Our Opinion

Everything has value. The question becomes how much? Value isn’t always tangible, which makes it that much harder to measure.
In a move that could have been socially unpopular and politically catastrophic, school officials spared extracurricular activities (notably school sports) from the budget chopping block. Had these programs been cut (and school officials actually allowed by a presumably outraged public to present that budget to the board of supervisors) they could have shaved $481,000 from their budget.
The cost to the community would have been far greater. Our sports teams are part of our local identity. They inspire local pride. We’re the fighting Hornets for crying out loud! After all, orange isn’t an easy color for everyone to wear.
Most of us have played on school sports teams, had brothers, sisters, parents, nieces, nephews and grandchildren take the court or field or stage for Orange County High School.
As a community, we sit together in common voice on Friday nights on uncomfortably cold aluminum bleachers, warmed only by our school spirit. We huddle together in steamy gyms and lament the brutes from other schools who are getting away with murder on our boys and girls. And we sit scattered in otherwise empty bleachers of less popular programs cheering on our sons and daughters as our parents did for us.
There is indeed value in that--and not just to our children, but to us as OCHS graduates and community members.
When we think about budget cuts, we trust our leaders to make those cuts which have the least negative impact. As if elected office wasn’t thankless enough.
But the school board got this one right. Scholastic extracurricular activities--particularly sports--affect nearly 1,000 students. And that’s not even counting the students who participate in band or drama or various club activities. For many, this is their sole motivation for staying in school, maintaining their grades and staying out of trouble. For others, it’s a ticket to a better life of higher education and intellectual exposure. And for some, it’s a refuge from home.
Arbitrary standards of learning don’t guarantee our children grow into well-rounded, complete individuals. Extracurricular activities help shape their personalities, their character and their minds. They learn about failure and success, about themselves and others in a way that transcends the classroom.
On paper, cutting extracurricular activities showed a potential savings of $481,000. But the cost to our community--and most importantly our children--would have been far greater.