SWW Theatre Program

[Anonymous]

Maybe not the Best anymore?

[Anonymous]

Walls students who are interested in theater might want to start something like the Players at JR; it’s a student-run theater group (with a faculty sponsor) that puts on three events each year: play in a day (fall), a traditional play with a professional director (winter), and student written/directed/performed one acts (spring). It’s great experience for the Players, who truly organize and run all of the productions, including hiring the director, and the three events also provide a really nice, low-stakes way for kids to get involved in theater.

[Anonymous]

Most single-gender private schools also have open auditions for guest performers of the opposite gender.

[Anonymous]

The Walls administration had choice on what positions/programs to cut. They chose to cut theater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Walls administration had choice on what positions/programs to cut. They chose to cut theater.

The Walls admin proposed cutting 1 counselor (Walls has 4) and 1 world language teacher. The LSAT requested more options. They didn’t like the 2nd option (cut two teachers) and proposed eliminating special ed teachers and having staff with dual credentials provide support for special needs students. That wasn’t viable. So LSAT voted and most supported cutting two teachers. Admin could have overruled LSAT, but did not. But this was not the option admin wanted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will the SWW theatre program be cut? This will be a reason to enroll elsewhere for my son.

If your kid is serious as you imply, SWW wouldn't work anyway. Why not Duke Ellington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Walls administration had choice on what positions/programs to cut. They chose to cut theater.

The Walls admin proposed cutting 1 counselor (Walls has 4) and 1 world language teacher. The LSAT requested more options. They didn’t like the 2nd option (cut two teachers) and proposed eliminating special ed teachers and having staff with dual credentials provide support for special needs students. That wasn’t viable. So LSAT voted and most supported cutting two teachers. Admin could have overruled LSAT, but did not. But this was not the option admin wanted.

The second option wasn’t viable according to whom? This was not a situation where the LSAT made a decision and admin begrudgingly went along with it. Other things came to light that should have changed their decision but they chose not to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will the SWW theatre program be cut? This will be a reason to enroll elsewhere for my son.

If your kid is serious as you imply, SWW wouldn't work anyway. Why not Duke Ellington?

Not op or pp, but for many kids, theater and the arts are the way they find their people in school. It can have a huge impact for navigating school and giving a reason to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Walls administration had choice on what positions/programs to cut. They chose to cut theater.

The Walls admin proposed cutting 1 counselor (Walls has 4) and 1 world language teacher. The LSAT requested more options. They didn’t like the 2nd option (cut two teachers) and proposed eliminating special ed teachers and having staff with dual credentials provide support for special needs students. That wasn’t viable. So LSAT voted and most supported cutting two teachers. Admin could have overruled LSAT, but did not. But this was not the option admin wanted.

They have 1 Special Ed Teacher.
How could they cut this position?

[Anonymous]

Many schools took a much bigger hit in their budget than this. The fact is, schools got a lot of money as a result of federal COVID money over the passed few years and expanded staff accordingly. That money is going away. Walls isn't special they had to make tough decisions like every other school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Walls administration had choice on what positions/programs to cut. They chose to cut theater.

The Walls admin proposed cutting 1 counselor (Walls has 4) and 1 world language teacher. The LSAT requested more options. They didn’t like the 2nd option (cut two teachers) and proposed eliminating special ed teachers and having staff with dual credentials provide support for special needs students. That wasn’t viable. So LSAT voted and most supported cutting two teachers. Admin could have overruled LSAT, but did not. But this was not the option admin wanted.

They have 1 Special Ed Teacher.
How could they cut this position?

By having the staff with dual credentials provide special ed services. It would have worked. There are several teachers at the school who are dual certified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Walls students who are interested in theater might want to start something like the Players at JR; it’s a student-run theater group (with a faculty sponsor) that puts on three events each year: play in a day (fall), a traditional play with a professional director (winter), and student written/directed/performed one acts (spring). It’s great experience for the Players, who truly organize and run all of the productions, including hiring the director, and the three events also provide a really nice, low-stakes way for kids to get involved in theater.

This is an amazing program at J-R. Having said that, part of reason it's so successful at J-R is the size and quality of the drama program at J-R...unclear that it would be as successful at Walls but it's true that it is worth trying if that's the only option.

[Anonymous]

So - what about SWW supposedly being the "humanities" high school? (Not just the 'academically superior' school that many parents seem to focus on. Not a deep thinker on this but I thought that theater and the humanities are pretty deeply linked.

[Anonymous]

Did this get reinstated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did this get reinstated?

Yes.