Johnny+B's+2018+OpEd+Article

The Arts: Left In the Dust By Johnny Barrera

In my 4 years at foothill it has come to my attention that the arts are neglected. A school of students stressing for the next A- and sports practice don’t have enough time for development of their creative side, or at least that is how we are conditioned. Now the issue observed is by no means a foothill only problem, many schools around the United States put priorities on many other things before the arts. It is a growing problem that I believe should be addressed. It is becoming a necessity for young people in order to get ahead, to immediately smash their dreams of a career through expression. Appreciation of the drama department at Foothill is non-existent and much more frequently a joke, while the dragon press and sports are praised with expansive programs and mass school support. Example #1: Sports have a reporter especially targeted for them, the first play I participated in ("Writing a Will Can Be Murder") had not one reporter from Foothill all four nights; as a matter of fact even Ventura High sent a reporter the first night of the show.

Example #2: Most people at Foothill aren't even aware that we have a drama department and all advertising is handled internally with no help with PR from ASB. Posters are plastered around the school for the next basketball game while drama must scrounge to produce their own.

The ratio is simply unbalanced, even for a school primarily focused on science and technology. I have to wear a badge of shame knowing that I'm doing the thing I love. Is narrowing the scope of creativity for the students of our generation worth it for some petty track award or championship trophy? I don't believe so...

(Now it's about 9:00 and I will attempt to memorize ten minutes of dialogue I have had to put off due to my AP student lifestyle)