On the evening of Thursday November 18th, the Strong School cafeteria was filled not with middle schoolers eating their lunches, but with ten kids and their families sharing art together through poetry, music, and visuals. 

This event was the first in the Open Mic to Open Minds series, led by Steven FitzGerald, the coordinator of student affairs at Strong, as well as three ninth graders and one tenth grader. The project aims to bring young artists in town together through hosting open mics where any student between sixth and twelfth grade that lives in Durham or Middlefield can perform. Performances ranged from a Q&A about a painting done by an eighth grader to a sixth grade bass and guitar duet of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. 

Senior Jenna Ulizio, one of the participants, said that it was, “a great way for students to display their creativity and meet others in a new way”

At the end of last year, the Open Mic to Open Minds team received a grant from the Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation  to help fund the program.

Mr. FitzGerald was very happy with how the night went. “The first open mic to open minds was a truly transformative experience,” he said. “The warmth of the space, the audience, and the art was incredible.” 

The next open mic night will be held on January 20th.