Does this seem fair?
My DD is in 4th grade at a performing arts magnet school. Think FAME for elementary kids. Students are eligible to try out for the different programs (dance, drama, music and art) for grades 3-5. The majority of students in those grades participate but there are academic requirements so not all students are eligible. My daughter is in the dance program. For the first time, the school has decided to have a cheerleading squad. It will be an afterschool activity and the squad will perform at pep rallies and assemblies throughout the year. Amazingly, the turn out for try outs was over 100 for about 25 spots. In an effort to weed out some of the kids, it was decided that dance magnet students would not be chosen. This was not decided until the day of the try outs, so my daughter and many other of the dance students were allowed to try out, but are not going to be picked.
The reason that was given was that the dancers already get to perform and so other students should be given a chance to perform as well, which I could sort of understand if the dance students performed frequently and for their classmates - which they don't. They have one end of year performance and its mainly for the parents. Its at night time and its typically only the parents/family members of the dancers attend. The other magnet programs also have end of year exhibits and shows but they are not being excluded from the squad.
I cheered throughout highschool the squad was always picked based on ability and academic performance. IMO, its unfair to exclude this group of students but obviously I am biased because my DD is being excluded and is going to be heartbroken that she wasn't chosen. What do you think and what would you do?
Re: Does this seem fair?
If the dance magnet students are excluded based on the fact that they get other chances to perform throughout the year, then ALL the magnet students should be excluded based on the same thing.
My guess: there's a parent out there who was worried that her own kid would not make the squad because the dancers would have a big advantage, and that parent complained to whoever's in charge.
The person in charge needs to decide whether the point of these programs is to be as open as possible and give as many kids as possible a chance to participate and perform... OR... if the point is to have selective auditions and take the most talented kids they can get.
Of course I realize that life isn't fair. My point was that they decided to exclude the dance magnet and only the dance magnet after allowing the girls to go through the cheer clinic and try outs because they got a bigger response than they had expected.
In any event, the AP wouldn't allow the group to be excluded and the list was leaked last night - my daughter will be on squad.
I read this the other day and was thinking on it (and it's close to my heart since I'm a dancer!) I'm glad they decided she could be on the squad.
I know at "regular" schools those who took outside dance and gymnastic classes were always the ones who made the cheer or pom squads. Just because they are dancing AT school and not outside of school doesn't mean they should be excluded. Yeah, at any other school they'd have an equal chance!
Cam 6.6.10 - Autism, Global Developmental Delay, Mixed Receptive/Expressive Communication Disorder