Letter to the Editor

Bond's auditorium will be classroom

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Dear editor:

In response to Leonard Hutterman's letter published in the Mountain Home News Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2008--

The auditorium not for education? No, Mr. Hutterman, the auditorium will not be used to teach math, English, science or instruct future computer technicians and business leaders how to function in the "flat world." It will not be used for auto mechanics, wood working, or home economics classes.

It will be home to the performing arts department of Mountain Home High School and every year it will enrich the lives of hundreds of talented students dedicated to their crafts.

It will be used four times per year for choir concerts, seating hundreds of people per show.

Band students will perform concerts throughout the school year, exhibiting skills they have learned at school that will enhance their lives forever.

The danceline will also use the auditorium for recitals, and the annual ceremonies for art awards and academic achievements will take place there.

The new auditorium will have the greatest impact on the drama department, currently staging five productions during the school year, rehearsing year-round and battling athletic programs to reserve the (current) gym for rehearsal time.

With a new facility, more educational opportunities will be available in the technical theatre areas of stage lighting and sound operation. Students will be introduced to new staging techniques and elements of set design.

The auditorium will also offer ideal rehearsal and performance conditions for theatre students--they will no longer be working simultaneously in the same space with athletic events.

It will indeed be a classroom space, as well, exposing students to modern technologies in the technical theatre area.

It is long overdue that students in the performing arts have a space of their own.

As you pointed out, a private business could, in fact, make a profit in Mountain Home by building and operating an auditorium for the community and the school, but part of that profit would be at the expense of the school, particularly the arts programs. The additional production cost of renting a performance space would not be financially feasible for programs like drama, relying on inexpensive ticket sales to operate.

So please, Mr. Hutterman, if you don't want to foot the bill for the proposed school bond, say so. Don't say the auditorium is not for education.

Taunya Page

Mountain Home High School