When a high school arts program unveils a facility backed by more than $1 million in grants, it signals more than just a new classroom — it marks a commitment to the next generation of creative professionals. That was the scene last spring as the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) cut the ribbon on the John C. Hench Lab, a space designed to train students in the technical crafts behind every performance.
Emery, a senior student artist in LACHSA’s Design and Production program speaking at the ribbon cutting celebration.
Entrance of the John C. Hench Lab, named after Disney Imagineer and Disney Legend, John C. Hench.
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The new design and production lab empowers student artists at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
It is comforting to know that there will always be adults that encourage, fight for, and believe in us, and I am so excited to see how this department will continue to grow.”— Emery, a senior in LACHSA’s Design & Production Program
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, October 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The celebration brought together LACHSA’s administration, student artists, faculty, special guests, and representatives from The John C. Hench Foundation for a ceremonial ribbon cutting of the new lab, situated right next to Caroline’s L.O.F.T., the school’s intimate performance venue. LACHSA, a regional public high school dedicated to the arts, has served student artists across LA County for more than four decades.
The John C. Hench Foundation’s latest investment equips the lab with cutting-edge sound, lighting, and scenic design technology, along with a dedicated classroom for students to refine their craft. The Design and Production program operates as a Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway, blending real-world experience, rigorous instruction, and master class opportunities. Students emerge prepared to enter California’s creative economy — a sector that accounts for one in five creative jobs across the United States. As part of their public school education, these students also supply design and technical support for the school’s 40-plus annual performances, film festivals, and exhibitions. In the program, they design sets, program lighting, build scenery, mix sound, solve problems as a team, and learn how artistic concepts become tangible experiences — building both technical expertise and life skills along the way.
Jonathan Zager, President of the LACHSA Foundation’s Board of Trustees, opened the ceremony by acknowledging the Foundation’s partnership with The John C. Hench Foundation, which has contributed grants totaling more than $1 million since 2017 to advance artistic excellence at the school.
LACHSA’s Principal Dr. Tina Vartanian remarked, “We are grateful for the incredible support of The John C. Hench Foundation. We are so thrilled to see this program grow. I thank all of my faculty for their expertise in nurturing and teaching our students.”
Liz Czypinski, LACHSA’s Technical Director and lead faculty for the program, expressed her appreciation: “What makes this lab so meaningful is that it gives our students access to professional tools, materials, and technology that allow them to imagine bigger, work more confidently, and prepare for careers in California’s creative industries. It also gives them something equally important: a sense that their work matters.” She added, “Many of our students arrive here already creative, but they leave with the ability to communicate, collaborate, lead teams, and think critically under pressure. They learn resilience. They learn craftsmanship. And they learn that behind every performance, exhibition, or production is a community of artists working together to bring ideas to life. The John C. Hench lab represents opportunity. It tells our students that their creativity is worthy of investment and that their futures are worth building.”
Emery, a senior in the Design and Production Program, also shared: “You have not only given us a classroom. You have given us a space where we have laughed, learned, occasionally cried, but most of all, you turned a storage room into my favorite place in the school. In a world that is attacking artists, where young students are often shamed or discouraged from pursuing creativity for something more ‘practical,’ it is comforting to know that there will always be adults that encourage, fight for, and believe in us, and I am so excited to see how this department will continue to grow.”
During the ceremony, LACHSA alumni and Trustees Sam Deetjen and Lisa Henderson, representing The John C. Hench Foundation, received a sculpture of Toto from “The Wizard of Oz” — crafted by freshman student artist Giselle from found and repurposed materials as a token of gratitude. After Deetjen cut the ribbon and welcomed attendees into the John C. Hench Lab, guests toured the new space while student artists demonstrated the equipment and discussed their work on various LACHSA productions.
Henderson spoke about the lab’s namesake and founder of The John C. Hench Foundation: “John C. Hench worked at Disney in the Imagineering Department. He had an amazing career… John was really, really humble.” Deetjen added, “He wanted to give back to the artists that made him and subsequently make other artists, not for his own pride but because he loved it. And coming here, knowing these people, and now being where I’m at, that’s what we want. And I think that’s exactly what John would have wanted as well.” The John C. Hench Foundation, a private foundation established in 1990, has supported arts programs at LACHSA, USC, and CalArts, among others.
The LACHSA Foundation expressed deep appreciation for The John C. Hench Foundation’s partnership and enduring belief in the opportunities LACHSA provides to student artists across LA County. Guests at the ribbon cutting included current parents, teachers, LACHSA Foundation Board of Trustees members, and representatives from Electronic Theatre Controls, Inc., and VOLT, a leading lighting manufacturer.
The LACHSA Foundation has supported arts training and programming at the school for over 40 years, advancing and elevating arts education at LACHSA.
To donate to further advance the LACHSA Foundation’s mission and learn more about the Foundation, visit https://lachsafoundation.org/.
Trena Pitchford
LACHSA Foundation
+1 213-266-5341
Why it matters: This new lab represents more than an upgraded facility — it underscores a growing recognition that behind every production lies a network of skilled designers and technicians whose work deserves investment. By equipping public school students with professional-grade tools, the LACHSA Foundation and The John C. Hench Foundation are helping to ensure the creative economy’s future workforce is trained right here in LA County.
