INDIANAPOLIS — Fifty high schools have risen above 1,000 applicants to claim NBC’s R.I.S.E. America grants. The program, inspired by NBC’s upcoming drama “Rise” about a high school theatre department and its effects on a small town, is awarding half million dollars to high school theatre programs across the country. Scecina Memorial High School was selected from hundreds of schools in Indiana.
Through R.I.S.E. (Recognizing and Inspiring Student Expression) America, NBC has awarded each of the 50 winning schools with a $10,000 grant that will cover the critical needs of their theatre programs ranging from production expenses to technical equipment and master classes. NBC is facilitating the program in partnership with the Education Theatre Foundation (ETF), a non-profit organization dedicated to shaping lives through theatre education.
To qualify for the grant, high schools were required to have an existing theatre program or a champion of theatre arts in their teaching staff in cases where a school’s theatre program was cut because of budget constraints.
Each school submitted a video celebrating their theatre program and a 500-word essay explaining why their school should be awarded the grant and how they will use the $10,000 should they win. They also submitted a letter of recommendation from a school principal or administrator.