Each ACAA Dance and Arts teacher provides important value in their specialized areas. The concern is that losing Ms. Barb’s specialized ballet instruction would lower the rigor, continuity, and quality of ACAA’s arts program as a whole. 

Ms. Barb provides a specific benefit to the dance program that cannot simply be replaced by broader dance instruction. Ballet is a foundational discipline that supports technique across dance genres. It takes years of focused training, consistent correction, and specialized expertise to teach safely and effectively. A serious dance program needs a dedicated ballet instructor so students receive the depth, continuity, and technical focus that strong ballet training requires. 

Ms. Barb’s role has also extended beyond ballet through her work with students and NHSDA, which supports leadership, service, school events, school spirit, and community-building across ACAA. 

We are asking ACAA and Edkey leadership to reconsider this decision, retain Ms. Barb Burgin as ACAA’s specialized ballet instructor, preserve the integrity of the ballet program, and meet with students, parents, and alumni before finalizing changes that impact the dance program and broader school community.