The National High School Musical Theatre Awards, otherwise known as the Jimmy Awards, have announced the recipients of the first ever Inspiring Teacher Award. The inaugural prize will be awarded to Brendan Jennings, John Burroughs High School, Burbank, California, and Larry Robinson, Central Academy of Technology and Arts, Monroe, North Carolina.

Robinson and Jennings’ students were the winners of the 2016 Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress (Amina Faye), and Best Performance by an Actor (Josh Stobl), respectively.

“Behind every great talent is a great teacher who nurtured and inspired them, and we are so pleased to inaugurate the first ever Inspirational Teacher Award presented by Wells Fargo. Last year’s winners were taught to excel and to utilize their skills by two very special teachers, Brendan Jennings and Larry Robinson, and we applaud them!” commented Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League. “The National High School Musical Theatre Awards are a way to praise and acknowledge the incredible theatre that is being created around the country in high schools, beginning in the rehearsal room all the way to the Jimmy Awards stage.”

As previously reported, the ninth annual awards ceremony will take place on June 26 at 7:30PM at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre. Each year, students from across the U.S. travel to New York City to compete in the categories of Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The ceremony will feature solo and group performances from students who won top honors at regional high school musical theatre awards across the country, and who spend a ten-day professional training intensive with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' New Studio in preparation for the evening.

Winners will be selected by a panel of industry experts.

For more information, visit NHSMTA.com.