Arts education has proven time and time again to be a positive source of student creativity and a benefit to students in not only academic classes, but also later on in their careers.

Still, the future of arts education is once again at risk of being defunded.

Theatre Director Michael Despars took three top theatre arts students–seniors Josiah Haugen and Lindsey Biggy and junior Michael Laverde–to Sacramento to speak to the California State Senators and Assemblymembers about the importance of arts education in public schools.

“It was amazing being one of the few that were selected, as there were not many high school students selected,” Biggy said. “To be able to say that I was one of the representatives for our school–advocating for the arts education and informing others why it’s so important and why we need to keep it in our schools–was a very powerful thing.”

“It was an honor to represent so many kids. From my own person experience theatre has meant so much to me,” Laverde said. “Learning all of these different things about the lack of theatre in our education system was really eye opening, so to be able to go and represent was an amazing privilege and I would love to be able to do it again.”

Countless student lives have been impacted because of what arts programs have provided them. These programs give a voice to the voiceless and a place for those who feel there is no place for someone like them.

“The arts has taught me that your voice always matters no matter what the topic is and to make yourself heard because you never know what the outcome could be,” Biggy said.

“There is just this extreme reward that comes with the arts, the idea of working towards a goal, whether that’s a concert or a performance and having it pay off, it really teaches students and provides them with amazing tools that they can carry outside of school, outside of the performing arts and into their regular lives,” Haugen said.

Art programs could not be possible without all the dedicated and hardworking individuals who work tirelessly to put on shows, musicals and concerts for Fullerton students, family and friends to enjoy.

“I have a lot of respect for our arts educators here at Fullerton, because they could stop at 2:46 and go home but instead they devote so much time to putting on musicals, organizing choir competitions or extra dance festivals so they can provide an enriching experience to their students,” Laverde said. “They really push us to never take these things for granted because there are schools even here in California who do not get opportunities. This has definitely made me much more aware of how special a place like Fullerton really is.”

Haugen, who has gone to Sacramento to represent the theatre program two years in a row, felt pride in being able to represent the Fullerton school district.

“It may seem like we are just going up to celebrate theatre, but no; we are lobbying on behalf of everyone here in Fullerton and Orange County. The senate and assemblywoman both took time out of their day to come meet with us, something that few high schoolers will ever experience. That’s something extremely rewarding,” Haugen said. “We need to remind ourselves that we do have a voice and that if we have something to say we can say it to these people and they will listen, they are going on behalf of us so we must go on behalf of others.”

When thinking back on her past four years here at Fullerton, Biggy reflected on the impact theatre has had on her life.

“As an artist I have grown so much and if I didn’t have things like theatre implicated in my everyday life I wouldn’t be the same person, I find my motivation for everything that I do within it. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without it,” Biggy said. “The arts really shaped my entire life. I’ve learned how to be professional and how to form my own opinion and be a leader for my school.”

After surveying over 25,000 students from grades ranging from middle to high school, the University of California, Los Angeles showed that students involved in arts programs score higher on standardized tests, have higher attendance, watch less television and participate more within their communities as well as score higher on their math and verbal SATs.

“The arts have been found to be extremely impactful to students overall in cognitive skills, teaching how to collaborate with others and they also provide a reason for some students to come to school, because the arts provide this thing that they are so dedicated to and look forward to,” Haugen said. “I know personally, theatre and choir are things that keep me coming back to school and keep me going.”

“The past four years I have learned a lot about how not to help myself but how to help others and how everything isn’t just all about me and my opinion,” Biggy said. “It’s given me a new perspective on the world and a collaborative mindset and that in the end you cannot be so individualistic.”

Not only do arts programs allow students a positive place to express their emotions and conjure creative energy, but it also provides a place for students to be themselves and be accepted for who they are regardless of sexuality, race, or religion.

“Theatre is a place a acceptance, and a place for equality. There are many students who are apart of the LGBTQ community who have found a safe space in the theatre program” Laverde said. “Theatre is somewhere you are not just seen as your race or your sexual orientation, and I think that is so awesome. Taking away theatre takes away that place of acceptance.”