Hopatcong Students Show Skills at Open Mic Night (23 Photos!)

Scott Lewis, 16, only started playing guitar a year and a half ago.

But he looked like a polished professional Wednesday at Hopatcong High School's Open Mic Night, which drew about 25 students, family members and faculty. The event's proceeds benefitted the art department, which hopes to raise $2,000 to buy screen-printing equipment.

Lewis and a handful of others got behind the microphone to sing, play guitar or read poems.

"It's a great outlet for the talent in the town to show off their stuff and show off what they've got," Lewis said. "There is some great talent in the town, as we've seen here."

Principal Emil Binotto said he enjoyed the art department's fifth Open Mic Night since October.

"It gives the students another venue to show off their talents," Binotto said. "We have a lot of students who play instruments, and played their instruments here [Wednesday]. ... It's a small, intimate atmosphere. You get students here who really want to be here, who are interested in the body of work other kids do. There's an interest, there's an avenue for other kids to express themselves. It's like a Greenwich Village  coffee house thing. It's informal. It's casual. It goes for a couple of hours. And it's on a Wednesday night. There's nothing else to do a Wednesday night. Come on out."

Art teachers Edric Debos and George Segale organized the event and even took the mic. Debos kicked off the show with a couple original songs before playing Niel Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" on guitar. Segale, also a guitarist, capped the event with an improv performance with Debos and Lewis, then played a few songs.

Segale said screen printing "is a good way to take all of the art programs together and turn it into an activity they call could contribute to. Plus, it's a lot of fun."

"These kids would really benefit from that type of application because there are jobs in that field," said Segale, who also runs George Segale Productions, a wedding video company. "You could get a job right now, as high school students, like I did. And it's a great small busines to perhaps get into, especially with this economy."

Lewis was the first student to perform. Then senior Jake Degen played a few songs on guitar before Alexis Mae Learner floored the library with vocals. Later, siblings Erik and Emily Learner sang and Crystal Silveira and her sister, Emily, read poetry.