Yet, there was a time not too long ago in our own American history, when kids weren’t typically encouraged to pursue a passion or career in theatre or any of the fine arts. Thankfully, that perspective has greatly shifted and they’re now recognized to be a truly beneficial aspect of education. Boerne Independent School District’s (BISD) Theatre program is a wonderful example of that. 

“We’re aiming for a well-rounded education. It’s well known that academics in BISD are very strong, and so when putting that all together, these kids find themselves developing great characteristics for success because they have had strong academics and strong fine arts,” said Ken Peach, Coordinator of Fine Arts for BISD. 

According to Ken, businesses are looking to hire people that have the kinds of skills honed in theatre — traits like empathy, time management, problem solving and the ability to deftly engage with others. “We teach a lot of these traits in fine arts — skill building, because in all of these programs you have to work with each other. Employers are looking for these types of personalities, those that can multi-task,” elaborated Ken. “And parents are open to it because they want their kids to have tons of different experiences before they go to college. We have a number of students that double up in fine arts, even athletes.” 

Currently, BISD has a theatre program in each middle school and high school, offering three levels, beginning in sixth grade. Once kids enter high school, theatre and technical theatre are broken into two different classes. 

“We offer four different theatre courses at the high school level: theatre, where students learn about theatre history as well as acting; staging and performing; technical theatre, where students learn to run lights and sound, build sets and props, stage manage productions, etc.; and production. Students must audition to get a spot in Production classes, where actors and technicians hone their skills on more advanced productions,” explained Ken. 

“We also offer musical theatre in high school, and that class is taught by our theatre teacher and the choir teacher,” he added. 

On average, about 150 middle school students and 180 to 200 high school students are enrolled in each campus’ program. Teachers teach a full load of the three different levels each and every day. Of course, when students get to high school, it’s a much more intensive, rigorous program.

The theatre teacher at Champion High School, Israel Aviles, has earned a name for himself and is highly respected by students, parents and faculty. “Our Champion Theatre won at the state 5A UIL competition for their One-Act Play (OAP) two years ago and came in third last year. It was a huge deal,” said Ken, proudly, who has been a district fine arts administrator for 17 years, with the last six in BISD. His position is responsible for everything from hiring and recruitment to organizing the budget and developing the curriculum.

The OAP competitions for UIL, or University Interscholastic League, are extremely competitive and are open to the public. OAP Companies may include up to 24 students and four alternates, and performances are adjudicated by a panel of three judges. Companies are allotted seven minutes to set up, must abide by the 40-minute time limit, and take down or “strike” their set in seven minutes or risk disqualification.

Taking it a step further, each school’s theatre department offers a summer musical camp that is open to all kids each July on their respective campuses. Mr. Aviles has dubbed Champion’s camp the Fearless Summer Camp. “I guess he just had fun naming it, as in, get over your fear of acting,” said Ken. “But basically, it’s a week of fun activities and then they put on some type of show at the end of the week. 

During the school year, each class puts on two productions and the range is very diverse, from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream to The Wizard of Oz and a teen adaptation of the famous musical, Chicago. Last holiday season, the students at BHS put on a production called The Happy Elf that featured a live orchestra playing music written by Harry Connick, Jr. 

“When it comes to the productions, we tend to offer a balanced approach here, foundational stuff. I would argue that kids go to school to come to theatre class, art, choir, band and orchestra and they thrive in that situation,” noted Ken.

Ken and the BISD teachers’ whole child philosophy of enriching students’ lives and learning through the fine arts seems to be working phenomenally. “We are the top small school district in Texas,” he shared, and that’s proof in the pudding, up front and center stage.

If you want to see these showstoppers for yourself, visit BoerneISD.net/Page/14361.