To the Editor:
Rumors can be an ugly thing. Rumors excite as well as hurt. In Carrollton, many folks are concerned the Performing Arts program is being discontinued; the stage is being demolished and our school district will no longer enjoy wonderful plays and musicals. It just isn’t so.

Passions have been stirred, letters have been written and calls have been made...all based on very inaccurate and, at times, totally wrong rumors and misinformation.

Bell-Herron Middle School will continue to be the sight of future play and musical productions the community will enjoy and cherish. The stage will not be demolished, but rather assembled into modulars for storage. During the school day, students and staff will have use of the additional space. Anyone who has visited BHMS knows how cramped it is for space. Students will eat lunch at BHMS, allowing the scheduling of classes that are better suited to the needs of the students, relieving the crowded conditions at CHS and decreasing problems as students leave school, cross the street, stand in long lunch lines and rush to eat before lunchtime ends.

In 1999, the Board of Education created a plan for school improvement. It has been 10 years since that plan was made. As we all know of the plan, Phase I has been accomplished. The gym and the fine arts room were built and have been in use for years. Phase II called for the renovation of the old BHMS gym and a redesign to create a cafeteria/auditorium. Now we look forward to continuing our efforts to better serve our children. Six hundred students and 35 staff members have gracefully shared this space for the past seven years. Now the middle school needs the space. When it is play season, the students and staff will once again share their space. All those valuable lessons learned while participating in the production of plays - work ethic, self confidence, goal setting, teamwork - will still happen along with another important lesson - how to share.

Shared space, not a demolished stage, not the end of a valued fine arts program, just sharing.

Mrs. Palmer Fogler
Superintendent
Carrollton Exempted Village School District

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