Fairport students, parents urge board to fund additional drama club advisers

Student leaders and a parent booster told the Fairport Central School District Board of Education on Oct. 20 that the high school drama club lacks the adult capacity to train and mentor crew members and urged the district to fund two additional advisers.

The students — represented at the podium by Marley Priest and Orianna Toner — said the program runs 70 to 90 participants per production but currently has only two adult advisers. "We urge the school board to consider investing in 2 additional advisers to guide the club students and ensure each area of our theater department has a school sanctioned leader," Marley Priest said.

Arianna Toner, speaking as a crew member, said the lack of adult leaders has led the club to remove longstanding student crew-head roles that once trained underclassmen in lights, sound, props, hair and costumes. "There are no crew heads this year ... every crew member was assigned individual tasks, reducing the…