The Hastings Dining Commons overflowed with enthusiastic attendees as the School celebrated the 20th anniversary of its beloved “Circles” coffee house event on Friday evening.

Initiated by co-organizer Ted Barker-Hook and Creative Arts Chair Bill Jacob two decades ago, Circles evolved into a cherished tradition, embodying its slogan of “a celebration of community, reunion, and peace.”

Alex Mael ’08, the event’s host, had not returned to a Circles gathering since his college days. During the event, he entertained the crowd with a parody of “What a Wonderful World” originally by Sam Cooke, playfully incorporating the names of his former teachers.

“To be asked 15 years later to come in and host was pretty cool,” Mael said. “When you think about it, 20 years is a long time to be doing something. This time, it was nice having my daughter there.”

Over the years, Circles has served as a platform for students, faculty, and their families to showcase their talents and foster a sense of community here. Faculty and students from all divisions of the School graced the stage with their performances.

“We’ve never had more people attend, and we’ve never had more people perform,” Barker-Hook said. “A record number of alums and former faculty and staff came back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the event with us, and current students showed up in a big way. And the conversion of the Dining Commons to a warm coffee house feel was smoother and more successful than I’ve ever seen it. The night was wonderful in every way.”

Current students like Kyle Terino ’24 expressed his admiration for the event, saying, “I thought the Coffee House was really, really awesome and I appreciated all of the performances—especially from new students who hadn’t performed before.”

Upper School Senate President Baden Howard ’24 was equally enthralled by the event.

“It was fantastic to see a lot of people show off their talents,” Howard said. “The alumni element made for a really unique experience, and the slideshow was a great look at the past.”

Reflecting on the journey of Circles over the past two decades, Barker-Hook said that some performances over the years stand out to him for different reasons.

“Of course, the first Circles was special because we got this idea of ours off the ground and received a wonderful response from the community, which started us on the two-decade journey we celebrated last Friday,” Barker-Hook said.