Contributed by Chaparral High School
Killeen Independent School District’s Chaparral High School has been named a Premier Community for Theatre Education, a national distinction presented by the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) to schools that demonstrate exceptional achievement in providing meaningful, high quality theatre education and access for all students.
The EdTA Premier School recognition honors communities that prioritize theatre education by investing in the people, resources, and support systems that help students thrive through the arts.
“In less than four years, Chaparral’s Bobcat Drama department has evolved into a premier benchmark for theatrical excellence,” says Chaparral Theatre Director, Samantha Dunaway. “Our students don’t just perform, they lead. This designation of our program is evidence of the impact theatre education has at our school and how much it matters to our students and community.”
To qualify for the distinction, Chaparral High School’s Theatre Director, Samantha Dunaway, completed a comprehensive application documenting its support for theatre education in areas including funding, curriculum, instructional time, facilities, student participation, teacher development and evaluation, and overall institutional commitment to the program. All responses were verified with official documentation and reviewed by the Educational Theatre Association.
“Theatre has an important place in our schools, not just because of the welcoming community, but because of the skills it teaches. Theatre gives us skills like public speaking, teamwork, and problem solving. These are tools that are often forgotten in our core classes, but we take with us after we graduate.” says Armie Melton, Chaparral High School 2026 Senior, Texas Theatre Scholar, and Texas Student Thespian Officer.