Salt Lake High School for the Performing Arts (SPA) is in danger of closing due to funding shortfalls.
This would be a big loss for our teens and for Utah. Besides being an investment in local talent by allowing kids to concentrate on music, dance, theater, voice, and/or visual arts as their major while still completing all high school educational requirements; this school is where the artistic kids, who often don’t fit the mold of the typical Utah teen, find their “tribe.”
Many of the kids who come here feel such a relief from the bullying and ostracizing they received at their previous schools. They can be themselves, without judgment. They can dance down the hallway. They can sing at lunch. And they can develop their talents; which, in itself, is nurturing to their mental health. I have heard from so many students how much happier they are at SPA than their previous schools.
With the exploding increase in Utah teen suicides, we really need to consider the mental health benefits this school provides. Combined with the cultural/artistic investment, this school’s impact is not something on which you can put a dollar figure.
I hope someone steps up and donates so SPA can remain open if the district won’t help with the shortfall. Perhaps one of our benefactors of the opera, symphony or local museums will see the value in nurturing the next generation of artists and their mental health.
Shar Wood, Taylorsville
