Student urges restoration of auditorium tech director; parents press board to boost fundraising support

Jordan Sharp, a senior at Spring Grove Area High School and president of a district student organization, told the board the Voorhevold/Marbell Family Auditorium has suffered repeated technical problems that undercut performances and events. “Without a dedicated, knowledgeable tech director overseeing this space, even the best efforts between students and staff fall short,” Sharp said, asking the board to reinstate the position and to create a sustainable system that supports students beyond graduation.

Michelle, a parent from Heidelberg Township who did not provide a last name during her remarks, told the board the high school currently lacks an active PTO and urged broader use of the Spring Grove Area Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) support organization, to help raise money for theater, Odyssey of the Mind and other academic programs. “If we collectively start utilizing the Spring Grove Area Education Fund…we can do more fundraising,” Michelle said, noting recent student invitations to national competitions and the funding gap that would prevent travel without community support.

Board members thanked the speakers and asked administration to circulate Jordan’s written remarks by email. The president said the administration would follow up to clarify why there is no active PTO at the high school and what avenues — boosters, the district education fund or other nonprofit channels — exist to support student travel and extracurricular programming.

Why it matters: student productions and academic competitions provide experiential learning and visibility for the district; presenters linked operational failures and lack of fundraising infrastructure to lost opportunities for students.

What’s next: Board members asked staff to forward Jordan’s submission to members and to report back on PTO status and fundraising pathways; no formal policy or funding change was adopted at the meeting.