LETTERS

Letters to the Editor: East Rockaway, Lynbrook

June 4-10, 2015

Posted

BOCES: A jewel of a school

To the Editor:
It was surprisingly good to read an article in last week’s Herald about East Rockaway student Scott Reill, who received a perfect score on his portfolio by the New York State Art Teachers Association (“Perfect portfolio score for BOCES art student”).

Scott attends a BOCES half-day program at the Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset. Through the generosity of our Lynbrook school district, our son David also attended LIHSA last year for music performance, and he is currently a student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia — a school he never would have known about if not for the professional musicians who guided him at LIHSA.

Students and programs often compete for limited budget funds, but most school districts try to do what’s right for the individual. There is funding for children with special needs, those who attend BOCES Barry Tech for vocational programs, and athletic programs that include paying for coaches and turf fields.

Although our district, like many, have excellent fine arts departments, it doesn’t serve the needs of some students who plan to make a career in the arts. LIHSA is a highly specialized program, run by working professionals, that includes dance, filmmaking and sound production as well as art, jazz performance and the study of opera. Students are often advised to keep their attendance at LIHSA a secret, as most districts fund only a couple of them at a time.

This jewel of a school known as LIHSA, which has operated for 40 years, is in danger of closing. Once closed, it can never again be duplicated. Parents and students who mobbed the last BOCES meeting got approval for the school to operate for one more year. Also on the campus is the Doshi STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program that needs increased enrollment from districts.

Please visit the Save LIHSA Facebook page and scroll down to see the video narrated by Charles Osgood, co-chairman of the Campaign for the Long Island High School for the Arts.
If your child qualifies through audition, ask your school district to send him or her.  Not every child is an academic, but all have their own individual gifts that are worthy of our support.

Nancy Wolfsohn, Lynbrook