On Wednesday, May 8, High School Nation partnered with Naperville North High School to host an event with Dunkin’ Donuts and Tom Higgenson, the lead singer of The Plain White T’s, for students during their lunch periods.
Students were given free five dollar Dunkin’ gift cards and refresher samples, complimentary of a Dunkin’ Donuts food truck, and enjoyed a live musical performance outside in the bus lot. Despite the event being announced last minute via the Remind app, it had a large student turnout.
NNHS Dean of Student Activities Jennifer Baumgartner was reached out to by High School Nation, an organization dedicated to providing exciting and relevant activities to high school students, to organize the event approximately two months in advance. Regardless of Baumgartner’s efforts, there was a lack of communication between the two parties, causing the event to almost be canceled. The event was unconfirmed until High School Nation arrived at NNHS the morning of, ready to set up.
“I was like, is this a senior prank, what’s going on?” Baumgartner said.
The gift cards and live music were a decisive hit, with various students attending throughout all three periods. Local Dunkins’ in Naperville have supported NNHS many times through numerous activities, such as the Cocoa and Cram event. This specific partnership likely will lead to more business from students, motivating Dunkin to continue their involvement with North. NNHS junior Aasha Trivedi discusses her favorite parts of the event.
“It was a beautiful day outside, and we were getting Dunkin’ samples,everyone loves Dunkin, and honestly, I’m a big fan of live music, so for me… [the event] was really cool,” Trivedi said.
Although the NNHS bus lot is a significantly smaller venue compared to what Higgenson has played in the past, he shares that he always has fun performing at high schools and connecting with students. He hopes that his music allows students to take a break from school and provides them with an enjoyable time.
“I love reconnecting with high school kids because that was the age that [getting into music] all started for me,” Higgenson said.
Especially as AP exams and finals hang over students’ heads, exciting events like these provide motivation for students to keep persevering through the school year. NNHS senior Grant Hanneman highlights why events like these boost morale at school.
“I thought it was a fun little break because I feel like everyone’s stressed because it’s final season. So it was nice to have a little fun thing going on,” Hanneman said.
Baumgartner states that she especially likes events similar to this because they give back to the students. Despite the complications that occurred when planning this event, NNHS plans to work with High School Nation again in the future.
“We would love to do it again someday, [NNHS] just needs a little bit more lead time than the morning of,” Baumgartner said.
