Ive been asked to post my remarks to the forum the other night. Here they are: ..It’s been a remarkable week. Kids have found their voice, and the community is looking for a solution to an issue that has stirred passionate debate. I want to recognize Dr. Metzler for convening this session. I ask all those present to stick to the civil discourse that has been shown so far and look forward to how the Timberlane community can put on Sweeney Todd. Dr. Metzler said yesterday, “if we can find the right message that we want to send and see if it connects to the core values here in Timberlane, I think we can come to some place where everyone’s comfortable,” Metzler said. So, core values: The school district’s mission statement says the school community “values and nurtures the academic, personal, creative, and social growth of all students. We uphold rigorous academic standards and promote continuous improvement through curriculum and experiences that foster excellence, cooperation, and responsibility.” I’ve been reading Dr. Metzler’s newsletters to the community. He said the huge turnout for the town meeting on the budget sent a message: “demand excellence and settle for nothing less!” We know the arts community helped save the budget, because that let our core values be honored. He says that under the direction of Mr. D, “Timberlane continues to lead the learning in music education and performing arts.” He reached out with concern to parents thinking of enrolling their 8th graders elsewhere. I note a new charter school on the arts plans to open in the area. And finally, he says, “remember - programs don’t teach children, teachers do! Supporting our instructional staff continues to be a major focus of the superintendent’s leadership team. “ • The growth element of the mission statement is a crux of the issue. Should the theater program provide maximum growth opportunity for students, or entertain every family in the area. Many people think it already does both pretty well, and doesn’t have to trim its sails A Timberlane parent wrote in: … I am confident that college admissions officers reviewing my daughter’s application (she is now at Cornell) took note of the fact that she had performed on stage in “Wit”, “The Women of Lockerbie”, and “Les Miserables” …. These professional gatekeepers surely understand the powerful life lessons and personal growth to be gained from immersing oneself into such difficult (and perhaps controversial) subject matter. This unique learning experience gave her an edge in a pool of thousands of applicants … a theater program that performs “Oklahoma” every year in order to be “inclusive”, or to appease those having certain “values”, would not have given her this edge…. Carli Hamilton, a 2012 graduate now in New York at one of the country’s best musical theater schools says, “without the ambition gained from doing certain plays at Timberlane, I may never have had the guts, or integrity to follow that dream.” The Timberlane players are called to action to challenge themselves and the community to gather these issues and present them in an approachable manner. Andrew Hobgood– a successful playwright and 1999 Timberlane graduate says. “I learned that discomfort and challenging art is what causes positive change in the world from the Timberlane players. “Fifteen years ago, your district taught me that the arts aren’t just entertainment – they are communal education. They are an opportunity for discussion. They are an opportunity for positive action. Sweeney Todd provides you with an absolutely amazing opportunity for all of those things. Instead of cancelling the production, I urge you to turn it into education. I have some personal thoughts – I’ve been a parent of five teenagers, and as a photographer I have documented the lives and joys of youth groups for 15 years. After I moved here in 2009 I found my place in the Plaistow community by photographing, videotaping and publicizing the music and arts program. One of the great privileges of this role has been to watch kids emerge from childhood and youth into maturity. And I’ve seen that happen in an instant when the student appears on stage in a challenging role. I saw it when my son, Andrew Lefoley, played his majestic piano solo in Rhapsody in Blue with the orchestra last year. I saw it when Howie Collyer and Kayleigh Larin electrified the audience with Master of the House. I saw it when Jamie Jamie Tyler Saltalamacchia, a senior football player not planning to go on in the arts, helped carry the show in his first acting and singing performance in Les Miserables. It is joyful for us parents to see that transition to maturity. It also brings a sense of loss. But it’s our mission to let them grow, and it’s our kids’ job to take their newfound wings and soar.”
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 13:19:18 +0000
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