It is no secret renovations have not gone smoothly for District Five, but Chapin students and staff have lost more than just precious time and money during the renovation process; they hopes for an auditorium will also have to wait.

The problems started when current school board member Kim Murphy filed a lawsuit against the district. The lawsuit lasted three years and cost the district roughly 12 million dollars. Most students are very informed on the lawsuit due to media coverage and the attention it has received in school.

Unlike the lawsuit, little interest has been placed on the auditorium. This is most likely because there is little known about it. Many younger students do not know that it existed the earliest stages of the referendum process.

“I didn’t even know we were ever supposed to get an auditorium. No one ever mentioned it to me and I guess I didn’t pay attention to it,” freshman Michael McVey said.

Some of the upperclassmen are aware of the auditorium, but they are not much more informed.

Junior Brandi Wallick is not sure what happened.

“I know we were supposed to have an auditorium originally. It was mentioned in band sometimes but then the lawsuit started and all I heard about was that. Then we came back after Christmas break and it turns out we weren’t getting one,” Wallick said.

While the auditorium was removed from the plans much earlier than December, it is not clear when and why it was removed.

Staff members aren’t even sure what happened. According to Superintendent Hefner, an auditorium was never on the official plans.

“It was on one of the original referendums, but it was never passed. There were two or three referendums that failed before one finally passed. The taxpayers didn’t want to raise taxes that much and they viewed the auditorium as fluff.  It wasn’t something they thought we absolutely needed so it was removed,” he said.

Dr. Hefner does not personally agree with this, as he is an avid supporter of the arts.

English teacher Scott Compton remembers it differently.

“As I recall, the initial plans shown to the faculty after the referendum passed included an auditorium near the current fine arts building. After we came back from summer break 2009 the auditorium was gone from the plans with no explanation,”Comptonsaid.

Senior Allison Layton formed a petition to get the auditorium back. Her petition has received several hundred signatures.

Laytoncreated the petition because she believes Chapin deserves an auditorium, and she is passionate enough about music to fight for it even though she will graduate before she can benefit from it. 

“I have three younger siblings who are all currently enrolled in multiple music lessons/ensembles who will be a part of this fine arts department for the next nine years. I want them and every other fine arts student who comes through here to have the proper performing facilities that they deserve. And I’ll be coming to their performances and I really don’t want to have to sit in the gym because it is uncomfortable and the acoustics are terrible,”Laytonsaid.

No one can deny the Fine Arts Department truly deserves an auditorium. Their list of accomplishments this year alone is quite extensive. The Chamber Choir was recently recognized at the National Cathedral inWashington,DC, and the band is heading toWashingtonas well to partake in the National Memorial Day Parade. The band also places at state competitions consistently. The Drama department and Fine Arts are very talented as well.

Many students believe the auditorium money went to new sports fields but that is not the case. Financial decisions are made at the district level and rarely left up to individuals such as a principal or athletic director.

Dr. Hefner believes Chapin will have an auditorium within the next three to four years, but until then it is important that CHS students, not just those in Fine Arts, continue to attend board meetings to make their need known.

Junior Kimberly Breland agrees:

“District Five is one the best districts in the state, and its students deserve the best. It is important that next year’s students pick up where Allison left off, because we have a right to know what happened to our auditorium and when we’re getting it back.”