Lehigh Senior High School

The High School Musical Theatre Awards take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 8 at the Barbara B Mann Performing Art Hall at FSW. Patterned after the Tony Awards, the evening features performances by each participating school, along with awards in a number of categories, including Best Overall Production, Best Ensemble and Best Actor and Supporting Actor in both Male-Identifying and Female-Identifying roles.

I know a whoopee spot where the gin is cold and the piano’s hot … and all that jazz. It’s Lehigh Senior High Center for the Arts Auditorium, where they’re performing “Chicago Teen Edition.” It’s a paint-the-town jazz extravaganza perfectly suited to Artistic Director Miguel Cintron’s triple threat theater students. And senior Samantha Jean-Marie's set design enables Cintron's talented actors to strut their stuff.

This week, two shows open, four close, 16 continue their runs and there is one limited engagement at Southwest Florida equity, community and high school theaters.

The School District of Lee County has established arts programs in all 15 of its high schools. Cypress Lake, Lehigh Senior and North Fort Myers high schools are arts magnets, which focus on further developing students' talents in specific disciplines. The school district can offer supplemental funding based on program size and need, but most programs fund themselves from ticket sales.

Lehigh Senior High School had a huge night on Friday at the High School Musical Theatre Awards. Its spring show, “Hadestown Teen Edition,” was selected by a panel of five judges as this year’s winner in the coveted category of “Overall Production of a Musical.” The awards didn’t stop there.

In schools across Lee County, students are taking a stand against violence and promoting school safety through the Sandy Hook Promise’s Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) clubs. Local students, parents and faculty are joining forces to make their campuses safer.Launched by the Sandy Hook Promise organization in response to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in 2012, these clubs are a part of a nationwide effort to ensure that school environments are not only physically safe but also emotionally and psychologically supportive.