Supporting Small Local Theater and The Arts

Jordan under the balloon arch, celebrating 55 years of summer theater at St. Vincent College

Last night, we had a fantastic opportunity to support a small, local theater and spend an evening off the farm with one of our favorite people. My dear friend, Janet, invited us to the St. Vincent College Summer Theater performance of The Foreigner. The play was funny, the actors were talented, and the setting was lovely. It was truly lovely to spend an evening with two of my favorite people, introducing my daughter to a new local theater venue, and supporting the arts in our area.

I am going to share a somewhat controversial opinion with you, dear reader. In my opinion, I wish our local schools spent as much (or more) time, effort, and money supporting the arts as they do athletics. I am not saying there isn't value in school sports. I know there is, and I support that. However, I believe that the arts have a greater impact on a broader audience of students, creating more opportunities for higher education and scholarships, and providing kids with healthy outlets to express themselves. If we're being upfront, the number of students who achieve a full or partial scholarship based on their athletic performance is merely a fraction of the student population. Not every child has athletic prowess, the desire to participate in a team sport, or a competitive attitude.

If you examine the opportunities the arts and humanities create for students, in my opinion, they are far-reaching. With just a high school theater production, an entire student population has the opportunity to participate. Art students can design and create the backdrop, tech-inclined kids can work on and design the lighting and sound, and students involved in the shop classes can build and design the set. Students interested in fashion and interior design can create props and costumes. Students who are talented in media and writing can produce the playbills and posters. Musically gifted students are encouraged to participate in the band. Dancers can help with choreography. The list could go on and on, and that is just one example of how many kids are positively impacted by one high school theater performance. That doesn't even touch upon art classes, creative writing, theater class, band, chorus, musical theater, and dance.

I feel our public schools are missing an excellent opportunity to include and serve a broader population. In an ideal world, our schools would provide equal opportunities for all children with a wide variety of interests, and hopefully, foster a greater sense of community. However, that is just the opinion of one retired English teacher and current soap maker. I spend my days with goats and geese, what do I know? While I have the opportunity, I will support my daughter in her theatrical interests, expose her to as much culture within our community and beyond, and do my best to support the arts.

As a former English teacher, I am aware that there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed. For example, this year, my daughter's English class did not have enough copies of a novel to supply each student with their own copy. I remember those budgeting issues. I also recall being a first-year teacher and being held accountable for this issue by our then superintendent. My response to him was, " I mean no disrespect, sir. I am a first-year teacher trying to do the best for my students with the materials provided by my department. I'm unable to explain why there aren't enough copies of the books. I feel this is an administrative and budgeting issue." The following year, my entire department received new textbooks and new copies of the requested novels. Sometimes, issues need to be brought to the attention of the right people for change to occur. However, I will hold onto my idealistic opinion of what I feel education should offer all students.

I encourage you to support the arts in your community. It is one more way to support local, promote community, and encourage young people to set goals, dream big, and make their dreams come true. On this lovely summer day, stay safe, be smart, support the arts, and keep washing your hands.