Tahoma High School has many successful extracurricular activities and sports throughout the school. But, none of those would be possible without the district Levy. the Levy is what keeps all of those sports and extracurricular activities here at Tahoma. With not enough people voting, Tahoma could lose some of the programs that their students love and cherish the most. For some students, they find themselves passionate about theater and acting and have been involved in the Tahoma Drama Club, one of Tahoma’s most successful programs. If the levy doesn’t pass, then these students will lose what they love most.

A Tahoma High School sophomore, Pyper Clark, has been involved with the drama program since she first entered high school. Clark was also in various production with the Tahoma Middle School Drama Program before coming to high school. Clark is extremely passionate about acting and finds the drama program to be a safe place for her. She says her favorite part about the program is meeting new people. “I really love the ability to meet new people and i automatically have something in common with. I have so many great friends i would’ve never met if i weren’t in the program. As an extrovert, that’s very nice!” Another Tahoma High School sophomore, Emma Goodwin-Sadler, has had the same track record with the Tahoma Drama programs at the middle and high school level as Clark. Sadler agrees with Clark that her favorite part is meeting new people. “My favorite part of the drama program is how close everyone is, you make life-long friends and it’s just a great experience overall.”

What exactly is the Tahoma Drama Program? Why is it so important? This program is incredibly successful with selling out shows and being the first school in Washington State to perform Frozen. This program not only teaches students how to act, but, it teaches them life skills along the way. Clark further describes, “The tahoma drama program is the high school theater program for tahoma. It produces phenomenal, professional-level shows that audiences enjoy, while teaching a lot of meaningful, life-long skills to those involved, like responsibility, courage, and more. Students are able to grow and find people to connect with easily, and find their voice and interests.” Clark also describes the importance of the program not just for herself, but also for the people you don’t see on stage. “The tahoma drama program affects more people than just the ones you see on stage. Hundreds of people are involved in each production, and theater is a fantastic outlet for a lot of students, especially those who might not be cut out for a sport or something more conventional. Anyone who’s seen a THS drama production can attest to how amazing the shows are, and losing that as a community would be sour.” Sadler has loved theater ever since she was little and found it to be a great outlet for her. It has always been a great place for her to thrive and make new friends while doing what she loves. And, she doesn’t want to lose this program, especially since there are kids like her that find the same significance in the program that she has. “People should vote to keep the drama program because it’s a safe space for those who are a little different. Many kids like myself love the drama program and it helps teach us life skills, and it’s great for those who want to go into theater after graduation.”

Everyone in the Tahoma School District who is of age to vote has received a ballot to vote for the Levy. It may just be as simple as just checking one box, “Yes” or “No”. But, people’s jobs are on the line. For Clark, the Levy passing is something that her family needs. “My mom works for the elementary schools and would lose her job if the levy didn’t pass, and we’d have to leave Maple Valley if that happened. I’d lose my drama program, I could only have 6 class periods (leading to a possible lack of credits to graduate), and I would miss out on a high school experience I would’ve loved. This affects everybody in the community, not just students or employees.” Without this Levy passing, one of Tahoma’s finest actors would have to leave the community that she loves. A place that she can call home. A place where she’s made life-long friends. All because not enough people voted. The Drama Program is one part of the Levy but, what about the rest? What else is a part of the Levy? “The levy affects so many things, both in my personal life and every student and the community as a whole. Without the levy passing, students could lose the ability to graduate, they could lose experiences that meant so much to them (like clubs or other school events), special-ed students could lose their education, many adults in the community could lose their jobs (leading to a community-wide shift in the economy and job availability), which could lead to a lot of families losing a lot of money.” Sadler adds, “People should also vote for the levy because it helps keep kids busy and interested in school. Without it, many kids would be left without anything to do.” What about after school programs? Some kids might have to stay after school for programs since they may not be able to go home right away. Without the Levy, those students wouldn’t have that. All of the activities these students love, they would not be possible with the Levy passing.

Everything in the Tahoma School District can and will be affected if not enough people vote. People will lose their jobs, students may not be able to graduate, and special-ed students could lose their education. The Levy is a district-wide vote, without enough votes, these programs that the Tahoma students love the most will not survive. Clark and Sadler both encourage everyone in the Tahoma community that is eligible to vote, to vote.