Sandy Creek students lack performing arts facility

Sandy Creek students

lack performing arts facility

I was so glad to see [Michael

Boylan's column Sept. 13] on the need for performance space for community

theater groups.

I agree with you 100 percent!

I was so sad to see your omission of Sandy Creek High School when evaluating

the performance spaces in Fayette County. As the choral director at SCHS,

I would like to spread the word about our lack of a performance facility.

When SCHS was built almost

10 years ago, the auditorium was cut from the plans to save money. Ten

years later, our wonderful students and my outstanding fine arts colleagues

are still struggling with this problem.

When we opened we were given

a portable stage, sound system and permanent lighting fixtures in a multipurpose

"commons" area. This commons area is perfect as a cafeteria

and holding area for students in the morning and afternoons as they wait

for their buses. The commons provides almost overwhelming challenges as

a performing arts venue.

The portable stage sways under

the feet of the performers as they sing and dance. Every time we rehearse

or perform, we have to have at least two hours prep time to take down

the cafeteria tables and chairs, set up the sound system and tape the

cafeteria tables together and push them to form a wall for the backstage

areas.

Then two more hours are needed

at the end of each rehearsal/performance to take it all down, store it

away and set up the cafeteria for use the next day. To use the stage lighting,

springtime performances and lighting rehearsals must begin after 8 p.m.

because the commons is surrounded in skylights and windows. The commons

is unusable during the school day.

The audience is limited to

350 (the number of chairs in the cafeteria). Evening school bells sound

during performances. A shared lobby with the gym means we cannot perform

on basketball game nights. Students on their way to other practices and

activities wander through our rehearsals and performances (door security

is a nightmare). A 10-year-old failing sound system makes it impossible

to hear. I could go on but I'll stop there.

In spite of all this, the SCHS

Fine Arts Department has produced unbelievable productions of Broadway

musicals "Oklahoma," "South Pacific," "Into the

Woods," "Hello Dolly," "West Side Story," and

"Little Shop of Horrors" in the last six years. We have extremely

talented, hard-working students, giving and patient parents, and a supportive

faculty and administration.

My performing arts coworkers,

Kathy Andersen and Melissa Burns in drama and Mark Elrod and Curt Sanders

in band, are the most gifted, tireless and creative people I have ever

known. Our individual, as well as combined, efforts have enriched the

lives of thousands of students over our careers and brought statewide

recognition and success to our school.

Currently, one third of SCHS's

1,200 students are involved in the fine arts program, yet after 10 years,

we still have no performance facility on our campus. We are grateful to

the local churches who have allowed us to use their buildings as performance

halls. Of course, we must schedule at their convenience and make arrangements

for moving equipment in and out on performance day.

With the support of the parents,

students and the community we are beginning to push to have a 600-700

seat performance hall added to SCHS. This will be of use to the 650 students

at Burch Elementary, 900 at Flat Rock Middle School, and all 1,200 at

SCHS both during the school day and in the evening. Band, chorus and drama

concerts and productions, class meetings, guest speakers and performances,

and large group testing are just a few of the uses for such a facility.

As much as I want this for

my students, I also want it for the two-thirds of the SCHS students who

have never experienced a cultural presentation at SCHS. These days, the

cultural and aesthetic input for many students comes only from popular

culture. Their lack of understanding and appreciation for the art of cultures

other than their own is extremely limited. My choruses have performed

at Spivey Hall and Carnegie Hall but not for the SCHS student body.

I knew you would be interested

in our problem as our SCHS students are the concert and theater goers

and performers of the future. They will support local community arts groups

as adults because they had success as young artists.

So, if you come across any

corporations or wealthy philanthropists who believe investing in the cultural

future of young people should be a financial priority, please forward

my number at SCHS - 770-969-2840, ext. 258.

Millie Turek

Choral Director

Sandy Creek High School