ADAMS TWP — Parents from the girls and boys youth basketball organization, as well as the musical theater program spoke at a Mars Area school board meeting Tuesday evening to discuss challenges faced by students and families who participate in the programs.

Jennifer Roush of the Mars Musical Theater Boosters said that in August that students and parents discovered that items and props from the musical’s in-progress set had been moved to a dirt-floor metal shed on the Mars Area Centennial School campus.

Some items and props from the collection were damaged or missing, Roush said, estimating that about $10,000 in materials had been affected.

Parents from the Mars Boys and Girls Youth Basketball programs asked the district to work to find more gym availability for the sports organization to hold practices.

Mike Sherwin, a volunteer with the program, said the organization has experienced significant growth in recent years and is struggling to find space to practice in the elementary school gymnasium, with some gym use being limited by a shortage of custodial staff.

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