Every town has something uniquely theirs. Cities like Manhattan and Lawrence have their renowned college campuses and vibrant downtowns. Some towns like Fort Scott have historical landmarks. You can visit the Dalton Brothers Museum in Coffeyville, and Bronson is home to the Chicken Shack.
This raises the question: what does Iola have?
We proudly have the largest town square in the United States and an impressive networks of trails, but our crown jewel just might be the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
The Bowlus offers Allen County residents a world-class performing arts facility that hosts artists and performers from around the nation at prices attainable for most of us. While in town, these performers and audience members who attend the shows may eat in our restaurants, shop in town and experience our community first-hand.
But the Bowlus has offered more than quality entertainment. For decades, it provided our children with a premium fine arts-centered education they could not otherwise receive without traveling 100 miles.
Last year, USD 257 decided to remove high school classes from the Bowlus. This was supposedly due to the lack of funds and new budget priorities from the USD 257 school board, but this leads one to question where the priorities of school officials lay.
The arts have been a key asset in shaping Allen Countys culture. Nearly every Iola child has spent time in the Bowlus during a summer camp, performing a Christmas program or even taking a look at the local artwork in the Mary L. Martin gallery. But what happens when we fail to utilize facilities such as the Bowlus classrooms?
Our communitys unique asset for the arts education was lost when art, theater and public speaking classes were moved into average-sized classrooms that were formerly a computer lab and meeting spaces. This not only meant a loss of income for the Bowlus, but a loss of top-tier teaching environments as well.
Fewer children will be exposed to the fine arts in such a dynamic way, and a large fraction of students will become less connected to the historic building that has nurtured the creativity of students and anchored our community for generations. Furthermore, Iola school children will become less exposed to the development of motor skills, creative critical thinking, inventiveness, and the overall challenges the arts present.
IF THE BOWLUS isnt necessary for our children to receive a quality arts education, lets prove it. Its been close to a full school year since the change. With that in mind, I urge USD 257s Board of Education to engage with students, teachers and school administrators. Prove fact from fiction. Gather data on how the change has affected both teaching and learning. Reflect on the results. Its possible that evidence will indeed show that children are much happier staying in a centralized campus, but thats besides the point. As public servants, school officials have a responsibility to investigate.
Because without speaking to the youth and the adults who educate them about their experiences, how will we know if the change was indeed positive? Wed never really know what our kids lost or gained by moving classes away from the Bowlus, and wed never know how to address it, either. Students deserve better.
