Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Facilities issues/ 6-12
Tonight there was a dance performance at CAPA, for all grades 6-12. The kids were wonderful but the auditorium is small and there was not enough space for the families and friends that came to see them perform. People were turned away or had to stand at the edges. So add performance space to the list of strained facilities in 6-12 schools that includes lunch rooms and athletic spaces. A 6-12 configuration may seem like a clever way to save money, but the price we pay is overcrowding.
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7 comments:
Another way to address the facilities issue is to keep middle school and high school events separate- there would have been plenty of audience space for a middle school performance and a high school performance. When the 6-12 schools were originally presented, there were assurances that activities, events, dances, etc. would be separate for the two groups.
Or, move the event to the Convention Center, or, one of the bigger theater spaces in the Cultural District.
Or, put the event on TV, cable, closed wire to other parts of the building.
I do think that the best solution is to hold different events for HS and Middle School as suggested by Q above. Just a few more thoughts.
They did try a cable feed but it was malfunctioning. Also the screens are tiny- it was hard to tell who the dancers were. But separate events would be great!
Yes, I can't think of a parent or friend or relative who wants to drive downtown to watch a screen of their child performing in another room.
Separate them out. Middle school kids are not high school kids and neither are high school kids looking to relive their middle school years. Plenty of parents have to go to two different performances or evening activities for two different kids.
Most high school kids do really want to put their middle school years behind them. The more separation the better!
In many K-5 buildings with fewer opportunities to see kids perform it is pretty common to have SRO and parking issues. This needs to be corrected at the middle and high school levels, it just isn't right. To some kids it might suggest that their talents and accomplishments are undervalued when a family member is not comfortable enough to really enjoy a performance. This is an easy fix.
Making it possible for fathers and mothers getting off of work in the nick of time to see their children perform would do much more for parent engagement than a dozen meetings with the mayor where people discuss how important it is for parents to be involved.
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