On February 12, the second Poetry Coffee House of the 2025-26 school year was held in the high school cafeteria. Manhasset students packed the room for the seasonal Poetry Coffee House, which is held to raise money for the arts department and spread the passion and talent behind literature and music throughout our student body. Manhasset staff (Mrs. Panullo, Mrs. Schuellein , Mr. Woerner, and Mr. Novak), along with the hosts of this event (Sofia Ogulluk and Araxi Kaligian), brought a romantic and idyllic atmosphere with a bright palette of red, pinks, and white. The stage was lined with colorful and impressive posters created by the art students. The tables were decorated with champagne, roses, and multi-colored hearts.

Before beginning, the room buzzed with friendly conversations and a musical background of participants practicing. The night started with many short poems written by juniors, including themes such as the coming of spring and long school days. Senior, Isaias Meja, beautifully performed “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron. His guitar work and voice moved the audience by bringing about an emotional atmosphere. One somber poem that stood out was an original poem, written by Sofia Ogulluk — she’d published the poem with mournful feelings in the award-winning magazine, The Phoenix. The audience continued to get a look at Manhasset’s artistic talent throughout the night with performances by students in the orchestra and band. A fan favorite performance was presented by Harrison McKenna and John Renton on the trumpet and saxophone. Both students performed twice, and John Renton with two instruments. Their musical talent was clever to everyone in the audience.

Throughout the night, moods rapidly shifted as a lighthearted feeling was brought about with fun sing-alongs, shared riddles and jokes, a difficult spelling bee, and a pick-up line contest in honor of Valentine’s Day. This contest especially brought about laughs with lines like “Are you a magician because whenever you’re around everyone else disappears,” “Are you a fart because you almost blew me away,” and “I don’t need a GPS because my rizz led me to you,” shared by Logan Alfonso, Selena Chen, and LJ Michon. The night ended with karaoke, creating a harmonious and blissful mood.

All attendants left this event with smiles on their faces. “I really enjoyed the comforting atmosphere,” said Junior Demetra Venetoklis. “I appreciated how students can come and spend time with friends, while also sharing their talents and love for the arts.” While this PoCoHo was an enjoyable and memorable evening, everyone is already excited for what the future holds in store for the arts department and the talented students at our school.