The Maple Valley Youth Symphony obviously has a stake in whether or not this bond passes.

The bond contains plans for building an auditorium, which would give us a great venue in Maple Valley in which to perform.  But, there’s so much more.

I have personally been involved with the Tahoma School District’s (TSD) performing arts programs for the past four and a half years. During this time, I have spent time on the campuses of all of our Tahoma School District secondary schools working with the bands, having lunch with kids in the lunch rooms (much to my daughter’s dismay), attending concerts and trying to get an idea of what life is like on a TSD campus.

I have done this for three reasons. First, I love band, orchestra and everything that goes along with it. I love being a part of it!  Secondly, having a daughter that is involved in the program and our school district, it was important to me to understand what her day is like. And third, I believe it is mutually beneficial to the TSD bands and the MVYSO to have a great working relationship.

In the four and a half years I’ve observed some things that may not be obvious to the community that I want to point out.  First, kids who are involved in the performing arts are at the top of their classes academically. They are outstanding citizens in our community. They are the kind of kids you dream of having live in your community.

Most of them are way too busy with music, academics and sports to get into any trouble (Yes! Sports – many of them play sports too. They are amazing kids.)

I have observed the TSD administration paying increased attention to the performing arts over this time. They have provided resources and support to grow our performing arts programs.

Did you know that this fall, we’ll add another full time staff member in our secondary band program?  In a time where other school districts are reacting to budget problems by cutting programs like band, our district is GROWING programs. This is a great proactive move on their part. They know that music and high test scores go hand in hand.

There are exciting new music classes being added to the curriculum that will give more kids an opportunity to participate.

Last spring, I had the honor and privilege to participate in the pit orchestra for Tahoma High School’s Spring Musical. I loved every minute of it and was very impressed with the leadership of the show and every student participating in it.

There is new buzz and high level of commitment to excellence in our performing arts from the teachers, administration, and students. It is incredibly exciting to see what is happening in our district.

In the community, I have observed a growing support for youth performing arts.  Our audiences for MVYSO concerts have grown. The MVYSO should have failed considering the timing of when we started our organization (2007). Our organization has grown and is thriving thanks to our wonderful community.  Our local businesses have supported us, individuals from the community have supported us and our members have supported us.

The Maple Valley Rotary makes it possible for students who cannot afford tuition to participate.  Did you know that the Maple Valley Rotary has a program that helps students who can’t afford instrument rentals to get instruments in their hands and to participate in Tahoma School District and MVYSO programs?

I believe that our community is hungry for the performing arts and that is why the MVYSO is enjoying the success that they are having and why our TSD performing arts programs are growing.

There are many reasons why the School District bond should pass. The halls are crowded. I have participated in passing period at the junior high. The lunch rooms are packed and kids are eating in shifts starting at 10:40 in the morning.  The portables at the high school are a mess.

All of our schools are at capacity and there are more students expected to move into our community. We definitely need some place to put them.

Our high school offers the most advanced placement and college courses of any school in our state. This is helping our students graduate with college credits. If we run out of room for specialized classes, it will be impossible to continue these programs. Space alone, is a great reason to pass this bond measure.

The best reason to pass this bond measure is because we are rewarding excellence. We are rewarding a school district with academic excellence that can’t be beat and we want to support its future. We are rewarding a school district with performing arts excellence and we want to see our students showcased in the best way possible – an auditorium. Building an auditorium would benefit our students, our community and be a “monument” to excellence that people won’t be able to miss when they drive by.

Families move to our community for our school district because of our outstanding test scores and our outstanding academics.

I can’t wait until a family of a performing arts kid tells me that they moved to Maple Valley because of our outstanding performing arts opportunities for their kids. That will be a great day.

Please join with me in voting yes on this bond measure. Let’s reward excellence and assure its future in our school district.

Elisa Lewis,

Executive director, MVYSO

Maple Valley