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Charlottesville High theater students ask board for help to fund $30,000 regional trip
Summary
Students and staff told the school board that Charlottesville High Schools theater program won top honors at the Virginia Theater Association and earned a berth to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in March, and they asked the board and community for help raising an estimated $30,000 to pay travel and production costs.
Charlottesville High School theater students and their fine arts coordinator told the Charlottesville City Schools board on Nov. 6 that the CHS one-act troupe placed among the top two programs at the Virginia Theater Association and will represent Virginia at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Chattanooga in March.
"This incredible group of 45 student performers led by their talented director, David Beckert, captivated audiences and judges," Fine Arts Coordinator Aaron Eichlerst said during opening recognitions. He told the board the program won awards including best ensemble, best musicians and first-place individual costume design for Esmee Ogden Amt.
Students who spoke during the meeting described theater as a personal and educational turning point. "Before I joined theater, I didn't really talk to anybody ... I have really bad social anxiety. But when I joined CHS theater, it just got better for me," student Mia Gold said. Sophomore Ixchel Paz Gonzales said theater is "a place where creativity is wanted and needed," and junior Esmee Ogden Amt described meeting professionals and college representatives at the VTA event.
The students and staff said the program must raise roughly $30,000 to cover travel and production costs for the trip and upcoming shows. "This will be our first time going [to SCTC], so I think it would be nice for all of us to get the opportunity to fully get to go," Gold said. Several students asked the board to consider financial or logistical support and urged the district to direct community donors and nonprofit partners to the program.
Community member Ziona Bryant urged the board to publicize the request and connect students to local philanthropic and nonprofit resources. "We have a lot of nonprofit organizations that support the arts," Bryant said during public comment. "There are people in the community who want to support. They want to volunteer more."
Board members and the student representative praised the theater group during the meeting; the board did not vote on any direct funding at the Nov. 6 session. Superintendent Dr. (first name not specified in transcript) Gurley and board members said they would share the students' request with communications channels and community partners, and several speakers suggested fundraising through performances and direct online donations.
The program listed ticketed events and other fundraisers for the community as immediate strategies; the students and staff said community members may donate at the theater programs website (theaterchs.weebly.com). The board acknowledged the request and applauded the students for representing CHS and the division at the state level.
Votes at a glance from the same meeting included routine procedural approvals and recognitions; no formal grant or appropriation to the theater program was recorded during the Nov. 6 meeting.
