The New Horizon Community Theatre Drama Camp is prepared to debut its “Rock Around the Clock” musical this Saturday night on 411 W 8th Street in West Point.

The annual summer camp takes in a group of students spanning the ages of six to sixteen for a week. The campers then begin to work with performer and educator Julia Langley on choreography, acting, singing, writing, stage etiquette and backstage/tech work. The students are rehearsing every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It is important that the value of fine arts is still known today.

Children can dream whatever they want to be when they grow older, whether that be an astronaut, a scientist, a doctor, a politician, an entrepreneur, a professional athlete or a musician. In various cases, schools have cut music programs or art classes in order to remain in line with school system budget cuts.

When an adolescent tells an adult that they want to grow up to be an entertainer like Luke Bryan, Chris Pratt, Beyoncé or Kendrick Lamar, sometimes the adult might respond “that sounds great; what’s your back up plan if that doesn’t pan out?” The field of acting and music lacks respect from the outside world.

Camps like the one at the New Horizon Community Theatre are important because they show students that there is still value in fine arts. Students can take lifelong lessons from the camp like social skills, developing hard-working habits and the importance of exposing themselves to the world of the unknown.

With a group of students born between 2002 and 2012, learning how to interact with other people is crucial for a generation of young people who grew up around so much technology. Not every young person is an athlete but every young person should have a reason to get out of the house.

The next time you think of cutting a fine arts program, think of the positives that the community is losing.