BY DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
Hemet High School students persuaded school board members this week to name the school’s new performing arts theater for a long-time faculty member. The 500-seat theater, built as part of a four-year, $62.3 million Hemet High renovation project, will be called the Ron Murray Performing Arts Complex. Its namesake has been a theater arts teacher at the school for nearly two decades and a fixture at other San Jacinto Valley performing arts venues. The school board voted Tuesday night, Nov. 6, to approve the name despite reservations by two of its members about singling out a contemporary faculty member for recognition over many other people who had taught at the school or made contributions to the school and community over the years. District Superintendent Barry Kayrell told board members that students and a nine-member naming committee had sought suggestions from the community before voting on potential names. The top three vote-getters contained Murray’s name. About two dozen students appeared at the school board meeting to make their case in person. Fellow board member Joe Wojcik praised the students for their perseverance, as the naming process has dragged on since March. “I have a tremendous amount of respect” for the theater arts teacher, he said. “It’s hard to name something after somebody who has an impact today. What about the people who have had an impact in the past?” Board President Bill Sanborn said he was torn. “My head is telling me one thing,” he told the students. “My heart is telling me something else.” “The school has been full of a lot of reputable teachers,” he said, and all of them deserve recognition. “To single one out is a disservice” to everyone who had just as much effect on students and the school. He argued that a hall of fame for faculty members could be established in the foyer of the theater, but in the end, the Murray name for the theater won out. Board member Marilyn Forst supported the students’ suggestion, telling fellow board members that Murray has “been here for a long time” and has “done a lot for the community.”