At the Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences, music and live performances are essential—and not just for students. Each spring, the Santa Monica, California, U.S., school hosts a parent fundraiser for financial aid. While each year has a different theme (and every third year is a full-scale original musical production), live music is always a huge part of the draw.

When the pandemic threw a plot twist into the K–12 school’s plans for a rock and roll–themed event, the alumni and parent community jumped into action. 

Crossroads pivoted from a live show to a virtual event broadcast in May 2020 dubbed "Couchella." The 90-minute show starring alumni, parents, students, and staff was written, filmed, and edited by parent volunteers—in just six weeks.

“It’s still stunning to me that we were able to pull it off in such a short period of time,” says Mery Grace Castelo, Director of Parent Relations and Special Events. “I have to give a shout-out to our community for being incredibly generous with their time and talent.”

The name was a play on Coachella, the California music festival that many in the Crossroads community attend; it’s jokingly called an unofficial school holiday, explained Castelo.

Many Crossroads families are involved in the music industry. Back in 2019, Castelo had been planning an in-person fundraiser for spring 2020 at the Hollywood Palladium that would feature performances from parents' bands. She invited alumni musicians from across the country to send in video performances that would be aired during the live event.

When COVID-19 forced the school to lock down, Castelo put out a new call for parent musicians and actors to self-record videos for the newly conceived Couchella instead. Two alumnae actors volunteered to host, prerecording clips to play between music segments. The show raised $700,284 for financial aid and brought the school community together during a time of pandemic isolation and uncertainty. 

The project went on to win a 2021 CASE Circle of Excellence Award for online fundraisers.

For 2021, when it was clear they couldn’t return to in-person events yet, Cossroads brought that same spirit of collaboration back for Crossroads Night Live, a virtual comedy show. 

Though live events are back for 2022, the virtual events served their purpose, says Castelo. The key to any event, she points out, is people power.

“Having a good team, appreciating them, and letting everyone shine is so important. When things get rough—and they always do with live events—you know you have a solid team where everyone is invested, proud, and willing to help.”

Plus, events are community builders.

“If I did everything myself, we’d miss the community piece: that moment when, the night of the event, everyone stands together and can say, ‘Look at what we’ve done,’” she says. “The community building piece is the heart of it.