Re “We Won’t Fight, Claw for Silver. We’ll Be Respectful.”
Thank you for your coverage of my current situation with the Culver City Unified School District.
I appreciate the support.
However, there is a suggestion that my firing may have somehow been associated with our recent production of “The Laramie Project.”
I want to assure you and your readers that this could not be further from the truth.
I am attaching a copy of the letter I sent to Principal Dr. Pam Magee, Interim Supt. Patti Jaffe, all School Board members and all of our Front and Center Arts Partners upon our return from the California Theatre Educational Festival, where we took the highest honors for the second year in a row.
In fact, my students and I are being honored at tonight's City Council meeting.
Please join us there at 7 o’clock. Despite all that has transpired, I am most grateful to all of Culver City for having been so supportive of The Laramie Project, which was most definitely a highlight of my 32 years in public education.
Ms. Silver’s aforementioned mentioned letter:
January 18, 2011
This past weekend was spent at the annual California Theatre Educators’ Association Festival (CETA), where we were once again honored to perform for over 2,000 high school students, teachers, administrators and judicators. From 8 a.m. on Friday until 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, 48 students from CCHS, 4 chaperones and I lived and breathed theatre, and we loved it!
What impacted me was the number of educators who came to me to talk about the production. Teacher after teacher after teacher, I was asked, “How did you get this past the administration?” Or, “What did your School Board say?” Or, “I would never be allowed to do this at my school.”
“They stared in awe when I shared, “We had 100% support.”
I know how lucky I am to teach in a district and be part of a community of theatre partners that not only supports the arts as an integral part of a total education, but which advocates for the arts as a medium for social change.
As our production ended to thunderous applause and a standing ovation, the president of CETA took the stage and said, “This is why we do theatre. Thank you, Culver City.”
And that thank you was to all for having the courage to support such an important work as The Laramie Project. It is an honor to be a part of this collaborative.
With gratitude,
Sheila Silver
Creative Director, Theatre Arts AVPA
Ms. Silver may be contacted at sheilasilver@ccusd.org
