The La Crosse Community Theatre (LCT) and the School District of La Crosse (SDLAX) partnered in the years following the pandemic to offer students a unique theatre based summer school experience at LCT's Star Academy. Thanks in part to ESSER funding, LCT and SDLAX were able to offer the program to SDLAX students free of cost. ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funding was a federal grant program created to help schools address the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting initiatives for academic recovery, mental health services, and educational equity.