education within weeks after their bundle of joy is brought into this world. Then there is waiting for acceptance into a university. To accomplish this feat, seniors have to pay to send in packets of paperwork before being considered for a position. If they’re not accepted to one of their colleges, there are no refunds or pats on the back, just a bitter letter of rejection.

And a student may not be able to avoid the stress of this process by studying hard and being the best person she can be. A system that many think is based solely on intelligence and potential has morphed itself into an obsession over how much money and prestige a family can offer that college. A high grade point average, phenomenal test grades, hundreds of community service hours, and a myriad of extracurricular activities may still leave a person without an acceptance letter from a prestigious school.

As one can imagine, the stiff competition and pressure put on college applications has left seniors in a state of stress and with many sleepless nights. “I’m really nervous,” confessed Yash Hari, a senior applying to nine different colleges, including an Ivy League, “but at the same time, I feel like some things are out of my control, which actually doesn’t help those nerves at all.”

Another senior, Brian Goldstein, had a different feeling about his applications. “I sent in applications to something between eight and ten different colleges, but I’m really not that panicked about it. I’m going for a medical career, so undergrad really isn’t as important…what really matters is the kind of medical program I can get into after my four years.”

Thus, I invite the rest of the school to be kind to our seniors as they face these next few months of both success and failure. When you can, extend to them a cup of coffee, a piece of advice, or just a smile because you can be certain that they need it.