Creative Performing and Media Arts School (CPMA)

[Donna Collins]

Under construction now and nearing completion, the 450 seat theater is the centerpiece of a $13 million dollar arts complex that is the realization of principal Scott Thomason’s dream for the middle school. Mr. Thomason explained that the District discovered they had $100 million from bonds that had to be spent, so they were looking for “shovel-ready” projects, ones that could be started almost immedi...ately. CPMA’s theater and arts complex fit the bill and grading got underway in the summer of 2012. There is a fly in the ointment however: there is no budget for operating the complex adequately. Personally, I think if the voters that voted for this school bond knew they were funding a Performing Arts building, they might have voted differently. This $100 million from discovered bonds is alarming, how does this happen?

[Michael Tarlton]

I can see where you would be concerned with how that bond money was spent. I'm going to share something here I just posted on Facebook that doesn't talk directly to your concern, but perhaps it may cause you to ponder on whether or not this was really a "bad investment."

Before there was the Creative Performing and Media Arts School, there was Ray Kroc Middle School; before there was Ray Kroc Middle School, there was Einstein Junior High School. Three names, one school. But many of us cut our artistic baby teeth at that school, regardless of what it was called at the time. When I was there, in the Einstein era, there was one of those one-of-a-kind people there who was not only incredibly talented musically, but who had the gift of being able to convey the beauty of the art of music to young people. His name was Tony Higgins. I actually caught the music bug from him way back in third grade, at Sequoia Elementary. He came to our classroom to see if there were any students interested in trying orchestra on for size. He walked up and down the classroom aisles playing the flute for us, and just like one of the pied piper's rats, I was hooked. That was the start of my 12-year stint at being a trumpet player, and my lifelong love of the musical arts. After that first year, Mr. Higgins took the band and orchestra teaching job at Einstein. I was thrilled when I moved to junior high and was reunited with my original musical mentor, and wasn't disappointed during the next three years I spent with him there, but time goes on, and I moved on to high school, college, and then my Air Force career. My trumpet playing fell by the wayside, but not my musical training; I continued singing in choirs and often went to concerts and musical plays, and still do to this day.

I mention all this because mine was just one of thousands of kids' lives Tony Higgins touched in a magical way. He lit the spark that grew into a burning love for the arts. He taught us that there is more to life than reading, writing, math, and science. Those things are certainly important, but the arts are no less important. Being in bands and orchestras and choirs taught me how we can all be a piece of something bigger and greater, as long as we concentrate on teamwork and trust and hard work. Those values, as most of us have learned, carry into everything we do in life. We depend on one another; music is what helped teach me that.

Now they are about to complete construction of a state-of-the-art performing arts center on the campus of the CPMA School. I realize it will take a lot of patronage to be able to run this wonderful facility, and the typical thing that occurs in these cases is that a generous donor donates a lot of money and they, in turn, have the facility named in their honor. This is a time-honored tradition, and I think there is a place for that even at this beautiful new facility. The lobby can be named for a donor; seats can have donors names put on them, and on and on. But I think, just this one time, perhaps we should look beyond the money. Perhaps we should look at the priceless gift that was given to so many children by this very humble educator for so many years. Perhaps we should consider naming this new center that will mean so much to so many students, after someone who has already meant so much to so many students at that very same place. Let us, then, call this place the Tony Higgins Center for Performing Arts.

[Donna Collins]

The Ray Kroc Middle school look poverty level next to the brand new performing arts building, no matter how much money we pour into the school system via government bonds, the schools seem to only get a fraction of the money for improvements. I am happy that you benefited from musical training. My father was what you call a tramp miner, we moved 3 or 4 times a year sometimes so my education was a piecemeal but I managed to get my bachelors degree here in San Diego. For me, in grade school, chorus and band were the highlights of my school days and I had many gifted teachers. I don't think kids need a $13 million dollar arts complex to receive musical training or to be inspired my music, they just need to be taught by gifted teachers. This money would have been better spent by putting it toward teacher salaries.