Performing Arts Center at El Camino High School

San Juan School Board Pledges Support for New Performing Arts Center

2011-05-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

The San Juan Unified School District Board of Education pledged its support in a recent board meeting for the ecARTS Visual and Performing Arts Center at El Camino High School. The Board’s vote of support is a significant milestone and comes as ecARTS celebrates its first anniversary as an official nonprofit organization.

Although school and facility construction is traditionally funded by local taxes or special bond measures, ecARTS is relying instead on private donations and grants from individuals, corporations and foundations.

“Research has conclusively linked participation in the visual and performing arts with higher achievements from students. Moreover, it enhances cognitive abilities which serve students throughout their lives,” said Kevin Glaser, President of ecARTS and the Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair at El Camino. “This performing arts center will not only provide a necessary state-of-the-art facility for El Camino students, but it will be an asset for all students in the San Juan School District and the community at large. We intend to offer educational clinics and summer programs for all community members with a desire to experience the arts. That is our vision; that is our goal,” Glaser said.

“I wish to thank Superintendent of Education, Dr. Pat Jaurequi, whose leadership and encouragement throughout this process has been exceptional; Mr. Kent Kern, SJUSD Interim Senior Director, Facilities and Planning for his oversight and input to the resolution process; and the entire San Juan Board of Education for its unanimous support of ecARTS in adopting Resolution 2564,” added Glaser.

Media Contact: performatec@yahoo.com

1,200 Surprises from El Camino's Student Government Students

2011-04-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

April 8 was a BIG day for ecARTS. Members of El Camino's Student Government presented a check in the amount of $1,200 to the El Camino Band specifically designated for the ecARTS theatre project. The entire student government class visited the band room and sang at take-off of Cee Lo Green's "Forget You." The lyrics to the song were re-written specifically for the EC Band and their participation at the recent Powder Puff football game and all the other events the band does on the campus at El Camino. To watch the presentation, click the video link below.

Thank you Student Government!

The "Who Do You Know?" Game

2011-03-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

We are looking for connections to major companies such as Smart Water, Geico Insurance, Capitol Coors, 7UP, Raley's, and Coke. If you know someone (or know someone who knows someone), we would love to hear about it. Please email us at performatec@yahoo.com.

On a performance-related note, spring is performance time across the San Juan Unified School District (visit the district's Artsworthy newsletter for a full line up.) On tap this weekend:

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
El Camino High School
March 11, 12 at 7:00 pm
Does losing make you a loser? This hilarious musical will take you through the twists and turns of the lives of six young spellers who struggle with puberty and their group of adult advisors mired in their own childhoods.

Tickets available at the door.
$7 students, children, seniors; $9 adults
Contact Sheryl Lee with questions: shlee@sanjuan.edu or 916.971.7996 x 4377

The Magic of Music

2011-02-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

Think back to your high school teen years. Remember hearing that song that captured so perfectly the relationship with your significant other? Or the trademark song for your class? Or the music that pumped you up before a big game?

In Sunday’s Sacramento Bee (Feb. 13, 2011), Bruce Maiman discusses the personal and universal magic of music (“Music and its transformative power”). According to Maiman, “Part of music’s magic is that its effects are very personal. Music has the power to cause emotions to well up within us– peaceful, relaxing, exciting, festive, foreboding, unsettling, stimulating, invigorating, and more. These feelings are gripping—often irresistible—and they seem to emerge from nowhere. The color our moods, affect our perceptions and generate a behavioral pattern.

“We now know that music increases the release of endorphins—the body’s feel good chemical—hence soothing the savage beast (or reducing your blood pressure. Newer research also suggests musical training enhances the brain's cognitive abilities. Children taking music lessons have experienced higher IQ scores, increased literacy and mathematical skills, even greater sensitivity to emotional cues in social contexts, two skills critical to emotional intelligence.”

The magic of music lives in these emotional responses. The academic subjects like math and science educate us, while the arts help us make sense of our world. And where better to explore the magic of music than in school band or choir?

Support ecARTS. Educate. Inspire. Entertain.

Last Day for Showcase of Talent Tickets

2010-11-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day to purchase your Showcase of Talent tickets to support ecARTS and the student groups who make up the evening's entertainment. Bring friends and family! Munch on delectable creations by Hannibals Catering.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

7:00 - 9:30 pm

Citrus Heights Community Center

The playbill includes:

Rio Americano High School Jazz Combo (under the direction of Josh Murray)
Deterding Elementary School Choir (under the direction of George Dozet)
Arden Middle School: Choir (under the direction of Pam Mitchell)
Solo Piano Performance by Justin Eccleston of Orange Grove Adult School
Del Campo High School Choir (under the direction of Pam Mitchell)
Solo Dance Performance by Encina High School student Leo Maldonado-Ramirez
Monologues and Scenes by El Camino High School Theater Students (under the direction of Sheryl Lee)
El Camino High School Carter Trio Jazz Combo (under the direction of Kevin Glaser)

Tickets, details and directions available at:

ecARTS Showcase of Talent | Nov. 20

2010-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Music~Art~Theater~Food

All the fixings for a great evening out. Bring family and friends. Enjoy performances by:

Arden Middle School: Choir
El Camino High School: Monologues by Theater Students
Rio Americano High School: Jazz Combo
Deterding Elementary School: Choir
Orange Grove Adult Ed: Solo Piano
Del Campo High School: Choir
Encina High School: Solo Dance
El Camino High School: Jazz Combo

Saturday, November 20, 2010

7:00 - 9:30 pm

Citrus Heights Community Center

Tickets, details and directions available at:

The ecARTS Showcase of Talent

2010-10-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Come for the music, the theater, the art exhibits, and the delicious food (catered by renowned Sacramento caterer, Hannibals). Be part of the excitement as featured vocalists, musicians, actors, and visual artists from San Juan Unified School District arts programs entertain you.

Advanced registration required.

Date: Saturday, November 20, 2010
Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Where: Citrus Heights Community Center

As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life.

~John Lubbock

Bring your shades!

We'll color your life with the brightness of our students.

ecARTS is a non-profit organization committed to building a premier performance and gallery venue for students in the San Juan Unified School District and the community at large.

Showcase of Talent -- Drama, Music, Art Exhibits, Food & Drink

2010-10-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrate with ecARTS during our Showcase of Talent kick-off event on Saturday, November 20, 2011 featuring talented students from San Juan Unified School District. Discover why our students deserve a performing arts center and gallery.

Reservations required. Visit our event page for tickets and registration information.

ecARTS Pepsi Application Pending

2010-10-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

ecARTS applied for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Grant. If our application is accepted, we need your help! Similar to the $7,500 Raley's grant we won with your help, we need you to vote EVERY DAY from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. (Don't worry. We'll send emails to remind you.)

This is a national grant and only SIX $50,000 grants are awarded. Please be sure you spread the word to friends and family. Every vote counts!

Stay tuned. We'll update you on the progress of our application.

Invitation from El Camino Band/Choir Director, Kevin Glaser

2010-10-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend of ecARTS:

I would like to invite you to a very special concert next Friday evening, October 15th, featuring the El Camino Bands and Choir. This concert is special for a couple of reasons. First, this is our first formal concert of the year and the El Camino music students have worked extremely hard to present a wonderful concert so early in the school year. As an educational program, this is where we establish a foundation that will take us forward through the rest of the year as we master the fundamentals and expertise that help us reach that all empowering title of “musician”. This concert is also special because it is the first time in my 17 years at El Camino that the Band and Choir will perform together in a formal setting. As the one and only music director, this was a logical decision.

I know your Friday evenings are “sacred” and reserved for relaxing at home knowing you get two days away from the stress and demands of work. However, if you feel the urge, your presence would mean a lot to the students. There is no charge for the concert, which begins at 7:30pm and will be held at the former Loretto High School gym. The school is now called Alexander Twilight Academy and is located at 2360 El Camino Avenue.

The theme of the concert is “The History of Pop Music”. The show will take the audience on a musical journey from ancient African drumming through contemporary rhythm and blues (and everything else in between). Below is a list of the music that will be performed.

Hope to see you there.

Kevin

The History of Pop Music Program
Dona Nobis Pacem - From the Roman Catholic Mass
Down In The Valley - Early American Folk Song
Music, Music, Music - 1950’s Pop
We’re The Men - Novelty Pop
Build Me Up Buttercup - 1960’s Pop Rock
Aquarius/Let The Sunshine - 1960’s Pop Musical
Night Train - The Blues
The Entertainer - Early 1900’s Ragtime
A String Of Pearls - 1940’s Big Band Swing
Four Brothers - 1940’s Big Band Swing
Getaway - 1970’s Pop Funk
Hava Nagila - Israeli Folk Song
Poet and Peasant Overture - 1800’s Opera
Lest We Forget - Patriotic Tribute
Malaguena - Popular Spanish
The Simpsons - Modern Cartoon
We Shall Lift Lamps Of Courage - Inspirational
Just A Closer Walk With Thee - Traditional Hymn
Danny Boy - Irish Folksong
Stars and Stripes Forever - Patriotic March
Disney At The Movies - Movie Soundtracks

Kevin Glaser Interviewed on NBC/KCRA 3

2010-09-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kevin Glaser tell Walt Gray of NBC/KCRA 3 all about our ecARTS performing arts center project. Watch here: Band Leader Raising Money For Auditorium - Video - KCRA Sacramento

ecARTS on NBC's Education Nation

2010-09-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Channel 3 news will air a story on the state of education in our area, including a special feature on El Camino visual and performing arts. The story is to air during the 5:00 pm newscast on Wednesday, 9/29.

Kevin Glaser/ecARTS to be featured on KCRA 3

2010-09-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Kevin Glaser was interviewd by KCRA 3 anchor, Walt Gray, on Thurday for a special report for NBC News Education Nation. Mr. Gray showed particular interest in our performing arts center. We'll keep you posted on air time.

A Note from Our President, Kevin Glaser

2010-09-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

As we begin the new school year, many wonderful things are on the horizon for ecARTS. Our primary purpose and goal remains the same; to build a 600-seat state of the art performing center and art gallery on the campus of El Camino High School that will benefit all students in the San Juan Unified School District and the community at-large. At this time we have two projects we would like to share with you and encourage you to participate in.

Founders Campaign
Our current fundraising effort is the formation of a Founders Club. ecARTS invites you to become a member of our Founders Club with a donation of $1,000 to be used for conceptual drawings and an environmental study of the proposed site. All contributors to the Founders Club will be recognized by name on a permanent display to be placed in the lobby of the new arts facility. Individual, family, or business donations are all welcome. This campaign will run through December 31, 2010 with the goal of raising $100,000.

Click the Founders Campaign link above our video for our letter and donation form. We encourage you to share this campaign letter with everyone you know and join us in this project that will have a direct effect on the education of our youth, inspire their talents, and enrich their lives through the arts.

Showcase of Talent
On November 20, 2010, ecARTS will hold a "Showcase of Talent" fundraising event in which SJUSD performing and visual arts students will have the opportunity to perform or exhibit their work to folks who would be interested in supporting this project through financial donations. The goal of the event is to impress potential funding sources by showing how strong and vibrant the arts programs are the San Juan Unified School District. The Citrus Heights Community Center has been booked for the evening of Saturday, November 20th for event, which will include catered food and drink and, of course, our own students showcasing their wonderful talents. This event will provide an excellent venue for supporting our Founders Campaign.

We encourage you to visit our blogspot at www.performatec.blogspot.com to stay informed and up-to-date about our progress. If you have questions, need additional information or would like to be on our ecARTS mailing list, please contact Kevin Glaser at the is email address below.

Kevin Glaser, Band/Choir Director
VAPA Department Chair
El Camino High School
(916) 971-7449
performatec@yahoo.com
View the Eagle Band/Choir Website at:
http://www.sanjuan.edu/webpages/kglaser/

Exciting NEW developments at ecARTS

2010-09-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

1) We have incorporated our organization as Perform at ecArts, Inc., a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation. We registered the corporation with the California Secretary of State on May 19, 2010, and are currently applying for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, as well as California tax-exempt status.

2) Save the Date: Our kick-off gala event is scheduled for Saturday, November 20 at the Citrus Heights Community Center. The evening will feature visual and performing art students from around the SJUSD. Watch for more information!

3) Growing ecARTS: Watch for an ecARTS presentation at a PTA meeting in your school. Soon our ad will appear in your school's newsletter, too.

Founders Campaign Kick-Off Official

2010-06-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

ecARTS invites you to become a member of our Founders Club with a donation of $1,000 or more. This campaign will run through December 31, 2010 with the need to raise $100,000 (we increased our original goal from our May 16 post). Founders Club money will be used for conceptual drawings and an environmental study of the proposed site. All contributors to the Founders Club will be recognized by name on a permanent display to be placed in the lobby of the new arts facility. All donations are tax deductible.

Click on the Founders Campaign tab above to read our appeal letter. All gifts may be sent to:
ecARTS
Performing Arts Center at El Camino High School
4300 El Camino Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95821

Next ecARTS Meeting

2010-06-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Our next ecARTS planning meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 22 in the El Camino Music building at 7:00 pm. Please feel free to join us.

If you are interested in our Communications & Fund Raising sub-committee, our next meeting is July 14 at 7:00 pm. Please email performatec@yahoo.com for the location.

New Member Enrollment Form Available

2010-06-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Interested in staying abreast of ecARTS news? Sign up as a member of our organization using our new member enrollment form (click the new tab above our video).

Next Meeting of ecARTS Committee

2010-05-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Join us for our next meeting on June 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the El Camino Band Room.

Some highlights from our May 10 meeting:

We have a new email address: performatec@yahoo.com. Drop us a line!
New Founders Campaign initiative (see Join Our Founders Club in the right column) to meet our goal of $50,000 by Dec. 31, 2010.
Showcase of talent and silent auction planned for Fall 2010. We would like to get as many district schools as possible involved in showcasing their students' talent. Also, let us know if you have silent auction item ideas.
The Communications and Fund Raising subcommittee meets regularly. Our next meeting is Monday, June 7. Email us at performatec@yahoo.com if you are interested in joining us.

We Won the $7,500 Raley's Grant!

2010-05-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

$7,500! Our first step towards conceptual drawings and an environmental study.

We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you to all who supported this project. This is a small but truly significant step to the reality of building a performing and visual arts venue on the campus of El Camino High School for the San Juan Unified School District. The word is now out about ecARTS and our support will only grow from this point forward!

Last day to vote for our $7,500 grant

2010-05-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

We would appreciate one last push on your part to vote for our $7,500 grant for conceptual drawings and an environment study. Please visit http://www.raleys.com/reach/1417975 and VOTE NOW!

Thanks for your support.

VOTE TODAY and TOMORROW

2010-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

A vote from you and your friends today and tomorrow is what we need. The contest ends at midnight, May 12th.

The final push is on and every vote is vital! The project with the most votes wins!

1) Visit http://www.raleys.com/reach/1417975
2) If you're not already registered with Raley's, you will need to register (it's FREE and EASY!)
3) VOTE!

Thank you for your support!

Three more days of voting! We're so close...

2010-05-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

We're currently running a close second to Sacramento Loves to Read--they lead us by about 130 votes. We're asking for three more days of vigilance on your part. Be sure to vote today (May 10), tomorrow (May 11) and Wednesday (May 12) to keep ecARTS on top for the $7,500 Raley's grant.

The $7,500 will be a HUGE asset to helping us with our first goal of $50,000 for conceptual drawings and an environmental study for our performing arts center and gallery.

Thanks for your support!

Have You Voted? We're at 4,316 Votes and in First Place!

2010-05-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who is voting for the ecARTS $7,500 Raley's grant which we will use as seed money to kick off our $50,000 Founders' Campaign for conceptual drawings and an environmental study of the proposed site of the performing arts center and gallery.

Please keep voting through May 12. We need your vote every day between now and then.

Visit http://www.raleys.com/reach/1417975 and vote now!

We're Back in the Lead!

2010-05-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Raley's vote continues and we're back in the lead with 3,561 votes! Voting continues through May 12. Thanks for your loyalty and helping to keep us on top. The $7,500 will be a perfect kick-start to our Founders' Campaign for conceptual drawings and an environment study.

Help ecARTS Win a $7,500 Grant from Raley's

2010-04-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

Help ecARTS win a $7,500 grant from Raley's for CONCEPTUAL DRAWINGS of our Performing Arts Center and an ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY of the proposed site!

Vote for our project EVERY DAY from April 21 to May 12. The project with the most votes wins!

1) Visit http://www.raleys.com/reach/1417975
2) If you're not already registerd with Raley's, you will need to register (it's FREE and EASY!)
3) VOTE!

One vote per registered email address per day. Get your family and friends to vote, too!

The best part? You don't need to spend a dime!

Now, get out there and vote! We'll remind you tomorrow, too. And the next day, and the next...

ecARTS To Sign MOU with District & Partner with San Juan Education Foundation

2010-03-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

According to ecARTS president, Kevin Glaser, "We are 100% supported by the San Juan Unified School District and the Superintendent [Pat Juarequi] to do what we need to do to build a theater on this campus."

The district is preparing a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that must be approved before ecARTS makes specific decisions about the building's design or construction. After the building is constructed the SJUSD will assume ownership.

Unfortunately, the district's support does not include the money to build the performing arts center and gallery. In order to raise the necessary $15 million, ecARTS is in the process of cementing a partnership with the San Juan Education Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to excellence in education for all San Juan Unified School District students. The SJEF's nonprofit status will allow ecARTS' donors to deduct their contributions at tax time. We look forward to working with the committed individuals at the foundation who will help us prepare a successful fund raising campaign.

Next Meeting: April 12, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the El Camino Band Room
Join us in implementing our vision for your student's future.

Meeting Highlights: Dec. 14

2009-12-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

The SJUSD district is creating a Memorandum of Understanding that will outline the performing arts center project and the responsibilities of ecARTS and the district. When the MOU is signed, we can begin the approval process for creating a “help us build our theater” mural for the west side of the band room wall (facing Eastern at the corner of El Camino Avenue and Eastern).

Design/Construction Committee: Williams & Paddon Architects/Planners prepared a questionnaire/evaluation form for former clients for whom they have built performing arts centers soliciting feedback on their satisfaction with the building.

Communications Committee: We voted on our new logo design and motto (see above). Many thanks to all of the students, alumni and parents who submitted designs.

Next Meeting: January 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

All are welcome!

Meeting Highlights: November 9

2009-11-17T14:20:00.000-08:00

Volunteers are busy researching the best way for our group to incorporate so we can collect funds as a tax-exempt entity. Stay tuned. We are making progress!
Our event committee plans to throw a grand kick-off party in the next year or so. Plans are under way to choose a date and plan this gala event. We would appreciate any contacts you may have in the event-planning and fundraising world.
Communicating our mission to the rest of the community is an important aspect of our group. In addition to this website, you can now find us on Twitter (@PerformAtEC). Soon, our student representatives will announce our Facebook page. Additional communication plans include painting a mural on the west side of the band room (facing Eastern) announcing a future PAC on the El Camino campus (pending district approval).
We are meeting with architects and hope to have conceptual drawings in the not-too-distant future.
Our Design/Construction Committee met with an architect who will send survey of 25-30 questions to other schools whose PACs they designed for input on likes/dislikes of design.

Next Meeting: Monday, December 14 at 7:00 pm in the El Camino Band Room

All are welcome!

Logo Contest Sparks Creativity

2009-11-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

The deadline for submitting entries in our logo contest has passed. Twenty entries were received by current students, alumni and EC performing arts parents. The selection process is currently in progress and a winner will be announced in the next 30 days. Thank you to all of the participants for submitting such terrific designs for us to consider.

PAC Logo Contest

2009-10-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

All artists are invited to enter the Performing Arts Center logo contest, print the attached rules and regulations form and send it with your art work.

Contest Rules and Regulations:
1. All entries must be submitted to Kevin Glaser, on or before October 30, 2009.
2. Two entries accepted per person.
3. Contest open to current ECFHS students and ECFHS alumni.
4. Logo should reflect the various performing and visual arts at El Camino High School, including band, drama, choir, and visual arts.
5. The logo will become the symbol of PAC at EC. By submitting art work to the contest you certify the following statement "I certify that I am the author of the material I am submitting to PAC at El Camino". PAC at El Camino may reproduce, distribute, publish, display, edit, modify, create derivative works and otherwise use the material for any purpose in any form and on any media. Winning design becomes the property of PAC at EC.
6. Logo must have "Performing Arts Center at El Camino" or "PAC at EC" in the design.
7. No copyrighted or trademarked images should be included in submissions.
8. Logo must be usable in monochrome media (single color).
9. Logo must be submitted in EPS, PDF or JPEG format with a resolution of 1200 dpi .
10. Logo must be usable as letterhead or be able to be incorporated into permanent signage as part of the building structure.
11. Winning logo will be selected by the PAC EC Board of Directors.

Include your name; address; phone; email address; and whether you are a student or an alumnus.

Proposed Plan

2009-10-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

Construct a Performing Arts Center with a large stage, theater seating, lighting capability, sound system, dressing rooms, storage and a modern stagecraft construction area. The lobby of the PAC would be used as an art gallery to showcase student projects. The parent committee has made field trips to Woodcreek, Folsom, Hiram Johnson and Mira Loma high schools to consider different approaches to the building design and better understand what would make an excellent visual and performing arts center facility. A 500- to 600-seat theater is required to meet the expected audience size for a facility that will draw patrons from the local community as well as the student body.
Working with architects, the “footprint” of the facility will fit, more or less, where the tennis courts are currently located and will include the facility and some additional parking. Building the VPAC on the current tennis court site allows it to be close to the main school campus buildings. The VPAC would be used daily for classes and rehearsals and, therefore, needs to be within five minutes' walking distance for faculty and students moving from class to class.
Design and build a new tennis court facility to replace the “Butler Building” and its parking lot, just south of the current tennis courts. The design could include restrooms and a snack bar to make the south west corner of the campus user-friendly.

Two factors must be considered when looking at a timeline for this project: first, the cost of such a facility will be large. The parent group has estimated the final cost may top $10 million. Ways to reduce cost are being looked into, but the expense will undoubtedly be higher than what the district may be able to invest in a PAC. Fundraising projects need to be organized and calendared. Second, because of the infrastructure of building codes and governmental construction management, the process—once approved at the site and district levels—will take time. As the parent group has understood, this is a project that is going to take several years to complete.

To accomplish this project, we need several things:

We need your enthusiasm to be enduring;
We need your patience as we work our way through the maze of approvals still necessary to get this project to its next stages;
We need people to share the vision and the dream with others, including those who want to be a part of such an endeavor;
We need you to understand that, most likely, no student currently at El Camino will be using the Performing Arts Center while still a high school student. Your children may not be a part of this, when it begins. But we ask that you get involved anyway, because something worth doing is worth sharing with those who can benefit when the work is done and the dust has cleared.

“El Camino High School has been standing since 1950,” said Mr. Stockdale. “When it began, no one dreamed of things like Computer-Assisted Drafting, Advanced Placement classes, AVID, the Eagle Polytechnic Institute or KYDS Radio. Water Polo, Soccer, Volleyball and women’s sports were not yet in sight. And the term “Fundamental” had not been applied to any school anywhere. Yet the efforts of individuals, working together through the years, have created these everyday things that we—students, parents, teachers—enjoy every day at El Camino. Think how we can leave another legacy to those coming quickly behind us even now, by establishing a Visual & Performing Arts Center at El Camino Fundamental High School. Come join in!”

Inadequate Facilities

2009-10-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Each school year approximately 860 students (50% of the student body) enroll in the visual and performing arts. For those of you familiar with the course offerings , the productions, the concerts, and the art shows, it comes as no surprise that our students are producing high-quality work, but that our facilities are lacking in every respect.

The performing arts classes currently schedule over 90 music concerts and theatrical productions per year with as many as 400 audience members in attendance at one time;Currently, the cafeteria (which seats 150 comfortably) is the ONLY on-campus performance venue;
Due to lack of classrooms space, the visual arts department has been forced to give up the school art gallery, leaving them without space to display student work.

According to our principal, Michael Stockdale, “With an enrollment near 1700 and programs in multiple levels across a variety of subject areas, El Camino can no longer host everything it does with a cafeteria and two gyms.”

The gyms are used daily throughout the year, including summer. Basketball, Volleyball, Wrestling, Cheer and Dance all use the gyms, in both boys and girls sports and in Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity levels. PE classes and conditioning sessions take place before and after school, and the facilities are used throughout the summer for more athletic opportunities. Occasionally, a gym is available for a meeting or a performance, but those dates are becoming rarer each school year.
The cafeteria hosts Cheer and Dance practice, school theatrical performances, vocal music concerts, athletic awards events, academic awards events, meetings, testing, dances, dinners, forums and study sessions. There is very little room to add any event, no matter how important it may be.
The library is used for a multitude of meetings, testing sessions, study sessions and more.

According to Mr. Stockdale, “You may notice the absence of band concerts and art shows in this list; that is because the facility is no longer large enough to host a band concert or flexible enough in the calendar to allow for art events or other types of performances. As I have said, El Camino needs a facility to support the events the school conducts.”

In an informal discussion with a district administrator acting with the approval of the School Board, Mr. Stockdale was asked what he would request if El Camino received one million dollars. “I chose a Visual & Performing Arts Center,” said Stockdale. Please note, that while Mr. Stockdale was told his request was “doable,” the board has not yet committed or earmarked any money toward a PAC.

“During the same informal discussion,” continued Mr. Stockdale, “it was explained to me that a bond measure is being developed to help support SJUSD; it is also very ‘doable’ to add a piece within the measure that earmarks funds toward the construction of a VPAC at El Camino. Two things though: the bond measure will appear sometime in the future, but it is currently being held up as the timing of a bond measure is as important as its content and purpose. Also, the addition of a performing arts center for EC within the bond has only been a casual agreement and is not formally on the discussion floor yet. That comes later as the measure gets closer to being a reality.”