MOOR vs. MOOR: Should Sports or the Visual and Performing Arts Receive More Funding?

Posted on by

JACQUELYN LOI
Staff Writer

The Alhambra Unified School District is considering spending money on both visual and performing arts (VAPA) and sports programs. However, more of the funding should go to VAPA programs.

There are a wide variety of occupations for VAPA, including directing, animation, design, photography, acting and many other careers. However, in sports, there are only the typical sports to choose from, and the chances of playing professionally is very slim.

According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, less than one percent of high school students end up playing professionally; for example, only 0.03 percent of high school students have the chance of playing professionally for basketball.

Nowadays, the employers want to hire workers who possess a wide range of skills. For instance, VAPA enhances a student’s creativity by creating flexible thinking skills, which can be very beneficial in the near future when searching for future employment. A 2005 study in Stanford shows that musical training improves how the brain processes how our words are spoken. So if the district cares about our future success, more funding should go towards VAPA.


BRIANA THAI
Staff Writer

Sports are essential to many high schoolers due to the important life lessons it teaches, like teamwork and the value of hard work. However, we have limited amount of equipment, which may discourage students from joining a team and can be unsafe.

7.6 million high schoolers played sports during the 2010-2011 school year, an increase of almost 40,000 students compared to the 2009-2010 school year. If these rates stay constant and more athletes become involved in sports, AHS is going to need a lot more equipment.

One piece of equipment AHS needs is a pool, which is essential to our water polo and swim teams. Currently, team members have to travel to Granada Park just for practice. Although more expensive, maintaining a pool on campus may enable more people to join swim and water polo.

Another piece of equipment AHS really needs is a new track. Other schools’ track and cross country teams run on nice rubber tracks, while our runners have to settle for kicking up dirt into their eyes, which is both irritating and unsafe.
If the district cares about our school sports’ success, more of the funds should be given to sports and athletes of AHS.