Education has always been a focus of the Natchez Festival of Music.

Every May the organization invites school children from the region to get a taste of opera, jazz and classical music.

Last year, for example, students were treated to a operetta called “G Train: The Musical.’

Five people from very different walks of life suddenly find themselves stuck on the G Train in a subway in New York City. A stockbroker, a rapper, a mother of two, a panhandler and a judge — these five characters don’t get along at first. Faced with a crisis in the deep, dark underground, they rely on each other to survive.

The moral? Even though we are different and come from different walks of life, we all are in this big world together.

Or are we?

Almost one year later, a new drama is unfolding at the Margaret Martin Performing Arts complex.

Monday morning, Natchez Festival of Music officials discovered an auditorium covered in white powder. It is suspected that Youth Build members set off a fire extinguisher in the space.

Appalled at the recklessness of the Youth Build members, Festival of Music organizers have not only demanded that the auditorium be cleaned but that the Youth Build organization be evicted from the basement of the old school building.

Youth Build is an initiative designed to educate and train high school dropouts. The group is using the basement of the old school as a classroom.

Charlotte Copeland, Natchez Festival of Music Secretary, has said that having the Youth Build program in the basement “is a negative factor” for the performing arts complex.

High school dropouts and the rehabilitation of teenagers do not match the mission of Margaret Martin and the Natchez Festival of Music, she said.

That’s too bad.

It seems as if Youth Build and the Festival of Music are losing a prime opportunity to create something unique.

For an organization that prides itself on providing educational opportunities to children, maybe it is time for officials to see this weekend’s incident as an opening.

Is it possible that the festival could reach out to the Youth Build group?

Instead of turning their backs on these children and forcing them to some other building suitable for their “negative” impact, Festival officials could offer them a place to learn to be creative and productive citizens.

Youth Build members could help build sets and other props for future operas and plays.

They could help do some minor repairs and cleaning in a building that sorely needs attention.

They could be stage hands and realize how much work goes into creating the various Festival of Music productions.

At the same time, the Festival of Music could become mentors and role models for a group of youth that clearly needs direction.

This is not to say that the actions of the weekend are excusable. They aren’t. But instead of walking away from the problem, Youth Build owned up to the responsibility and cleaned the school’s auditorium.

Unfortunately, taking full responsibility for their actions and making reparations seems not to be enough.

Of course, all of this requires seeing positives instead of negatives. It requires giving of ourselves instead of giving into fear.

It requires festival officials listening to their own music and realizing that although we are different, there is potential in working together.

Ben Hillyer is the Web editor for The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540 or by e-mail at ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat.com.