Letters to the editor

Vote to support a new FHS

— As a teacher at Fayetteville High School, I feel that I have a responsibility to not only provide the best education possible, but also provide a safe environment for our students. At the present time in the present facility, it is nearly impossible for me to do that.

The 200 students in the high school band are rehearsing in a facility that has been designed for 80. By putting more than 80 students in the band room, we are putting the students and their teachers at risk with the excessive volume level produced when all students are playing their instruments. The choir room is also too small and is not safe in the present environ ment. And perhaps most of all, the 56 entrances to the school create a security risk that is indescribable.

The current facility has served us well but it is time to bring our students, our teachers, and our community into the 21st century with a new Fayetteville High School. What will we get with a new FHS?

◊A school that provides a much safer environment.

◊A performing arts center large enough to hold concerts and drama productions so we do not have to rent other facilities. Last year, due to our inadequate facilities and the lack of availability of the Walton Arts Center, the band was forced to rent the auditorium at Har-Ber High School in Springdale while the choir rented the Springdale High School Performing Arts Center for their fall concert. Our students deserve their own facility, and our community could benefit from a new performing arts center in Fayetteville.

◊Spaces for outdoor learningand indoor spaces that can provide improved technology.

◊LEED certification maintaining our community's commitment to environmental sustainability as well as a savings in energy costs.

◊A new learning center that is prepared to grow through the 21st century.

I, like everyone else in the community, am concerned about new taxes and our present economy. However, for the cost of one large pizza per month, I can do my part in providing a safe new school for our current and future students in Fayetteville. In order to provide a safe environment for them, I think this is a small sacrifice on my part. I urge you to please vote for a new Fayetteville High School on Sept. 15.
Barry Harper / Fayetteville

Opinion, Pages 4 on 09/09/2009