I am a Classen SAS alumni. That entire arts division is still very close to my heart, even 20+ years after graduation. Please don't take this away from these young teens. We urge you to reconsider and perhaps another solution can be reached that is more amicable. Thank you for your time.

Technical direction is everything when it comes to the arts; all school functions in general…theater, assembly, etc. The show must go on!

My daughter attends Classen as an IB major but also participates theater classes. We chose this school because of both opportunities and want it to remain strong in the arts.

I am a Classen alumni, 1998 and active supporter of our regional art community. The safety of those young students is worth more than the wage of this position. I am appalled at the narrow perspective of the administration who manage these programs.

Give the students what they need! Why always invest in programs that only benefit admin?!! These students NEED this Theater Tech teacher for them to have a well-rounded future. OKC is known for producing talented people who end up as superstars in this world. Don't handicap them by denying the money for this crucial position!

Technical theater is an integral part of theater it does not make sense to eliminate this class.

Keeping arts opportunities strong in school helps balance young people’s interest in public schools. The skills you learn through arts programs are just as important as traditional learning skills. It could be just the thing to get a kid through the day!
Our communities are enriched by the talent and joy that young people bring through school theater productions. Keeping our theater tech teacher will ensure Classen’s continued excellence in bringing theater to our students, faculty, families and community!

We must not remove the position because building sets and lights and sound can be very dangerous for kids if not properly supervised. One drama teacher is not enough supervision for the 70 plus drama majors at the school.

Kids need art and teachers need help!

My granddaughters are active in OKC Public School's performing arts.

This is my Alma mater. This would be and is an important roll for the theater and drama majors.

This is importante to me because it can relate to each and everyone of the family. Always stay safe and look out for one onether.

Por que mi familia se vera afectada

I am a Classen SAS alumni who took stagecraft and tech classes.

The technical position is just as important as any drama position and involved the safety of our students. Drama students need to go into High School having tech skills and knowledge.

Tech theater was an important part of my teenage years. It taught me a lot about making something wonderful from nothing and just how hard support people work to bring a production to life. I carry many of the skills I learned in that class still today. Do not deprive children of this valuable experience.

As a student who participated in theater tech with Mr. Harrington, I learned so much that I never would have before. I had never picked up a power tool, and as a woman, it is very empowering to use things others had always told me I could not. I never felt that I was in harms way as we were watched very closely and they were always older students knew what they were doing to guide us. Classen SAS always created the most beautiful backdrops And that would not have happened without the help of students.

I graduated from Classen in 1998, I have an incoming 5th grader, opened my own theatrical production company in New York, am part of a Tony award winning design team, and am the current production manager of the OKC ballet. A production will only be successful on stage if it is successful off stage. Take this time to educate the students. Build a group of kids who are respectful of what happens off stage, and let the teacher be involved in learning their new space. There is plenty to be done while the auditorium is under construction, and the children (if anywhere in Oklahoma City) deserve to learn.

The CSAS middle school needs this instructor in order to keep the students safe.

I am a graduate of the Classen SAS theater program. Tech theater was my focus, and was the reason I traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe festival and multiple state competitions with the program. Tech theater was the reason I chose my university degree program. And a large part of my success at Classen.

Ella is my friend and her dad is a great teacher.

As a Classen School of Advanced Studies HighSchool @ NE theatre student myself, who went to Classen School of Advanced Studies Middle School, I know, firsthand, how important it is to have a technical theatre teacher. In theatre, the technical aspects are crucial to running a well done, and SAFE, production.

Without a tech teacher, some of the most important aspects of theatre will go untaught to these drama students. Classen SAS is a performing arts school, so it is important to have well rounded students. Technical theatre is just as important to drama students as math is to IB students. Some information that will go untaught prevents dangerous situations. The lack of a theatre teacher may put students at risk of harm because of the lack of training around potentially dangerous environments.

The district argues that a technical theatre teacher is not necessary, because of the new renovations, but it is MORE important, because not having an auditorium means needing more creativity and skill in order to safely and successfully put on a production in an unfamiliar space. In all, erasing the tech teacher position will mean critical damage to the Classen School of Advanced Studies Middle School drama department.

As a Classen Alumni, they deserve to have the best support for their VPA classes.

My son went to Classen SAS. He got the best possible start in life with the drama program. It taught him so many life skills that he uses today. It has been proven that the Arts are VITAL to learning.

As a former Classen SAS Technical Theater student, I view my time learning the fundamentals in middle school as the foundation that allowed me to succeed throughout high school. I now work in the television production field, something that would not have been possible without the hours of tireless work from technical theater teachers at Classen SAS.

I am a graduate of Classen SAS. The theater program was always one of the most important on campus and most popular. To take away the Theater Tech teacher would be an absolute travesty and disgrace to everything that school stood for. That position is important and teaches students safety, appreciation and accountability for every part of the theater.

EVERYTHING is this petition.

Porque mi niña le interesa esta clase para el año escolar que entra por favor necesitamos esta maestra este puesto esta clase como quieran llamarle no le quiten la oportunidad a mi hija y a muchos más de aprender como manejar un estudio

The Middle School absolutely needs its own Texh teacher. Farming out skilled tasks will not work, and the students will suffer. Making decisions in an educational setting based on staff seniority smacks of management laziness.

Our daughter was a theater major this year at Classen Middle School, this year and I know this position is vital to the success and safety of the program