Melody Herzfeld, drama teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, accepts the award for excellence in theatre education at the 72nd annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in New York. Photo by Michael Zorn/Invision/AP

Parkland school shooting teacher honoured at Tony Awards

NEW YORK – A drama teacher recalled all the lessons she learned in the arts as she barricaded students in a closet during the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Melody Herzfeld was presented with the 2018 Excellence in Theatre Education Award during the Tony Awards on Sunday.

She described how drama teachers create a circle of trust and during the shooting those lessons would be called upon "to set into action, letting the stronger be our collective voice and supporting the rest that needed time."

She stressed the need for embracing all sides and for honesty.

Herzfeld saved 65 lives on Valentine's Day when police say a former student went on a rampage, killing 17 people.

Her students appeared on the Tony stage to serenade her with "Seasons of Love" from "Rent."

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Shelby Thevenot

Shelby has lived across Canada. She grew up near Winnipeg, Manitoba then obtained her B.F.A in Multidisciplinary Fine Arts at the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta. In 2014 she moved to Montreal, Quebec to study French and thrived in the Visual Journalism Graduate Diploma program at Concordia University. Now she works at iNFO News where she strives to get the stories that matter to the Okanagan Valley community.

Member of:

The Professional Writers Association of Canada

Quebec Writers Federation

English Language Arts Network

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