If you are a small business owner in Minnesota, you might want to get in on this action. This year's stage rendition of It's a Wonderful Life at Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, MI is selling ad space for the value price of $75. The $75 guarantees you a spot pitched by students during the performance in addition to space in the program and some visual real estate in the play's background set.

Not bad, for $75.

But as you might imagine there is some controversy over the school's decision to turn a high school tradition into a revenue making opportunity. Victoria Sadek, the school's drama adviser, says the decision to sell advertising time was not an easy one, but felt forced by the rising costs the drama department faces. Within the last year alone, extracurricular activities in drama and other fine arts rose from $30/student to $90/student.

"We don't have much of a budget, and we're trying to stretch it as best as we can," she said. Royalties and materialssuch as dialect CDs and costumescost money.

"In a perfect world, we probably wouldn't need to go ahead and sell advertisements. But for co-curricular kinds of things, it's what keeps programs afloat," she said. "I would certainly never want to have ads in the school hallways. I know there are some schools that even have them on bathroom doors, and I would hope that we would never get to that point, where it would be supporting the academic program."

Sadek assures critics that the advertisements will not compromise or interrupt the flow of the play as they are worked seamlessly into the story. In fact, the advertisements are even being touted as a unique opportunity to teach the kids valuable lessons, as some of the marketing students have been tapped to write the pitches for local businesses.

So far, 10 advertisers have bought time including the American Red Cross and the local Shoreview Community Center.

meatpieboy

Korea, D.P.R.

June 2004

NOV 29, 2006 09:35 PM

Ahahaha... as a MN native, all I have to say is... Arden Hills. Oh, and... Mounds View. These are not double-entendres, just observations about the rich, suburban community that is doing this (although I honestly am not sure about how much money the school gets, being public). Costumes? You're pretty lucky your drama department is paying $90 a head to include top-notch costumes.

I guess all I'm sayin' is... I bet there are a ton of schools out there that have a lot less money than Mounds View. Seems a little greedy to me.

Tritone

Saint Paul, MN

May 2004

NOV 29, 2006 11:23 PM

Which day was this article printed? I want to check the paper. It's...interesting. (FYI, Minnesota is MN; MI is Michigan.)

Keri

SUICIDEGIRL

Virginia, USA

NOV 30, 2006 08:28 AM

Man, I was in drama in High School and I wish that we would have thought about somthing like this. I dont' think it's greedy at all. It's incredibly hard to put on a decent production with the shitty allowance that most drama departments receive. I don't think it's any different than any other type of fundraiser. I say hell yeah to them for thinking of it.

CherishChain

Houston, TX

October 2006

NOV 30, 2006 08:37 AM

I think its a good idea, it's not like the district will fund an arts program.