Melody Herzfeld & Amy Schatz Discuss New Documentary About Parkland School Shooting

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(CBS Local)-- It's been almost a year since 17 people were murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Drama teacher Melody Herzfeld was teaching class on Valentine's Day when the fire alarms first went off and she kept over 60 kids safe in a locked tech room before it was safe to come out.

In a raw and emotional year, Herzfeld and her students used music and theater to keep them going during this unimaginably difficult time. Director Amy Schatz decided it was time for the world to know this story and that's why she created the new documentary "Song Of Parkland."

"The question was, could we go there and tell a story that was different from what we had been hearing in the news," said Schatz in an interview with CBS Local. "I met Melody and I learned about the work she was doing with her class. I learned that on the day of the shooting, she had been in rehearsals for a children's show. That's where it all began and whether or not they'd be able to pick up where they left off."

Herzfeld's message to the kids was that the show must go on. The drama teacher thought the documentary could be a good thing not only for her students, but for people around the country.

"I knew that painting an accurate portrait of what was happening at the time was important for the kids to remember," said Herzfeld in an interview with CBS Local. "It was very difficult to do and open up to, but it just seemed right. A lot has happened."

"Song Of Parkland" details the days following the school shooting where Herzfeld and her students put their show "Yo, Vikings!" together. The doc also takes a look back at the memorable performance the students gave at the Tony Awards in 2018. The MSD drama teacher wants people to know just how strong her kids are.

"These kids are real human beings, so many of them were criticized for being crisis actors," said Herzfeld. "As fragile as they were, they're very strong individuals. It's never going to be the same for any person ever again. It's hard for us to go to the drug store and see hearts and flowers. It's such a massive thing. You are talking about over 3,000 people that are affected in some way and the surrounding community is also affected."

The documentary premieres this Thursday, Feb. 7. on HBO.