Lake County Gazette

The Coal City Theatre Department will host its first Athletes in the Arts performance to start Coalers Homecoming Week. The event is set for Sunday, September 21 at 6 p.m. in the Coal City Performing Arts Center, with general admission seating and tickets available at the door.

Brody D’Orazio, a three-sport athlete and vice-president of Drama Club, organized the event. "D’Orazio, a three-sport athlete and vice-president of Drama Club, proposed the idea as a fun way to not only kick-off Homecoming Week, but to showcase the many talented students in the high school and bring athletics and arts together."

Athletes from Coal City High School will participate by singing, dancing, and sharing other talents. Both individual performances and group numbers are planned, with several fall sports teams also performing on stage.

Coal City Community Unit School District 1 serves Grundy and Will counties through its schools: Coal City Early Childhood Center, Coal City Elementary School, Coal City High School, Coal City Intermediate School, and Coal City Middle School (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). The district employs 153 teachers who earn an average salary of $69,297; nearly 78 percent are women (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). In terms of student demographics, about 87 percent are White, almost 10 percent Hispanic, less than one percent Black or Asian (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/). Spending per student was $21,619 in 2020 for a total expenditure of $47 million (https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/).

The Athletes in the Arts event aims to highlight student abilities beyond athletics as part of this year’s Homecoming celebrations.