Grant provides funds to fix high school’s theater

"This is what scares me," Whittaker said pointing to the metal rods above the stage. "My first priority is getting a theatrical engineer who understands theater structure to fix the rigging. The $22,000 isn't going to get us very far, but it's going to be a start."

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20170224/grant-provides-funds-to-fix-high-schools-theaterWhittaker said in the past 10 years, she has seen incidents from a metal pipe falling from the ceiling and puncturing the stage to a large air conditioning vent nearly falling on top of a parent. She also pointed out current problems such as unsecured metal rods holding up stage curtains (a.k.a. rigging), insufficient electrical equipment that doesn’t allow for updated staging equipment, a leaking roof and condemned air conditioning units, in addition to several others.

By Heather Osbourne | 315-4440 | @heatheronwfdn | hosbourne@nwfdailynews.com

Fort Walton Beach High School’s theater department hopes to resolve some structural issues after receiving a $22,000 grant last week.

On Monday, theater teacher Christa Whittaker gave a tour of the theater as she told stories of past incidents and pointed out what hazards she and her students work under daily.

Fort Walton Beach High School received its performing arts grant from the first Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative Classroom Resource Grants. Whittaker said she hopes the grant money will be a step towards insuring student safety and acquiring updated equipment for the department.

“I screamed and cried,” said Whittaker about her reaction when she found out her school received the grant. “It was a relief. It was validation that I’m not crazy, that we do deserve this, that my kids deserve this.”

Whittaker said in the past 10 years, she has seen incidents from a metal pipe falling from the ceiling and puncturing the stage to a large air conditioning vent nearly falling on top of a parent. She also pointed out current problems such as unsecured metal rods holding up stage curtains (a.k.a. rigging), insufficient electrical equipment that doesn’t allow for updated staging equipment, a leaking roof and condemned air conditioning units, in addition to several others.

“This is what scares me,” Whittaker said pointing to the metal rods above the stage. “My first priority is getting a theatrical engineer who understands theater structure to fix the rigging. The $22,000 isn’t going to get us very far, but it’s going to be a start.”

Whittaker received the grant after documenting the theater’s structural problems and outdated equipment through a video she submitted to the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative Classroom Resource Grants.Fort Walton Beach High School is one of only seven grant recipients nationwide, and only one of two schools from Florida to receiving funding.

Monday, students bustled about as they painted fairy tale characters for their upcoming musical, “Into the Woods.” The school’s theater program, one of the top in the state according to Whittaker, is working on three productions. Wittaker said she feels fine having the kids continue to work on the stage because she knows they aren’t touching anything that’s not safe.

“I’m the one doing the dangerous things,” she said. “We have the pipes rigged up, and they don’t mess with the pipes. Right now, nothing is going to fall the way it is. We’ve been working under horrible conditions for 20 years, but it has never stopped us from being one of the top theater programs in the state.”

In the grant’s proposed budget, $10,000 will be spent towards stage inspections and the replacement of pipes and rigging, $8,000 will go towards purchasing 10 body microphones and $4,000 to LED lighting instruments and board. Principal John Spolski said he believes the money will give the theater program the updated equipment they deserve.

“We had inspectors come out to make sure everything is safe for the students,” Spolski said. “This money won’t bring the theater program to the next level because they’re already on the next level. The money will give them microphones and equipment that will bring it up to standards.”

Henry Kelley, community affairs director for the Okaloosa County School Board, said Whittaker’s story is just one symptom of a larger problem that the superintendent and school board said they are looking for solutions to solve.

“Here’s a drama department who got a grant and now that individual problem is being resolved,” Kelley said. “But there is a larger story of the state of our schools. The way we determine certain priorities right now is through our bucket test. Schools lay buckets when it rains and whatever school has the most buckets filled is the priority. We currently need $180 million to fix school needs alone.”

Kelley said in 2008, Tallahassee began removing approximately $8 million per year in capital outlay funds from Okaloosa County. He said on Feb. 8 he went before the Florida Senate Prek-12 Appropriations Committee on behalf of the superintendent to request the return of the tax payers’ dollars.

“That money is purely for capital outlay, which is maintenance for our schools,” Kelley said. “The $8 million will immediately be used for the repair of our facilities if the legislature approves the return of the millage to the tax payers of Okaloosa County.”

Overall, Kelley said the district is proud of what Fort Walton Beach High School theater department is accomplishing.

“This is great for the drama department,” Kelley said. “She’s done an amazing job and it’s great to see an arts program thrive.”

Whitaker said she is a strong supporter of the 1/2 cent sales tax. She said while the district doesn’t have enough funds to fix school issues, it’s up to members of the community to step up to help.

“I want to do everything I can to make sure the community knows why it needs to pass,” Wittaker said. “The board has been doing the best they can with the money they have, but it’s just a Band Aid approach.”