When Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan learned that students from Overland High School in Aurora had earned the chance to see the Broadway musical Hamilton for cheap, they decided to sweeten the deal with a little help from an Overland alumnus at local restaurant Sam's No. 3.
When social studies teacher Melissa Lucero learned about a project that would potentially make her Overland High School juniors eligible to attend Hamilton, she didn't hesitate.
"Every time I got the email, I signed up to be put on the list," Lucero said, according to the Cherry Creek Schools website. "As soon as it came time to apply, I offered information about the school to make sure we were eligible."
As it turns out, they were.
Through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History program, 11th grade American history students at Title I schools in selected cities (where Hamilton would be touring) could complete some research on Revolutionary America (a person, event, or document) and then create their own interpretive performance piece about it. Overland High School qualified, and as soon as she received word that they were good to go, Lucero put her students to work.
"They had to do some research and create either a song, a poem, a monologue, a scene or a rap about whatever they chose to research," Lucero said, adding that the students went on to perform their piece in a professional studio and then had to send those recordings to the Gilder Lehrman Institute.
As a result, the students are being given the chance to attend a Hamilton performance today, March 21, at The Buell Theater, for just $10 (a "Hamilton" for Hamilton, get it?).
When Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan heard about it, they rallied alongside Sam's No. 3 (whose manager is actually an alum of Overland!) to provide a catered lunch for the students.
"The incredible educators in our Denver-area community do an amazing, and often thankless, job guiding future generations," they posted on YouTube. "And we at 104.3 The Fan always like to recognize them whenever possible, especially when they go above and beyond ... So, on Tuesday, we decided to put the cherry on top. We barged into Lucero's classroom to surprise her class with lunches for the class trip — provided by Sam's No. 3 — as a show of support for their hard work and creativity."
See the video of the radio personalities and Sam's No. 3 manager surprising students here:
To view all the requirements for the project, view the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website!
Congrats to Ms. Lucero and all of the Overland High School students who worked so hard on this project! We're so excited for you to see Hamilton -- and to have a delicious lunch! :-)
And great job, Sams No. 3, and 104.3, for collaborating to make this an incredible experience for the kids! We love it when the community comes together!
