If you’ve been hanging around Plotmonkeys for a couple of years, you might know that this is the time of year when Leslie starts bragging about her incredibly talented kids and their wonderful performances in their school plays.
(“Oh, God, is is that time already? Is she really gonna do it again?”)
Yes. And yes.
Middle performed in her high school’s musical Godspell this past weekend. She was (as always) fabulous, her powerhouse voice rocking the whole auditorium. But what made it especially poignant were two things: first, this is her last performance–she says ever, but I’m hoping she’ll dabble with theater in college. And second, this could be the end of drama altogether at her high school.
That really breaks my heart.
I don’t think I got into it too deeply here, but I think I mentioned it–the geniuses at her school have cut all drama classes from the curriculum next year. Also cut were those “non-essential” electives like Journalism, Creative Writing, Music Theory, Architecture…and others.
I was so angered by this that I did an article about the whole issue in my local paper. The utter disdain for the creative arts in public schools is shameful! Sadly, though, nothing has changed. The school that once offered Drama I-II-III-IV as well as dance and production classes will now have none at all.
The (:cough: jackass :cough:) principal argues that there will still be after-school productions. But I am worried these kids won’t even have that much. The teacher, a former actress and a friend, is an avid drama lover who took the job there based on an entire drama curriculum. But because she is dual-certified, her classes have slowly been taken away and she’s now scheduled to teach nothing but basic-English next year, which has made her very unhappy. If there’s any way she can get a job elsewhere, I have no doubt she’ll go. And the principal already admitted to me that if she did, he would replace her with an English teacher, not a drama one.
So who’s going to be around to direct those after-school plays that the kids can still be involved in? His answer: “Oh, I’ll hire someone to come in and do just that.”
Uh, right. With the same budget that can’t squeeze out enough money to replace band instruments that are (I kid you not) being held together with duct tape?!?!
You can, I am sure, understand my skepticism.
Anyway, the kids put on an absolutely amazing production this past weekend. My article helped bring in a few more audience members, I think, which was very nice to see. And they got standing ovations after every performance (first time I’ve seen that at that school, and I’ve been going to shows there for 3 years!)
Of course, you know I have to share. Here’s middle doing her torchy song, “Turn Back, Oh Man.” (Note: She came in from the back of the audience and was lit by a red spotlight as she vamped her way down the aisle, so the first half of the song isn’t here, it was much too dark. But here’s the last 2 minutes or so…awesome, isn’t she?!? And so was the boy who played Jesus!)
PS: As she came down through the audience, she flirted with men sitting on the aisle, dragged her boa across their heads, etc.
One of them was the principal. 
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The winners of Janelle’s “Surf’s Up” contest from yesterday are:
Crystal B (Comment #6)
Julie (Comment #36)
Terri W. (Comment #54)
Please contact me at janelledenison @ sbcglobal.net with your snail mail address, and I’ll get your autographed book sent out to you!
Leslie Kelly used to say she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, but then she discovered Nancy Drew books. Being a flashlight-under-the-covers-nose-in-book reader throughout her childhood, she couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do as an adult than continue to lose herself in fictional stories. Her real life marriage of 20 years to the man of her dreams is a constant reinforcement that happily-ever-afters really can happen…and that they’re worth writing about. Living in Maryland, Leslie spends her non-writing time laughing a lot with the above-mentioned romance hero and their three daughters. Though an author of more than thirty sexy, contemporary comedies, she has recently branched out to write dark romantic suspense under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish.
Destiny
Dirty Little Secrets
Once Upon A Valentine
Through The Night
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Wish I could access the link, but Somebody (read the Hubby) managed to do something so video links don’t show up. Just big white boxes with a little x in it.
I find it a crime that the only things that schools consider essential are the only things taught anymore. Anywhere to cut the budget and slap a label on it so it makes it easier to explain away those things that they feel they need to cut. Except boys sports. Can’t touch them- in some places they are sacred. Too bad the Arts are so expendable.
And people wonder why out educational system is in the crapper.
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Can’t believe they are high schoolers!
Won’t make a political statement….I am against cuts, too, but they are cutting Special education (how can they with a federal law????).
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With that much talent, Leslie, I hope she’ll stay with it in college and/or community theatre. As for the rest, don’t get me started. If I had it all to do over again, I’d probably home school. Thankfully, my DD is almost done with college.
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Your daughter has a beautiful voice! I hope she hooks up with the drama group in college and continues to act and sing. My son was actively involved with drama in high school and was President of the drama club there, continued it through college and still does community theater in the city he lives in. It’s such a great way to meet people and continue your love for music and theater.
Ugh to budget cuts for the arts, such a vital component to a well rounded education. Makes me so sad.
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Katie, they are not touching special ed at this school. Nor are they touching any of the agriculture classes (big farming community.) Nor are they touching what they call “completer” classes for non-college bound kids, which are meant to help them get a job straight out of high school. At my meeting with the principal, I saw the class lists and discussed it with him. Among those completer classes, for instance, is a Ceramics IV class with 8 students registered to take it next year…nope, can’t touch that, those kids aren’t planning to go to college and need that skill to rely on. Ditto a weight-lifting class.
Yeah, hope they can find a job making pots and lifting heavy objects.
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Love the video–”middle” has clearly got class, and guts. Also love the fact that she vamped the principal.
The threatened cuts in our area have me convinced that our legislature and school boards suffer from a universal short-sightedness and lack of critical thinking faculties. I think we’ll all be regretting it in a decade.
Lorena
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That is a bummer I came from a high school with like a movie Theather and it was so neat I was only in a couple little play to shy to do anything else. But they closed it down too I am not sure what is going on in this world but kids need more of this maybe it would keep them out of trouble and put them in a good direction.
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Your daughter is amazing, and she should definitely reconsider this being her last performance. I know the school art programs around here are suffering, but actually so is one school’s sports teams. It’s all over the news that at this point the school won’t have the funding to compete next year in athletics…but I don’t see any news stories about the lack of art supplies that are stifling a student’s creative well-being. So although it has gotten so severe that athletics are finally taking a hit, they are still of higher priority than art programs. They’ve involved the local grocery stores among other fundraising techniques to help resolve this problem.
This is not to say I’m against high school athletics, I’d just like it all to be more equal-opportunity…why doesn’t half the money raised go to sports and the other half to the art/drama department…?
<3 J
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Wonderful, just wonderful.
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The girl has pipes! Congratulations to your daughter, Leslie. I hope she will continue being involved in theater in some way.
When I see all the hits schools are taking I’m so glad my daughters are adults but their children are getting those cut backs. The economy is really hurting the schools, especially here in California where the budget is in really deep doo-doo. You don’t really want me up on my soap box about some of the things that are causing money problems for the schools.
I hate seeing art, band or sports cut because I think those things are all important to all children attending school. Yes, they still need reading, writing & math!
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For shame! I have to give an F to those who are making all these
cuts! Students need more than the basic 3 “Rs.”
Pat Cochran
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Wow! Awesome performance. Too bad we missed the vamping.
In our district they are cutting 1000 positions, so Friday will be the day, I find out if I get demoted, or pink slipped. Keep your fingers crossed.
Have a great dayy!
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Leslie, your daughter has a wonderful voice! My little guy can’t sing, but this year he had a pretty large speaking role in the fifth grade play and was great! He stole the show, if I do say so. And it’s just awful to hear about budget cuts affecting the art programs. I don’t understand how administrators think that’s not important.
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Our district has been talking about cutting special ed again and some comments from people in our district (via the survey) were: ‘Doesn’t affect that many’ (okay, so how are we supposed to integrate kids like mine into society, give them skills and make them able to support themselves?). Glad THEY don’t have a special ed kid…because mine is totally AWESOME (my other two are totally amazing, also, just for the record!!!!)!
I hate deep cuts because it pits parent versus parent. It doesn’t help the community at all.
Do you have community theater or something like that in the area that she can do or a ‘foundation’ through the district that can finance a production (to get a grant)? Just some suggestions like that are being thrown around here, too. Arts are so valuable in school (it actually helps with academics).
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Where I live they are rtalking about cutting special Ed and going to a four day week.
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Wow! Leslie your daughter did an amazing job!!
I think its great that you spoke up and tried to make a difference but this is a perfect example of “you can’t fight city hall”
The politics of it all is just disheartening. And I’m finding that we now live in a society where we pay more for less. So they will raise our taxes and then cut programs. I don’t understand why they deam anything artistic or creative as “non-essential.” I’ll bet they wouldn’t consider cutting any of the sports programs, it really is so unfair.
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Leslie, you have every right to brag about your daughter!
I really hate that they continue to remove the arts from public schools. I was in band and theatre all thru middle school and high school. I don’t do anything with either of those activities now(still sing in the choir for church some), but they were so much fun and some of my best memories from high school are band trips and play practice.
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Colleges look for the well-rounded, well grounded students for admission.
How can your students fit into that description if they are not offered the
opportunity to grow?
Pat Cochran
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Wow, I feel really fortunate that our schools aren’t feeling cuts—yet. I did have a principal who thought testing was more important than music and had me teaching soc. studies instead of music. What happened to a well-rounded education? Are your best school memories of math class or bio? And I think kids who have those outlets build their confidence, which flows over into other parts of their lives.
Why don’t people who care about KIDS actually make decisions????
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Unfortunately, your school’s story is not all that uncommon. In the county where I work (at the public library), they had an excellent drama program. They overloaded the teacher with english classes and she left. Her replacement had no clue about drama and no personality. The drama kids really resented it. The original teacher came back this year, but had more english classes than she was promised. The drama kids are a great and talented group. We have worked together on several projects and they are always up for special programs. They spearheaded a project to get the old town theater renovated and had made a good start on fundraising and writing a book about its history. Unfortunately the building burned to the ground 2 weeks ago. They are still pressing on to write the book and see about building a theater, now called the Phoenix Project.
The real problem in the schools, as you said, is all the “art type” programs get the ax and not much is said. Try to cut athletics and the school office is stormed. Sports are important, but we’d be better off getting recess back into the school day and intramural sports back for everyone. We have become a nation overly obsessed with sports. We pay coaches and players WAY too much. Why should a college coach be payed $1 million or more, when teachers in the arts are usually part time, no benefits, and make just a few thousand per course.
With the economy the way it is, I’m afraid more and more of those “unnecessary” extras will be cut. With fewer special classes, the marginal students will become dropouts because there is nothing to challenge and interest them.
Sorry I ranted, but this is all a very sore point for us both as parents and educators.
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It’s terrible that schools are cutting all these activities that students enjoy. It seems like it’s always music and drama but never sports. Don’t get me wrong sports are important too, but they never seem to be on the chopping block like the others.