Ashton Chowning
English 101
Editorial Essay
September 26, 2016
Bats vs Brushes
“Every child is an artist until he’s told he’s not an artist,” said John Lennon. Lennon meant that every child or student should have the chance to be an artist. Over the years, fine arts programs have been neglected in schools around the nation. Fine arts and sports should have the same budget because it would benefit the school, alleviate out-of-pocket money for fine arts teachers, and to to provide equal opportunities for all students.
First of all, athletes at Chillicothe High School (CHS) who also perform in the fine arts shouldn't be obliged to choose between the two because being in both programs would benefit the school. Most athletes who are also involved in fine arts have to equally distribute their time between the two activities. Therefore, if an athlete can find a way to manage his/her time between the two, then the programs should receive equal funds from the Chillicothe administration. If all the athletes and fine arts students are performing to the best of their ability then CHS would benefit from this because the games would draw in a crowd, and with better materials, people would also be drawn to an art show, a choir or band concert, or a play.
Furthermore, CHS needs to alleviate out-of-pocket money for fine arts teachers. At CHS the fine arts budget is microscopic compared to the sports budget. A coach usually doesn't pay for a team's uniform, so why should a fine arts teachers pay for the tools their students need to succeed? The drama department, does not receive any help from the Chillicothe administration. Then, the art department receives a small budget, next is the choir department, and the department that receives the most help financially is band. Teachers obtain less money than they should be anyway, but making the fine arts teachers use their own money, so their students can perform to the best of their ability, is unjust.
Lastly, Chillicothe might be known as a “sports town,” but that doesn’t make students who do not play sports any less important. Students dedicated to the fine arts work as hard in their activity as an athlete would in practice. There are band students that stay countless hours into the evening practicing. At CHS there is a class for the elite artist that students are required try out to be apart of, students in drama have stayed late into the night to practice for a show, and students in choir come to school during the summer to prepare themselves for the year. Besides the students who don’t choose to be in sports, the Chillicothe administration should consider the students that are not mentally or physically capable of participating in sports. The majority of the students who are not capable of participating in sports turn to the fine arts department to express themselves.
Offering an equal budget to the fine arts would give athletes the ability to participate in both fine arts and sports, teachers at CHS wouldn't have to spend his/her own money on supplies that should be provided, and it would offer a new opportunities for students to express themselves to the best of his/her ability. Chillicothe administration should definitely offer an equal budget because it would help the school. Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist,” so it's time that every child gets the chance to be one.
English 101
Editorial Essay
September 26, 2016
Bats vs Brushes
“Every child is an artist until he’s told he’s not an artist,” said John Lennon. Lennon meant that every child or student should have the chance to be an artist. Over the years, fine arts programs have been neglected in schools around the nation. Fine arts and sports should have the same budget because it would benefit the school, alleviate out-of-pocket money for fine arts teachers, and to to provide equal opportunities for all students.
First of all, athletes at Chillicothe High School (CHS) who also perform in the fine arts shouldn't be obliged to choose between the two because being in both programs would benefit the school. Most athletes who are also involved in fine arts have to equally distribute their time between the two activities. Therefore, if an athlete can find a way to manage his/her time between the two, then the programs should receive equal funds from the Chillicothe administration. If all the athletes and fine arts students are performing to the best of their ability then CHS would benefit from this because the games would draw in a crowd, and with better materials, people would also be drawn to an art show, a choir or band concert, or a play.
Furthermore, CHS needs to alleviate out-of-pocket money for fine arts teachers. At CHS the fine arts budget is microscopic compared to the sports budget. A coach usually doesn't pay for a team's uniform, so why should a fine arts teachers pay for the tools their students need to succeed? The drama department, does not receive any help from the Chillicothe administration. Then, the art department receives a small budget, next is the choir department, and the department that receives the most help financially is band. Teachers obtain less money than they should be anyway, but making the fine arts teachers use their own money, so their students can perform to the best of their ability, is unjust.
Lastly, Chillicothe might be known as a “sports town,” but that doesn’t make students who do not play sports any less important. Students dedicated to the fine arts work as hard in their activity as an athlete would in practice. There are band students that stay countless hours into the evening practicing. At CHS there is a class for the elite artist that students are required try out to be apart of, students in drama have stayed late into the night to practice for a show, and students in choir come to school during the summer to prepare themselves for the year. Besides the students who don’t choose to be in sports, the Chillicothe administration should consider the students that are not mentally or physically capable of participating in sports. The majority of the students who are not capable of participating in sports turn to the fine arts department to express themselves.
Offering an equal budget to the fine arts would give athletes the ability to participate in both fine arts and sports, teachers at CHS wouldn't have to spend his/her own money on supplies that should be provided, and it would offer a new opportunities for students to express themselves to the best of his/her ability. Chillicothe administration should definitely offer an equal budget because it would help the school. Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist,” so it's time that every child gets the chance to be one.