It's been rough, and everyone's been hit in one way or another by the economy. Someone gave an update in church last week about the upcoming (county and school) budget cuts and what they will mean for my county, Chesterfield. We know that cuts are needed, but it's difficult to realize the severity, especially if it means an end to some or all extracurricular activities.

I just finished reading Jeannette Wall's The Glass Castle. (It's a very good story about overcoming adversity.) She honed her journalism skills on her high school paper, and it provided her with a way out of the abject poverty of Welch, WV.

According to VH-1's "Save the Music," "Many of American's greatest thinkers, innovators, and leaders all have one thing in common: before they made history, they learned how to play a musical instrument."

I got my first full-time job because of my work in high school and college with literary magazines and the yearbook.

We all know cuts need to be made, but we need to find ways to preserve the extracurricular activities, especially the arts. Without them, it would be a very long day for students and teachers. I can't imagine a school day without art and music.