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Show Letters to the Editor An article appoired in the last Iron County Record written by a parent in answer to an anonymous anony-mous letter received at the high school. The letter complained about unnecessary noise of drum beating and bell ringing at basketball bas-ketball games. An article also appeared in the last school paper commenting about the same situation. sit-uation. I am writing this article In an attempt to clarify the situation sit-uation as to what actually happened. hap-pened. I shall try to make this answer applicable to both articles. arti-cles. I believe we have one of the finest basketball teams since I have been at Cedar High School. Our pep band adds interest and spirit to the games. Our pep club and cheerleaders add spice and a necessary nucleus to the cheering cheer-ing section. Students, faculty and patrons pay to see these attractions attrac-tions as well as to see the games. The drum beating is widespread wide-spread and had an earlier beginning be-ginning than most of us realize. Last March at the regional basketball bas-ketball playoff In Parowan, Max Dalley, principal, asked over the public address system for participating parti-cipating schools to please stop the continuous bass drum beating. beat-ing. When his request was Ignored, Ig-nored, the drums were removed from the floor. In Cedar City this year during a practice game the drum was going at rull strength. A few people peo-ple asked me If this could be cut down a little. I went to the drummer and asked this to be done, and it was complied with for a short time. At our first league game, two drums appeared with two drummers drum-mers on one of the drums. In addition ad-dition there were the college bell, two snare drums, and the drums used in the Hurricane band. The continued drum pounding and bell ringing brought protests from many parents and patrons. Again I went to the "hot spot" and asked for relief. The drums did stop, and so did the pep band which pulled themselves out of the hall with case and horn. During the half, many people left and as they w?nt past the ticket taker, about 20 refused exit tickets saying they weren't coming back for they couldn't stand the drums and bell. After the game some people commented comment-ed to me again about the drums and bell. Shortly after the Incident we receied an unsigned letter from someone who stated he had complained com-plained about the drums before and nothing had been dune and he would not be back to any more of our games. The writer said he had attended our games for 1215 years and had enoyed coming out to relax after a hard day's work About the same thing had been expressed to me by several other people during the days that followed. fol-lowed. This problem was discussed In faculty meeting and In student council with mixed and varied feelings. Some said: 'This is no place to relax"; "Let them stay home"; "The game Is for the kids and If parents don't like it lock the doors to them"; "Why wasn't it taken to the proper authorities"; au-thorities"; "Others do it. why can't we?"; "This letter was not signed, so why should we even read It?" In answer to these comments, I might say that complaints were made to the proper authority, the principal and the ticket taker our representative to the public. pub-lic. Parents and patrons furnished furnish-ed us with students to teach, buildings to teach in, money to operate on as well as support our activities. We cannot disregard their criticism, nor can we get along without their support anymore any-more than Escalante can get along without drinking water. Shall we take a similar attitude about attendance at our operas, nlavi H a np rovlourt KanH vn certs and other activities? We need parents and patrons; in addition ad-dition to other things, we depend upon their paid admissions to help support our activities. Maybe this anonymous person' was one who: sent in a payment! for a yearbook ad; voted for the bond election for our new high school; worked to get b&..J uni- forms for these same youngsters when they were in Junior high school; helped make our parking lot or built our bleachers; help-' ed pay for our first driver-train-j Ing car; chaperoned out students on trips afield. This problem is not ours alone.! Mr. Thomas Lawson, principal, Kanab High School, and our rep-1 resentative to the U1ISAA, said! the matter of unnecessary drum heating has come before the. state organization and discussed,! but no formal action has yet taken place. At the last rvetlng of the Region Re-gion Ten board "of managers and administrators held In Cedar City Ci-ty Jan. 11, a discussion was heldi and the minutes state: "... The use of drums and Instruments should be done id a proper manner. man-ner. Incessant noise districts from t h jictivitv Hoi n cr nrpspnlM flnH customer comfort." And from the administrators group: "Band groups to attend only those schools to which Invited. Drums, bells, etc' are to be left home." I did not attend the administrators adminis-trators group. I was Involved elsewhere and knew nothing of the discussion until I received heir minutes. In the articles, mentior. was made of cutting out pep bands and yells. I have never head one complain about the pep band or the pep club yellir.g. It was not mentioned in the ananymous letter, or by any person who talked to me. Spectators look for. expect and enjoy the band and cheering section. They are as necessary to a ball game as peanuts, pea-nuts, clowns and elephants are to a circus. Drums are also necessary nec-essary for a pep band and for a few yells, and no one complained about their use for those purposes. pur-poses. If anyone wonders why the pep band has not played at our more recent games. I cannot answer for I am wondering too. Signs and articles have appear ed around school sayln: "Why not a string ensemble plavlng at half time." and "Let's all wear black to the game." I think we couldn't go wrnnif with a strinj ensemble at half time If we didn't did-n't have anything else prenared. I recently visited the orchestra and Roy Halversen had 25 students stu-dents playlne string music I would say could not be surpassed or even equalled bv a hiph school group. People may enjoy it at a basketball game. I cannot furnish the name of the anonymous letter writer, but I can furnish names of many other oth-er people who have complained to me about the excessive drum beating. Upon request I shall furnish the names one M a t'm si that neonle can interview them and flnH ot for them"ove that renorts of these complaints are legitimate. Let us all cheer for Cedar High and at the same time use discretion discre-tion on the drum heads. Pratt M. Bathers |