NFMAA holds its annual Academy Awards
Following a week of great performances, the best and brightest at the North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts gathered in the auditorium Saturday for the school’s annual Academy Awards show.
The awards, presented by alumni, went to students who displayed excellence in their craft, from acting to visual arts, for which there were dozens.
“We give awards to the kids who are in the arts that have been outstanding,” NFMAA principal Dr. Douglas Santini said. “We take the best from orchestra and the visual arts and the teachers choose the best.”
The awards program climaxed the Arts Alive event that took place for the past week, where students participated in a myriad of artistic endeavors to showcase their skills while helping to raise money for the academy.
Things started last Friday with a strings concert, followed by elementary dance and keyboard, chorus, middle school dance, drama and band.
“We had pretty much a sellout on each night. The talent is unbelievable, it’s at the top,” Santini said. “We had more than 200 items at the silent auction that raised between $8,000 to $10,000. Overall I think we did $15,000.”
The money raised will go toward important replacement of instruments and other needs, such as a new dance floor.
“Arts Alive is an opportunity for each of our programs to showcase what they’ve done over the year,” said Sarah Barkhurst, vice president of the NFMAA Foundation, which raises money for the academy. “We need a new floor for the theater and three tubas for the band, which is $15,000.”
The evening began with a banquet in the cafeteria before moving to the auditorium for the awards show, which was hosted by former NFMAA students Sarah Rose Thornton and Camden Gordon.
Those invited came in knowing they had won something, and were assigned seats in the order of how the awards (trophies with a base that lights up in different colors) were given.
After the teacher’s awards were handed out, awards were given to All-State and National Junior Honor Society for Dance Arts Award recipients. NFMAA had students earn spots in All-State band, thespians, choir and dance.
In between the awards presentations, there were vocal performances from Jesse Massari and Samuel Marzella, and instrumental solos from Lilly Todd, Hayden Edison and Adrianna Robertson.
Marzella did a medley of all the songs he sang at the school since arriving in the fourth grade, many of which were played on the screen in the background as he performed.
The school also awarded the Double Threat and Triple Threat Awards to those who excelled in more than one discipline.
Double Threat winners were: Todd, Robertson, Avital Gruvits, Hanna Joseph, Samuel Marzella, Stephanie Morgenegg, and Erika Sauer. Massari and Kaycee Tester won the Triple Threat awards.
When it came time for Santini to hand out his awards for male and female Performer of the Year, he admitted it was a tough choice to name a top female, so he gave two this year, to Todd and Massari, while presenting the male performer award to Marzella.
“It’s really exciting, I wasn’t expecting it. It’s nice to know I’m appreciated,” Todd said. “I’m going to miss the band, orchestra and all the arts.”
“There were a lot of amazing females, so it was an honor to be chosen,” Massari said. “It’s great to share it with Lilly because she has an amazing talent I don’t have. I can’t play trumpet and violin.”
Both girls will attend North Fort Myers High School in the fall.
Marzella, who will attend a performing arts school in Orlando, perhaps had come the longest way, as he had to learn to perform and not just sing.
“It’s been a great experience. I really loved it and I’m honored I can get an award for doing what I love,” Marzella said. “I’ve learned to share the experience with the audience and let them have as much fun as they can.”