Many in the community are abuzz after learning that Capistrano Unified School District trustees on Tuesday voted to solicit bids for a new performing arts center for Capistrano Valley High School.
The proposed $12.7-million center on Via Escolar will consist of a 458-seat, two-story building of nearly 28,000-square feet. It will serve as a first-class performing arts center for music, drama, dance and more and will provide classrooms for music and drama students. The school could break ground on the much-needed performing arts center in January, and the facility could be completed by next summer.
To cover the cost, the district’s current Board of Trustees obtained $3 million in state grant funding and have identified $9.7 million in Mission Viejo Mello-Roos funds.
Many say a performing arts center at this school, which opened in 1977, is long overdue.
“The school is 33 years old and it’s been a dream of the performing arts kids and community in general to have an adequate performing arts facility, which will change everything,” said Principal Deni Christensen. “We have a lot of talented kids at Capo (and throughout the district) and have no enclosed theater … Anytime we do anything, it’s done in a central hub space of the school. This will take the standard of our performances up and will be a showcase everyone can be proud of.”
Emily Tucker, the school’s drama teacher and theater director, said such a facility will also help to retain students.
“A performing arts facility, instead of the cafeteria/multi-purpose room/locker hallway/student hangout/stage will greatly benefit the students, the faculty, and the community,” she said. “We have a growing performing arts program, but it always seems to top out at a certain number of students, and the retention rate is low since the students get frustrated with the inadequate facilities and feel that performing arts is undervalued at CVHS … With a new performing arts facility, we will not only attract more students into the program (and retain them), we will be able to put on higher quality performances.”
Tucker said that with more students involved in after-school activities like drama, band, or dance, there are less reasons for them to get into trouble because they have nothing to do once the bell rings. “Extra-curricular activities provide a safe haven and intellectual stimulation to students after 3:00 p.m.,” she said.
Dwipa Kumar, a Mission Viejo resident since 1989, has two daughters in dance and has spent much time scouring the county trying to book a performing arts center for their dance recitals.
“CVHS theater is going to be a great asset for our community and we are so excited this is happening,” she said. “The city needs a nice performing arts center and we need to promote the arts. It builds a stronger community …”
Mayor Trish Kelley concurs.
“I have actively pursued this important addition to CVHS, and I am most excited that we will soon see a new Performing Arts Center on Capistrano Valley High School’s campus,” Mayor Kelley said. “I thank my City staff, (who persistently tracked the expenditures of the Mission Viejo funds), my City Council colleagues (who have supported the theater), the CVHS Foundation (which brought the issue front and center and raised money and awareness), the CUSD Trustees who listened and responded to our requests, and the parents and community members who have worked so hard to help to make this dream a reality.”
As much as I support the arts and encourage students to become involved, it seems like $12.7 million could be used for something more practical, like paying teacher salaries so they won’t be laid off. Just a thought.
i’m so excited about this…
good for capo!
and what an opportunity for the students…
compairing thee arts for students to teacher’s salaries are like compairing apples and oranges…there is no comparison…
i hope we have rising stars from this new investment come from our wonderful community…and we get to share in it by attending…
can’t wait…
Robin, you raised a good question regarding whether the funding for the theatre could be used for teacher salaries. This funding cannot be used for salaries, class-size reduction, or to save or fund programs. It can strictly be used for facilities. Our current CUSD Trustees applied for a $3 million grant from the State, specifically for a performing arts center at Capo. The $9.7 million in Mission Viejo CFD 87-1 fund (Mello-Roos) is a tax which is paid by some areas of Mission Viejo, specifically for facilities of the schools in the attendance boundaries of those homeowners. Prior to 2006, millions of the Mission Viejo Mello-Roos dollars were spent in other cities, so the City Council has demanded that CUSD spend Mission Viejo-generated dollars in Mission Viejo. We are pleased to be able to re-capture these funds and see them used to enhance the only high school of the Mission Viejo families who pay the Mello-Roos taxes! All Mission Viejo CUSD elementary and middle schools students feed into Capistrano Valley High School, so the theatre will be an asset not only to current CVHS students, but also will be a benefit for every CUSD student in the City. Having a great local high school also increases property values for homeowners, so even families who do not have kids in school will be “winners” in this as well! I’m thrilled about it!
We are so very excited for a theater to be built at CVHS!!! It was a long time coming that we finally got a pool and now a theater. The only thing we wish is that our children would have prospered from the theater. We have three boys that went through Capo, (our third is a senior this year), two of which were (are) in bands at Capo and would have loved to see it become a reality during their high school career. At the same time, we will enjoy it through generations to come at Capo!
So very excited!
This seems like a huge addition. Where exactly is it going to be located? Is there going to be separate parking for the 458 potential attendees (300+ cars?) ? Is the construction going to impede the currently crazy traffic flow of student drop-off and pick-up – since bussing was eliminated? (Is bussing going to restored any time soon?
This theater is a longtime coming. Huge congratulations to Trish Kelley, who has been a huge supporter and advocate for CVHS for many years, the CVHS Foundation, CVHS administration and faculty, and to our most-deserving CVHS students. My youngest will be a junior at Capo this year. I hope she will be able to enjoy the new performing arts center, but if not, I am still very happy about this news. Thank you, Trustees!
Congratulations to Capo Valley High and CUSD! We are so happy for the CVHS/CUSD community and it will be a great addition to the city in general! If you have never had a child in Performing Arts then one could certainly understand those parents that do not and are never going to support a long-overdue theatre. However, I whole-heartedly support and welcome the Performing Arts theatre to Capo and it is not just PA students that will benefit from it. So people…please look at the bigger picture!! Capo has really turned around from “the old days” and the community should get behind it and be proud of this great new addition. Mrs. Tucker is correct when she states that a theatre provides a “safe haven” and for some kids that are not into sports, this is a great outlet for them, too! Not all extra-curricular activities need to involve sports. The theatre will help to create a more well-rounded high-school experience and we are looking forward to it!
This is wonderful news. Capo was the only high school in the district that did not have an enclosed theater. They have been asking for one for over 30 years. Their performing arts program has landed many students scholarships in prestigious universities as well as having students as members on the local youth ensembles through Pacific Symphony and Orange County Symphony. My son received a substantial university scholarship due to his music education at Capo. His high GPA was not enough to set him apart. You can see that when you attend a CVHS Graduation. More than 100 students are valedictorians. The approval of this theater took tremendous effort from Capo faculty, Mayor Trish Kelly and the Trustees. I am very grateful as a parent and educator. These performing arts students will finally be able to be heard as all other musicians/performers are in this district. I look forward to professional acoustics, permanent chairs, and a commitment to the value of the arts. It will be a wonderful change to finally not hear the sounds of slamming lockers during performances. Thanks for all the effort.