Richard and Carol Atkinson		This renovation was designed to create a "Carnegie Hall" quality experience in our Middle School Auditorium. We believe it is the one project that will have the greatest educational impact on the students in the Whitefish schools. If Whitefish is going to have an outstanding educational system, then the arts must be included, and they must occur in an environment that is top-notch in all respects. The auditorium has been completed for over two years now, and the space is ample and elegant, seating 475 people. All performing arts groups have settled into this incredible facility and every student is thrilled! To give you an idea of how many children we are talking about --

1. Over 201 students at the high school are enrolled in the Fine Arts Performance classes, which include orchestra, band, choir and theater arts (37% of the entire student body).

2. Over 256 middle school students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades are enrolled in orchestra, band and choir (49% of the student population!).

3. Music is now part of the daily curriculum for all Whitefish Middle School 5th and 6th graders.

Obviously, the middle school has benefited by gaining a modern, high-tech, acoustically-designed, larger auditorium instead of the 1938 auditorium that was gutted and rebuilt. Also, the elementary school can now practice and perform its concerts in the new auditorium. The enlarged seating area is a godsend for parents shoehorned into the old facility for the annual Christmas concert! In addition, high school arts program needs are being met as well.

Additional benefits are that the Alpine Theatre Company performs there in the summer (generating income for the school system) and the Glacier Orchestra has returned to Whitefish to perform. The larger seating area, expanded stage and the high quality audio equipment may allow more national/international level performers to consider appearing in Whitefish. Bear in mind, however, that the school will always have priority use of the facility -- the children come first.

The bottom line is this: you will never have a great school system and a great community without a great arts program for the kids. When the Middle School Auditorium opened in September 2007, the deserving students of Whitefish were given a world class venue where their creative spirits will soar.

This is a challenging time for our fundraising team because once a building is completed, the assumption is that it is paid for, and that is not the case. We are close, but we still have a ways to go. Please help us achieve success by completing this critically important project for the kids of Whitefish.

	Carol and Richard Atkinson