Skipworth Performing Arts Center

If you ask any Kosy alums to recount important or formative experiences from school, chances are they'll think back on a big game won or lost, a formative class, or a concert or performance in the arts. For those whose memories and learning moments occurred in the arts, many of those moments surely happened in the Kosciusko High School auditorium. That auditorium - perched on the top of the hill on East Jefferson Street - has been used for so many things over the years: pageants and rallies, plays and MLK anniversary events, concerts and more. It was for so long a sort of town square. But it is a square that is now closed for business.

For the past two years, the doors to this historic building have been closed due to rising asbestos levels. The auditorium became a sort of town square. With district dollars at a premium, the Kosciusko School Board has asked the Kosciusko Foundation for Excellence in Education (KFEE) to partner together to ensure that Kosciusko's fantastic students have facilities that support their needs. The KFEE will undertake the ambitious challenge of renovating the aging structure and the School District will fund asbestos clearance.

So the foundation has set out to raise that amount. And any project like this needs a catchy name and a good story. As we talked to more and more people who have used and appreciated that auditorium over the years, one name kept coming up: W.G. Skipworth. For almost eighty years now the Kosciusko Band has experienced unparalleled success, achieving superior ratings as if they are some sort of town birth rite. And that name that kept surfacing - Skipworth - he founded the program. Starting in 1934, and director until 1952, Skipworth demanded practice and instilled in students the importance of hard work. He brought instrumental work in the lower grade school and thus shared a whole new world of music with children than what they could get on their transistor radios. Dr. John Fenwick Jackson, KHS drum major 1946, talked about Mr. Skipworth putting together an extensive musical library and using that to teach students how to sight read music. Perhaps the most important thing Skipworth did for students from this small town was call upon them an attention to detail and determination to succeed that they used every day of their lives thereafter. He knew something many of us are just beginning to appreciate: the sharp, educated and analytical mind is expanded by music. Ensemble work requires basic discipline, respect for others, being on time, and practice. In a world that is increasingly automized, creativity and teamwork will be increasingly valuable. The Kosciusko school system will do well to continue to invest in the arts to best prepare our students for future success. It will do well to remember that legacy of W.G. Skipworth and to continue to strive for excellence for our students that he embodied for years.

Welcome to the Skipworth Performing Arts Center

So, if you want to invest in the arts and the future for our students, and if you'd like to honor the legacy of W.G. Skipworth, or if you'd just like a cozy auditiorum in which you can enjoy your grandchild's band concerts, please click “The Big Red Button” to donate... Or, go to kfeems.org/contact to tell us more information about yourself.

If you would like to support the Skipworth Performing Arts Center by Purchasing an auditorium chair, please click the “BUY A CHAIR” button below. Thank you!