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Miami Gardens School Which Struck 'Oscar Gold' Unveils Multi-Million Dollar Renovations

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Miami Gardens school which produced Oscar gold and keeps producing talent unveiled Phase I of a multi-million dollar renovation.

"A promise made is a promise kept, a promise enhanced is a better promise," said Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.

That promise is what Carvalho said he would deliver to Norland Middle School after two of its students struck Oscar gold.

Twelve and 13-year-olds Alex Hibbert and Jordan Piner were made famous in the Academy Award-winning, Miami-made "Moonlight," and it put the spotlight on Norland Middle.

Thursday, the Superintendent along with other administrators unveiled phase 1 of what was a nearly 9 million dollar voter-approved bond that Carvalho and others helped turn into $14 million dollars worth of renovations that included a new covered space, a new school face but the highlight, a new black box theatre.

"This is the place where dreams begin, this is the new world school of the arts of the middle school level of the North," said Carvalho.

A theatre teacher for over 19 years at the school, Tanisha Cidel is part of the recipe to make prodigy's, she walked the red carpet with the stars she helped create, Piner and Hibbert.

Cidel says after going from practicing in a science lab to the new theatre.

"We can now be in a state of the art facility, imagine how much magic they can make," she said.

This was Phase I of the project and upgrades, there is more to come.

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