Lake County Gazette

The Coal City Theatre Department will host its first Athletes in the Arts performance to begin Coalers Homecoming Week. The event is set for Sunday, September 21 at 6 p.m. in the Coal City Performing Arts Center.

Brody D’Orazio, a member of both the theatre department and Coaler athletics, developed the idea for this event. The program will showcase student athletes from Coal City High School as they sing, dance, and present other talents outside of sports. Grade-level dance battles are also planned as part of the evening’s activities.

"Theatre Department member and Coaler athlete Brody D’Orazio is the mastermind of this event that will feature Coaler athletes singing, dancing and sharing their hidden talents.  The performance is open to any Coal City High School student athlete who is ready to show their skills beyond the playing field, court, course or mat. There will also be grade-level dance battles and much planned for this event," according to organizers.

Any interested student athletes can participate individually, with a group, or as a team by contacting Mr. Jack Micetich at [email protected].

Coal City Community Unit School District 1 serves schools including Coal City High School and covers parts of Grundy and Will counties (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). According to state education data, the district has 153 teachers with an average salary of $69,297; nearly 78 percent are women (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Student demographics show that about 87 percent identify as White while nearly 10 percent are Hispanic (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In fiscal year 2020, district spending per student was $21,619 for a total expenditure of $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).