Kamas resident urges South Summit Board to prioritize arts after successful festival

Terina Darcy (speaker 5) told the South Summit Board of Education on May 11 that the district should amplify support for performance and visual arts following the Kamas Valley Community Foundation's inaugural arts festival.

"Attendance was unbelievable... it was community building," Darcy said, describing wide public turnout and strong youth engagement in hands-on art activities. She praised both youth performances and the presence of professional local artists, and said the festival encouraged cross-generational participation.

Darcy cited national scholarship figures during her remarks: "Only 2% of high school athletes receive NCAA sponsored scholarships... 3.7% of music students receive scholarships... $5,000,000,000 are awarded annually to just music scholars," and she argued the arts correlate with higher academic performance, including better ACT scores and improved math and reading outcomes. The board did not dispute the point and acknowledged recent growth in the district's music program.

"We had people parking blocks away," Darcy said, urging the board to "consider placing a greater emphasis in the performance art and music on some level" and to promote future festivals and curricular connections.

Chair (speaker 3) and other board members thanked Darcy and noted progress in music participation; the chair referenced recent growth in band enrollment as evidence of progress. The board agreed to consider engagement and curriculum alignment as part of future planning but made no formal commitment to allocate new funds during the meeting.

Darcy closed her remarks by asking the board to co-host the event in future years and to integrate arts opportunities into the district curriculum, saying, "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul."