Jamie Dandreta
Feb. 24, 2010
KENNEBUNK, MAINE- Students of RSU 21 were devastated when they heard of a new budget-cut that would eliminate their theater department that has been around for nearly 20 years. Although the cut is still in the preliminary stage, students and faculty have already taken action to save theater.
Students first formed two Facebook groups, together accumulating about 900 members. One is called, “Don’t Kill KHS Drama!”, and the other, “Save Theater in Kennebunk!” In these groups, students persuade members to take charge; giving them the contact information of the school board, Kennebunk Post, and York County Coast Star.
The students of KHS have already held a sit-in protest on their stage- that if theater gets cut will not get much use, and the letters to the editor have been flooding in to the Kennebunk Post. In each letter, the importance of theatre in schools is expressed. One letter, from a 2003 alum of KHS who now resides in Rome, wrote how theater helped her at the American University of Rome, “When going into the job market, I interviewed with ease. When I unexpectedly found myself faced with an opportunity in radio journalism, I was ready for the challenge.”
Another alum of 1999 stated in a letter that the arts is unfortunately always the first to go. She even compared theater to the more generic subjects in school and said, “How many times has someone come up to me and asked me to find the square root of a number, conjugate a verb in Spanish, or name the first 10 presidents?” She then states that theatre teaches something more meaningful, “On a daily basis I am confident, respectful and accepting. I encourage, I motivate, I listen.”
The RSU 21 budget-cut is only one out of hundreds happening throughout Maine. The arts are usually the first to be cut, but the jobs of school faculty and staff all over the state are at risk. The Department of Education in Maine is anticipating a shortfall of $56 million, which is expected to jump to $59 million in 2011-2012. This puts many school superintendents in great fear. The Kittery and York school departments, both neighboring towns of Kennebunk, are receiving only 5% in state aid.
Kennebunk High School may be hurting from the state’s economic crisis, but the students will continue their fight to save what is most important to them- theater. A 2002 KHS alum puts their passion and hard work into words and wrote, “Watch their eyes light up as they talk about the process and how they’re actually applying what they learned in class. Notice the joy in each of their faces because together they created something incredibly special that will last forever.”
The new RSU 21 budget-cut, will be discussed on the night of March 1 at 6:45 at the school board meeting in Kennebunk Town Hall. Students are urging as many people as possible to come and support the arts.
