Walton Co. School Board Meets about Blithe Spirit!!

[Longmanhair]

Well, hello everyone! I am a Senior at SoWal High School and a member of the drama program at the school. I have been in several past performances including Beauty and the Beast, The Musicman, and Fame.

Prior to this whole thing, I actually had no idea that SoWal had a messageboard! But now that I know, I will become a dedicated lurker as I am apt to do to many messageboards in general.

As far as how the meeting tonight went, I would like to say that both sides went up and placed their points upon the table calmly and with civility. With the exception of two events (one of which the members of the board were attempting to figure out just what they were suppose to vote on, and the other consisted of many full-grown adults, whom should really know better, interrupting one of said members to vehemently express their feelings concerning the holiday of Halloween) the process went quite well.

In the end, the voting came out as a 3 to 2 in favor of allowing Blithe Spirit to stay within the Walton County Curriculum.

This is a bittersweet victory, however, due to the fact that our esteemed principal, Mark Ewing, stated with great certainty that he would never allow the play Blithe Spirit to be performed at SoWal High School as it is written.

So at the end of it all, it comes out to us being allowed legally to do the play, but not allowed administratively to do it.

Oh well, in the end, one must roll with the punches. X}

 

[questor]

Mark Ewing had a couple of lively and VERY verbal "hench-persons" (don't want to be sexist here) on the School Board one of whom ALSO made it very clear that SHE would not allow it even if Mark did! (

 

[Kaynay]

Bottom line: Blithe Spirit is approved to remain in the curriculum. However, under the current principal and superintendent, the play will not be performed without certain altercations, including the removal of all alcohol references and cursing. Our fear is that it may be impossible to secure the copyright to butcher, for lack of a better word, the play. Basically, the decision to perform rests on elected individuals, which makes our current pridicament in no way permanent. All in all, I'd say tonight's result was a positive one, and a step in catching this county up with the rest of the country.

 

[truethespian09]

bottom line the christian did prevail no matter what the vote was.....
the superintendent stated that the play will never be in any of her schools because of the language and content and the same thing was said by the principal of SoWal high school.
the main reason for this is copyright laws that prohibit them from changing any part of the script.
THUS, this play will never be seen on a stage at a walton county school but is will stay in the curriculum.
If you were at SoWal High tonight i hope you read the sign by the restrooms stating "Choices we make today, dictate the lives we lead."...just think about that.

 

[GoodWitch58]

can some one please post the votes . were you guys aware of how the principal felt? Has this been the problem all along?

 

[DuneAHH]

This is how I understood it...JDarg & others will refine / correct this if I didn't get the essence or facts correct.


1. Blithe Spirit will remain "in the curriculum" ... meaning it will remain available in the library (not be banned or burned). As long as it's "in the curriculum" it lives to see another day.

2. Whether or not Blithe Spirit can ever be performed in a Walton County school became a moot point at this moment in time because:
A. The principal publicly stated that no play performance at SWHS will contain profanity, alcoholism, or tobacco.
B. The Blithe Spirit copywrite stipulates the content-script-language cannot be changed ("sanitized") without express permission from the Noel Coward estate. As of today, That Permission to make changes has not been obtained (neither has it been expressly denied.) There has simply been no response to the request.

3. One of the board members made a delightfully pointed observation ;-) to the assemblage (and I paraphrase):

"The ANTI Blithe Spirit Campaign ... practically guarantees that masses of students (who probably never gave it 2 thoughts before all the hoopla), will now be RACING TO READ IT."

SNAP! The fears you put the most energy behind are the ones you bring to pass....

 

[Kase626]

I sincerely hope that the choices I made today dictate the life I will lead. If that's the case, I don't have anything to worry about.


Goodwitch58, the final vote was 3 -Aye, 2- Nay.

 

[GoodWitch58]

thanks, but what I want to know is who voted which way. names please.

 

[Longmanhair]

There is one thing one must understand about Mark Ewing.

The man is usually quite alright with the majority of things that his students do, so long as none of it is completely horrid.

However, when he is put on the spot, as to choosing between one thing or the other, one belief or the other, he'll talk in circles without answering the questions until people just walk away out of annoyance.

He actually made one of the board members roll his eyes at the lengthiness and lack of direction of one of his answers.

In my opinion, the whole thing was quite comedic.

At times, I wish that our system was more reminiscent of Fort Walton Beach High School's where they are allowed to display their creativity with the support of the outlying community. As previously stated, they were allowed to put on To Kill a Mockingbird, albeit with great difficulty, but after all that they went through, they were still capable of doing the play.

Unfortunately, we in SoWal High School do not have that privilege of going on about doing classical or just comedic plays (such as Yours Mine and Ourspace) without being censored and opposed at every other turn.

At the end of the day, it isn't about one religion winning out over evil heathens, or vise-versa, it is about societies' tolerance toward the uncensored expression of creativity that both the writers of the plays, and the actors in said plays, unquestionably deserve.

 

[DuneAHH]

NAY -- Barnhill & the Blonde Female Board member (don't know her name).
AYE -- the other 3 board members.