For the past two years, the Los Osos High School Theatre has received a total of $6,000 in funding from the Rancho Cucamonga Community & Arts Foundation to improve the technical abilities of the school’s theatre productions. In June 2021, Los Osos High School Theatre Director, Randy Shorts, applied for and received a $5,000 Community Arts Grant to purchase a new sound console and wireless microphones for the school theater. Anyone who works in theater knows how important good sound and mics can aid a production. Unfortunately, due to supply chain issues it took a several months to receive the long-awaited equipment, which was quicky installed once received. The new equipment not only improves the sound quality of their stage productions, but also provides the students an opportunity to learn sound engineering on a more modern console.
Then, in Fall 2022, Mr. Shorts applied to the Foundation’s School Arts Program Sponsorship to purchase welding equipment, to further teach his theatre tech students set building methods and techniques. They’ve received the equipment in time to assist in the set construction of the school’s 2023 spring musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It takes the creativity, vision, and determination of teachers like Mr. Shorts, to provide their students with beyond “the basics” learning and deepen their experiences and opportunities. Over the years, we have encountered many teachers, like Mr. Shorts, who express the great need for more funding for school arts programs as they often work with extremely limited budgets. Their heartfelt gratitude often expressed to the Foundation for making arts in schools a priority only fortifies the Foundation’s continued support for school arts programs. Click here to learn about this year’s School Arts Program Sponsorship recipients.
