This isn't an easy play to stage, with more than two hours of salsa dancing, spoken word poetry, rap music and drama. But months of rehearsals together for students from the two schools have resulted in some lessons of their own.

"At first it was scary and no one knew each other," said Dayna Marshall, a STRIVE senior who plays the character of Vanessa. "There were STRIVE kids over here, North kids over there on the opposite sides of the stage. As we've gotten to know each other, we've grown as a cast and we all connect."

For students from both schools -- and for many of our families -- the play about gentrification overtaking a tight-knit neighborhood hits home. As Denver continues to grow and housing prices increase, our diverse neighborhoods are struggling to balance the challenges of gentrification with their rich cultural histories.

Intensifying this challenge has been that in gentrifying neighborhoods, we are seeing a sharp decrease in the number of school-aged children, as newer residents on average have fewer children than the families that are having to leave the neighborhood.

"When the lower class has to move out and the upper class moves in, we lose cultures and we lose traditions," said Efren De La Rosa, a North senior who play s the character of Piragua.

	Dayna Marshall speaks about 'In the Heights' and what the play means to her.

"This is where we grew up, where most of us spent our childhoods," he said. Now, "Everything around the neighborhood ... it's all different."

Rehearsing for the musical, set in a New York neighborhood in the 1990s, has provided students an outlet for their feelings about what's happening within their own fast-changing community. "Everything about this play is us," said Dayna, the STRIVE senior. "My character is a girl from the barrio; I'm a girl from the projects."

She and other students said they have gained confidence from their work together and will be more willing to speak out about this and other issues impacting them. "We're like this big family and I'm so glad this happened," she said. "You just have to push through, and you have to stick together."

I applaud our students at the North campus, and the adults who worked with them, for this ambitious effort. In the coming months, we as a district will be working with our communities across Denver to discuss the challenges of changing housing patterns in Denver and the opportunity to step back and, in the face of these changes, look at how to drive stronger and more integrated schools that serve all members of our communities well.

As is so often the case, our students are providing an excellent example for us to follow.