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Show ommunity v> lews A2 • WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2007 -N \. \V S- Spanish Fork Letters to the Editor 280 North Main St. Spanish Fork, UT 84660 Line Henderson Publisher N.inion Bills Editor Dana Robinson . . Assoc. hdiior 'I he Spanish Fork News is published c.ich Wednesday for S37.5O per year in area and 54 1.50 our ot area by J-Mari, 280 Norrh Main St.. Spanish !:ork Utah S-i660. Email stories to L'ditor(ff|spforknews.coni Email ads to ads(j?'sptorkncws.coin Call us at 794-4964 POSTMASTER Send address changes to Spanish Kirk News 280 Norrh Main St. Spanish Fork, Utah 84660 Tile entire content or this newspaper is Copyright© 2007 Spanish 1-ork Nnvs, All rights reserved. No part ol this publication may be reproduced in any iorm without the written permission ot the editor or publisher. Covering what matters most Lunt influences kids for good I would like to comment on a letter to the editor on Oct. 31 written by Annette Wells with reference to the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Rick Lunt. Mrs. Wells has not had the opportunity to have a child in one of Mr. Lunts' choirs. She has not seen what a difference that experience can make in their lives. We have had three children benefit from his vision. I would like to touch upon some of the points she expressed: 1. Mr. Lunt has seven different choirs which require different levels of commitment. He is extremely cognizant of not taking afterschool time to practice unless it is just before a performance. Many of these students are involved in sports and have jobs. He gives them ample warning if there is an after-school commitment. 2.The involvement in his program does not cause students' grades to drop. Instead, that involvement and his vision of excellence helps these students strive to be better in all areas of their lives. The average GPA for his audition choirs is a 3.65. A good share of the student leaders and Sterling Scholars come from his program. 3. The show choirs are competition teams. They actually require less time than the other excellent competition teams at our school. The cost of show choir competition is right in line with the cost of other competition teams like drill and cheer. 4. Is it a bad thing for our high school music program to be "on the map?" Most of our community has no idea how well-established Spanish Fork High School is on the national map for show choirs. Directors from many areas of the country are imitating Mr. Lunt's program. 5. Mrs. Wells mentioned that Mr. Lunt's program exhausts families. What would be "exhausting" and a "nightmare" would be to deal with a child not involved in good activities, who becomes involved with activities that truly lead them into slavery. 6. I am sure Mrs. Wells, as a retired music teacher, is aware of the benefits that music and the arts have on children. I, for one, am grateful that our principal and school board have the vision to see a good thing and support it. 7. Why not let these students experience a national competition in high school before "real life" begins? Real life does require us to use our time wisely, budget our resources and set priorities. This is what Mr. Lunt's students learn from their music experience. 8. Mrs. Wells insinuated that Rick is doing this solely for his benefit. For someone who should be teaching at a university level but finds joy in teaching in a public school setting, and for someone who is not being paid a third of what he is worth, Mr. Lunt is not the one getting the mileage out of this. The mileage is going to the students who have been and continue to be under his tutelage. There is one point I do agree with Mrs. Wells on and that is that Rick Lunt is the Pied Piper. Only this Pied Piper takes students and helps them to see a greater vision and leads them to new heights that they never thought possible. Mr. Lunt has had many offers from high schools in Arizona clambering for him to return to his home state. They see a good thing, and they want it for their students. As a community, we should support this amazing teacher, as we should any teacher that makes such a difference in our children's lives. George Bernard Shaw said, "Life is like a splendid torch which I hold for a moment, and I want to make it bum as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." Thank you, Mr. Lunt, for passing the torch. Pat Frandsen, President 2007-08 SFHS Choir Boosters Spanish Fork DEADLINES Weddings, anniversaries, missionaries, 1st birthdays, articles, photos, letters to the editor Friday, 12 p.m. Display advertising and classified advertising Friday, 12 p.m. Letters td : tike Editor do not necessarily reflect the view of The SFNews. Let your voice be heard: Write a letter to the editor, email: editor@spforknews.com Piper not paid enough How callous our souls As the parents of four children growth is a sign of the desire who have and are benefitting of the students to participate from the Spanish Fork High in and be part of something School music program, we feel excellent. The fact that Mr. we must respond to the unfair Lunt is willing to spend his characterization of Mr. Lunt by time away from his family Ms. Wells in her "Too much of before and after school to help a good thing?" editorial of Oct. students achieve excellence 31. is to his credit, and is a sign In her article Ms. Wells infers that perhaps he could use some that Mr. Lunt has developed an more support in the form of "overblown music program" for more teachers and volunteers his own benefit at the expense as the demand for the program of the physical health, family expands. life and academic excellence The skills and relationships of the students, while spineless developed in the music school administrators vie for programs will benefit those credit and hapless, helpless who participate throughout parents stand by wringing their their lifetime. Our biggest fear hands in fear of their child as parents and citizens is that being "cut" from the program we are not "paying the piper" if they should say anything. enough to keep him here for the What a farce! benefit of our students and our community. We want to remind Ms. Wells that participation in the Keep up the good work Mr. music program is not required Lunt, we appreciate you! of anyone. No one is forced Kevin and Jenny Baadsgaard to participate. Therefore its Spanish Fork My my, how we have changed. You ask how we have changed 9 Never in the history of this nation have so many people been so willing to accept so much evil and hate the good, ignore the right and choose the wrong, or as the Savior said, "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." Recently as a story was airing on Fox News, the anchorman paused, and in a most concerning voice, straining with emotion, told the viewers that the scenes they were about to witness were very disturbing. We held our breath as we waited to see this very disturbing scene, a scene that was supposed to shock us to our souls because whatever had happened was terribly gruesome. Then we saw it, a football coach stomped on a pheasant that had been turned loose on the football field by a couple of teenage boys. carnage in the Middle East of bodies bleeding and blown to pieces — never once expressing any horror at this loss of life. Thousands of babies are slaughtered daily in the name of reproductive rights, and never I have heard this anchorman express grief over their deaths like he did at the time the coach stomped the pheasant. Though I do not condone cruelty to animals, and there is another side to this story* I do hope they had the good sense to not waste the bird ,and that someone had a good pheasant dinner. Millions of children, and I mean children and not some mass of tissue, but living breathing children .are slaughtered to hide our immorality and dark consciences while the anchormen and women of this world stand idly by. How dark the day is! Yet, day after day that same Allan Hales news station airs footage of the Salem or stop by J-Mart; Mixed up fable 280 North Main St. Spanish Fork. Is it possible Mrs. Wells has her 'fables' mixed up? Her letter sounded much more like 'sour grapes' than the 'Pied Piper." Stay right where you are, Mr. Lunt, Mr. McKee. Superintendent Nielson and the Nebo School Board, encouraging excellence in all pursuits. Tracy M. Frandsen, M.D. Spanish Fork HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING • Sales • Service • installation '•X*' • Green Sticker • Financing OAC Factory David Davis, Realtor 801-318-9907 www.iphotohomes.com Do more than belong, participate. Do more than cart, help. Do mort than btlitvt. practice. Do more than in fair, bt kind. Do mort than dream, work. 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