Crazy Friday morning so I’ll keep this brief.
I opened up the Cleveland Plain Dealer to find that Shaw high school had raised the $200,000 necessary for a band trip to China. Thanks to the local readers in the Cleveland area, the school will be able to attend.
I then had the following conversation with myself:
-Wow. That’s a lot of money for a band.
-Yea, but they are reknowned
-But just think of what else could’ve been done with that money, in that community, at that school
-Yea, but as a former band geek, you have to be happy for them – the geeks got their day
-True
-And, you know that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what schools spend on athletics
-Yea, but $200,000 - is that the best use of those dollars? I keep coming back to that.
-What – you don’t think kids should be cultured?
As you can see, I’m really torn. What do you think?
I am a ’79 graduate of Shaw High School. And yes, I see you are torn, however you must also look at the challenges these young people face everyday in a community that is not what it used to be and to overcome the fact that the neighborhood has been sterotyped as “drug infested, poor, troubled, etc.,” but they are still producing educated young people who need to see the world like we did when I was a student. We only had the advantages of going to Detroit to see where cars where made or to DC to see the White House. These kids deserve to go China and I am glad they are going.
I am a ’98 proud graduate of Shaw High School also was apart of the band family as a Hi-Liter and was drum major my senior year. It sounds like to me you were upset that people actually looked at a postive sitauation and actually raised the money for hard working group of kids that deserve every right to attend this event. It’s just a shame that he had to raise any money at all the board of east cleveland and the city should have already have that kind a money anyways if they have the right trusted, dedicated people on board and use money wisely when we do get charity. i do believe the band director has done over and beyond his110% of getting those kids where they need to be dedicated,strong,courageous and alot of postive attitude. It’s a shame it took a big trip like this to raise a hell alot of money for the band cause the band was struggling for a long time until this band director came along.
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