Members of the Arrowhead High School Broadway Company applaud Thursday during a ceremony at the school as USA Weekend honors the theater group for being picked as the publication’s best high school musical.

TOWN OF MERTON - The stage at Arrowhead High School’s North Campus is covered with pirate ships and cannons in preparation for upcoming performances of "Pirates of Penzance," but students were in a feline state of mind again Thursday when representatives from USA Weekend came to present the award for the 2008 best high school musical in the country for its fall 2007 production of "Cats."

After they were presented with a Tiffany trophy and check for $1,000 Thursday afternoon as part of the honor, members of the Arrowhead Broadway Company went inside for some cake and quickly got back to work on "Pirates," set to start Oct. 20. That high level of dedication is exactly why the students were so successful with their production of "Cats," and every other show they put on, said Cathy Pfeiler, co-director of the stage company and the school’s choir program.

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Caley Clinton can be reached at cclinton@conleynet.com