11/19/98

Opelika * Auburn News
* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*
11/19/98

Letter: Programs might be lost to YRS

During the past few weeks, the possibility of converting to year-round school has been the primary topic of discussion in the Auburn community. As Director of Education at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, I would like to open up a subject that has received little attention in the press.

Auburn is a community in which many gifted students live, as indicated by their outstanding test scores and their achievements in the arts. These students often participate in summer programs that allow them to develop their talents more fully. Year-round school will have a major impact on their opportunities to participate in these enrichment programs.

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the fifth largest Shakespeare theatre in the world, offers a summer theatre camp for elementary students that is one of the strongest in the nation. The camp is always scheduled during the first two weeks of August, after the six repertory shows have closed, so that the costume shop and the rehearsal halls will be available for the children to work in. This is the only time of year that space is available at ASF for fifty children to attend classes.

Approximately 1/4 of the participants in the camp last year were from Auburn. Each one-week camp session provides training in acting, dance, com bat, technical theatre, and voice. At the end of the week, the children get to perform an abridged Shakespearean play on one of ASF's stages that such renowned actors as Lynn Redgrave and Charlton Heston have also performed on. This past summer Camp Shakespeare students staged their own production of The Taming of the Shrew. If Auburn moves to year round school, this opportunity will be lost for Auburn students. There are many other outstanding arts camps, such as Interlochen, that Auburn students attend. It is unlikely that these camps will modify their schedules to coordinate with YRS schedules, since approximately 95 per cent of the nation's school systems adhere to tradition al calendars.

I urge the Auburn City School Board to carefully consider the real needs of the community and the impact YRS would have on summer enrichment activities (which also can include family trips) before making a decision.

Linda H. Dean
Director of Education, ASF
Auburn