Register editor
Iolans are witnessing the end of an era with the decision Monday by local school board members to stop using the Bowlus Fine Arts Center for the instruction of drama, art and music.
No longer will students from all walks of life experience the center as a matter of course. Instead, it will become an elitist institution by the fact that most events charge for admission the very opposite of what benefactor Thomas H. Bowlus envisioned for Iola and its children.
For all the inconvenience the Bowlus posed to school administrators, it cant be denied it offered a superior educational experience. The art rooms high pitched ceiling with natural light streaming in through the tall windows was a dream. Its acoustically designed rehearsal rooms reflected the slightest of intonations. Drama classrooms lined with mirrors were just steps away from a professional stage and auditorium with plush seats.
No doubt theres room in the high school to accommodate these classes. It is a big, old building. But to make the experience as good will be a challenge.
THOUGH I dont agree with the school boards decision, I understand its reasoning.
Concerns with safety play a bigger and bigger role in todays decisions. On Tuesday, for example, Allen County commissioners voted to spend $154,000 on security cameras placed around the courthouse as well as at Humboldt Elementary School.
So keeping students more centrally located to the high school will help administrators stand guard.
The same goes for having teachers and staff more centrally located to allow for greater cohesion. Most teachers love the change from individual elementary schools to attendance centers because they can work in teams.
I get it.
Its just that sacrificing the experience of students using the Bowlus on a routine basis will have longterm consequences. When something is woven into the fabric of your life, its natural to keep slipping it on, like a favorite sweater.
I worry that over time the Bowlus will come to be seen as an exclusive venue and those already living on the margins of society will not feel welcome.
That said, I also dont want the Bowlus to be a reason the school district cant move ahead with some configuration of new schools. After extensively researching its current schools, committee members have come to the conclusion our students are missing out on many learning opportunities made available through modern facilities.
BECAUSE a building is nothing without a purpose, the task now is to re-imagine how the Bowlus is to be used as other than an occasional entertainment venue.
To let its classrooms, studio labs and offices sit idle would be a travesty.
Several things play in the centers favor, notwithstanding the school boards recent decision.
