STATE OF THE ART

Violet Adams (VA, ‘24) received an honorable mention for her watercolor painting in the U.S. House of Representatives 2021 Congressional Art Competition. U.S. Representative Young Kim, representing California’s 39th District, presented the award.

Regan Mading's (IA, ‘23) piece "The Lack of Education Regarding Epinephrine Is Nuts" received an honorable mention in The New York Times eighth annual Student Editorial Contest. It was one of 52 essays chosen from more than 11,000 entries.

Sein Yun (IM, ‘22) was selected to participate in a month-long residency in New York City as a violinist for the Carnegie Hall National Youth Orchestra. Sein is among more than 200 artists who have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as the finest young musicians in the country, following a comprehensive and highly selective audition process.

The following students, as a part of the Free To Be Me Studio Performance Arts Academy Dynamix Competition Team, auditioned and were selected to represent Team USA at the World Championships of Performing Arts 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They will compete against 61 other countries at the worldwide competition next fall. Several of the numbers the troupe auditioned with were musically directed and arranged by OCSA faculty member Jamond McCoy. To read more about their journey, please visit https://bit.ly/3w2ZGEc

Cynthia Allen (IA, ‘25)
Lillie Atkins (IA, ‘25)
India Dawson (PM, ‘25)
Gwendalyn Heredia (IA, ‘26)
Angelina Kidder (MT, ‘26)
Hailey Knowles (IA, ‘25)
Sofia Naccarato (IA, ‘23)
Vinnie Naccarato (PM, ‘25)
Kaylee Nagata (IA, ‘26)
Simone Ponsford (IA, ‘26)
Chloe Reyes (IA, ‘27)
Zachary Sadeghian (IA, ‘26)
Delilah Summers (IA, ‘25)

The OCSA Science Olympiad High School Team (Division C) competed in the Southern California State competition. The team earned the following awards:

2nd Place
Codebusters: Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23), and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ’24)

5th Place
Amazing Mechatronics: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) and Isabelle Tran (VA, ‘22)
Experimental and Data Analysis: Katherine Given (ACT, ’24), Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23), and Samantha Su (VA, ‘21)
Helicopters: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)

Justice Smith (MT, ‘13) was featured in an article by The New York Times and was also a featured guest on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE.

To view his segment on the show, please visit https://bit.ly/2RwFlIk.

Juliet Garbacz (MT, ‘25) received a scholarship to train at The School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, in their five-week summer intensive.

Mackenzie Wrape (MT, ‘22) was accepted to the MPulse Musical Theatre Workshop at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance for summer 2021.

The OCSA Science Olympiad Division C (High School) Team competed in the Golden Gate Invitational. Out of 151 teams from across the nation, Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23) earned a 10th place medal in Codebusters.

Other competitors included Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24), Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23), Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24), Grant Li (CW, ‘23), Sara Shimabukuro (IM, ‘21), Samantha Su (VA, ‘21), Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24), Allison Wong (CW, ‘23), Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24), and Erica Yang (IA, ‘21).

Aaron Wimbley (CV, ‘23) was nominated and accepted into the SoCal Youth Neuroscience Association (SCYNA) through the UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. SCYNA allows students to connect with experts in the field through events, competitions, and discussions.

Gaby Mikhail (CW, ‘21), Christina Miles (CW, ‘21), Alena Nguyen (CW, ‘21), and Kaitlyn Vu (CW, ‘21) launched the Teen Writing Masterclass with the Huntington Beach Library. This site for teens provides a variety of resources, including tutorials with topics such as "The Fundamentals of Storytelling," writing prompts, and a submission opportunity to receive feedback and be considered for publication. To view the full site, please visit http://bit.ly/3bQzS6S

Summer Zamiska (ACT, ‘21) founded A Case For Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, in honor of her grandmother who passed away from Alzheimer's disease. Summer and her OCSA team make and donate handmade pillowcases locally and globally for foster children and orphans to keep with them as they move from home to home. Her team works with Olive Crest Foster Care, Covenant House Homeless Shelter, Laura’s House Domestic Violence Center, OC 4 Kids Social Services Agency, The Rose Again Foundation Foster Agency, and Evolution Haiti. For more information, check out the website here http://bit.ly/2Q213Db

Jonathan Truong (CW, ‘21) was named a runner-up in the fiction category in the annual Claudia Ann Seaman Awards for Young Writers, sponsored by Polyphony Lit, for his piece titled Newspaper Planes.

Adam Suh (CV, ‘24) created YouTube videos to share with Sunrise Senior Center and other virtual audiences as a part of the California Children's Choir (CCC). The choir wrote and virtually performed a song titled "Why We Sing." To see the full performance, please visit https://bit.ly/3rGOL12

Emma Ward (IM, ‘22) was named 1st Place Alternate in the Senior Division of the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) San Diego Branch VOCE Competition, playing the Liebermann Concerto for Piccolo.

Katherine Wong (IM, ‘21) was selected as a regional finalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program in recognition of her leadership, service, and academics, as well as her efforts to positively affect others in her community. From the 251 regional finalists across the country, 150 winners will be selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and to join a network of more than 6,000 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

OCSA academic teacher Stacie Cruz was selected by the Orange County Department of Education to advance as the charter school nominee in the 2022 Orange County Teachers of the Year program, which provides recognition for outstanding teachers in Orange County.

Oliver Price (IM, '16) released a music video for his song, titled “This Way.”
To view the video, please visit https://bit.ly/3eyVRRu

Monica Magana (VA, '11) served as a senior designer on the Netflix series Go, Dog. Go!
To view the trailer, please visit https://bit.ly/3qDdLF3

The OCSA Science Olympiad Division C (High School) Team competed against 70 teams from across the nation at both the Aggie Invitational, where they earned first place overall, and at the Yosemite Invitational, where they earned 10th place overall. The team also participated in the Miraloma Invitational. The students received the following awards:

Aggie Invitational:

1st Place
Circuit Lab: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24) and Joshua Qin (BR, '23)
Codebusters: Anjal Jain (CV, '22), Joshua Qin (BR, '23), and Jeffrey Yang (CV, '24)
Solar Power: Hannah Kang (VA, '22) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)

3rd Place
Sounds of Music: Vivian Chen (IM, '23) and Erica Yang (IA, '21)
Forensics: Anjal Jain (CV, '22) and Samantha Su (VA, '21)

4th Place
Dynamic Planet: Jeffrey Yang (CV, '24) and Jiin Yun (IM, '24)
Machines: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24) and Joshua Qin (BR, '23)

5th Place
Designer Genes: Grant Li (CW, '23) and Sara Shimabukuro (IM, '21)

Other competitors included Sameer Bajaj (ACT, '24), Kacy Chung (VA, '23), Katherine Given (ACT, '24), Tane Kim (IM, '24), Amy Lee (IM, '23), and Allison Wong (CW, '23).

Yosemite Invitational:

2nd Place
Helicopters: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, '24) and Vivian Chen (IM, '23)

3rd Place
Codebusters: Kacy Chung (VA, '23), Anjal Jain (CV, '22), and Em Wei-Ten (PM, '23)

4th Place
Circuit Lab: Joshua Qin (BR, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)
Digital Structures: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, '24) and Anjal Jain (CV, '22)
Disease Detectives: Samantha Su (VA, '21) and Allison Wong (CW, '23)
Gravity Vehicle Design: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, '24) and Joshua Qin (BR, '23)

5th Place
Sounds of Music: Vivian Chen (IM, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)

6th Place
Experimental and Data Analysis: Samantha Su (VA, '21), Joshua Qin (BR, '23), and Kacy Chung (VA, '23)
Designer Genes: Caleb Empig (IM, '23) and Kacy Chung (VA, '23)

Other competitors included Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, '22), Lauren Chudner (VA, '23), Katherine Given (ACT, '24), Antara Kalle (CW, '23), Hannah Kang (VA, '22), Tane Kim (IM, '24), Amy Lee (IM, '23), Grant Li (CW, '23), Hyunjin Park (VA, '23), Haley Shimabukuro (IM, '24), Sara Shimabukuro (IM, '21), Isabelle Tran (VA, '22), Rachel Vu (IM, '24), Erica Yang (IA, '21), Jeffrey Yang (CV, '24), and Jiin Yun (IM, '24).

Miraloma Invitational:

1st Place
Environmental Chemistry: Kacy Chung (VA, '23) and Amy Lee (IM, '23)

4th Place
Detector Building: Vivian Chen (IM, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)

Jared Weissberg (IM, '22) won first place at the Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition and was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Alexis Song (CV, '21), Max Song (CV, '23), Henry Chung (CV, '26), and James Yi (CW, '24), as a part of the California Children's Choir (CCC), made YouTube videos to share with Sunrise Senior Center and other virtual audiences. They created and virtually performed a song titled "Why We Sing."
To see the full performance, please visit https://bit.ly/3rGOL12

Claire Karr (VA, '23) was selected to attend the National Student Leadership Conference on Psychology & Neuroscience at American University this summer.

Gavin Lacanlale (IM, '23) performed in a music video for the virtual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Gavin played guitar, as well as the indigenous gongs of the southern Philippines, with the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble.
To see a recording of the festival, including the performance, please visit https://bit.ly/38QRGNx

Landon Wouters (MT, '22) was recognized as a finalist in the Los Angeles Regional Center Theatre Group's August Wilson Monologue Competition.

Nazaneen Colton (ACT, '23) and Isaac Sohn (IM, '25) both competed in the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) Branch Theme Festival. Nazaneen received the gold medal in piano and Isaac earned first place in Division 7B and progressed to the Winners' Competition.

Isaac also competed in the Great Composers Competition and received first prize in Age Group III of the Best Beethoven Performance category.

Orange County School of the Arts was featured in an article by BroadwayWorld for its many successful virtual productions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To read the full article, please visit http://bit.ly/2NmSqCj

Nicole Berger, Director of the Commercial Dance Conservatory, choreographed for NBC’s Rutherford Falls starring Ed Helms.

Michele Lu (PM, '21) was nominated by the YoungArts Foundation to become a 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, honoring artistic and academic excellence. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will ultimately choose 20 of the 60 nominees to be recognized for their academic and artistic accomplishments, leadership, community outreach, and overall creativity.

Cassandra Hsiao (CW, '17) premiered her new play, titled Schrodinger High, and a live Zoom talkback with cast and crew. The play is a unique cross-college and cross-country theatrical collaboration made possible by the Yale Dramat BIPOC Theatermakers grant and presented in partnership with the Claremont Colleges Green Room.

OCSA academic teachers Stacie Cruz and Terri Secrist were selected to represent OCSA in this year’s Charter School Teacher of the Year Program, in which one charter school nominee will be selected to advance to the Orange County Teachers of the Year Program for consideration as a county finalist.

Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, '22) started a nonprofit organization, titled 4 the Border, that packages nutritious food for the homeless along the United States-Mexico border. Over Thanksgiving Break, the organization reached and fed more than 400 people.

To read more about 4 the Border, please visit http://bit.ly/3s9sGZ0

The following Classical Voice Conservatory students performed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Student Evaluation Program and Competition. They participated through the Los Angeles chapter, which received a record number of 247 submissions. The winners participated in a virtual recital. The students received the following awards:

Classical:

6th-8th Youth (Group 1)
Third Place - Henry Courtney (CV, '26)
Honorable Mention - Aaron Wimbley (CV, '23)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 1)
Second Place - Aashna Rana (CV, '23)
Third Place - Mia Baron (CV, '23)

9th-10th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place - Alexander Jeon (CV, '23)
Second Place - Sebastian Nunez (CV, '24)
Third Place - Jeffrey Yang (CV, '24)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 1)
Honorable Mention - Angeline Xu (CV, '21)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 3)
First Place - Ava Kuntz (CV, '21)
Second Place - Catherine Johnston (CV, '21)
Honorable Mention - Elissa Matthew (CV, '21) and Isabella Szabo (CV, '21)

11th-12th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
Third Place - Garrett Wilmoth (CV, '21)
Honorable Mention - Lukas Wozencraft (CV, '22)

Hall Johnson Spiritual:

Second Place - Aaron Wimbley (CV, '23)

Musical Theatre:

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 2)
Third Place - Mia Baron (CV, '23) and Jaidyn Portanova (CV, '23)

9th-10th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place - Alexander Jeon (CV, '23)

11th-12th Grade (Group 3)
First Place - Ava Kuntz (CV, '21)
Honorable Mention - Catherine Johnston (CV, '21)

Pedro Pascal (MT, '93) was featured in a Los Angeles Times article about the top Latino media moments of 2020 and what to expect in 2021.

To read the full article, please visit http://lat.ms/2ZwiXj1

Adrienne Dunworth (IA, '22), Lauren Kimball (VA, '24), Adela Mellon (CV, '24), and Luke Witting (IA, ‘23), as members of the Color of Sound band, performed a three-hour pop and rock setlist outdoors for the public to support and promote small businesses in Southern Orange County during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To learn more about Color of Sound, please visit http://bit.ly/3k2gOVQ

Shirley Napoleone's (CW, '19) short film was selected for Cornish College of the Arts Film Department's Fall 2020 Showcase.

Wilson Mizell (MT, '22) won the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post-Level Voices of Democracy Speech Contest. He advanced to the district level, where he will compete for advancement to the state and national levels.

Estella Sky Keyoung (IA, '25) received first place in the Youth Musical Theatre category in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Student Evaluation Program and Competition. She participated through the Los Angeles chapter, which received a record number of 247 submissions, and was selected to participate in a virtual recital.

Classical Voice Conservatory faculty members Dr. Ryan Reithmeier, Heather Reithmeier, and Robert Norman were featured on a new world-premiere recording of Walter Jurmann's "Windy City," released by the Operetta Foundation in their “Musicals Lost & Found” series.

Joe DiFiore (IM, '11) released his debut jazz saxophone album, "Out of the Woods," which is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Golden Bachelder (ACT, '19) and Noah Connor (ACT, '19) produced an online film festival called Razzmatazz, featuring original sketches, short films, one-acts, music, magic, and more. With assistance from other current OCSA students and alumni, as well as Acting Conservatory instructors Bodie Newcomb and Tess Lina, Razzmatazz combined talents from New York University, UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and OCSA.

The following current students and alumni were involved with the festival:

Nick Charles Currie (ACT, '19)
Chris Drake (ACT, '19)
Elliott Dynes (FTV, '19)
Reese Gonzalez (ACT, '18)
Julia Jachetta (ACT, '22)
Ryan Jachetta (FTV, '19)
Logan Langevin (ACT, '23)
Alexandra Levine (ACT, '19)
Krish Marwah (ACT, '23)
Jack Robertson (ACT, '21)
Noah Strattan (ACT, '20)
James Slaybaugh (ACT, '21)

Kaitlyn Chu (VA, '17) wrote a children's book titled Smiling from "Ear to Ear," which explains mask wearing to children. She was featured in this article by CBS LA.

Natasha Mynhier (CMD, '11) released a film titled "In A Beat." The film features the underrepresented lens of a Black autistic boy on his first night home alone.

To watch the trailer, please visit https://bit.ly/3wV4YSA

Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20) received the 2020 Marion Mitchell-Wilson Heart of Inlandia Award for her outstanding literary and cultural contribution to the Inland Empire.

To read more about this award, please visit https://bit.ly/34P3Xzu

Over the summer, the following students were honored by the Orange County Register as winners and finalists for the 2020 Artist of the Year.

Computer-Assisted Visual Arts
Mira Hirabayashi (VA, '20): Computer Drawing and Painting Finalist

Dance
Lilah Dee Horton (CMD, '21): Dance Artist of the Year & Commercial Dance Finalist
Kaprice Janae Glen (CCD, '20): Concert Dance Finalist
Maya Alvarez Coyne (CMD, '21): World/Cultural Dance Finalist

Film/Animation
Maggie McKelvey (FTV, '20): Animation and Visual Effects Finalist

Theater
Christina Tinde Jesenski (ACT, '20): Theater Artist of the Year & Acting Finalist

Vocal Music
Catherine Johnston (CV, '21): Classical Voice Finalist

Savannah Tweedt (IM, '24) was awarded the School of Rock Scholarship at the 2020 Hit Like A Girl drumming contest.

Genesis Maciel (MT, '23) was cast in a commercial for an Orange County Health Department public service announcement regarding Orange County youth opioid awareness.

Zach Hoffman (ACT, '22) was cast in the lead role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in an outdoor, COVID-19 friendly production of Jekyll & Hyde with Braver Players Musical Theater Foundation.

Zach Willis (MT, '25) booked a guest starring role on Disney Channel's "Bunk'd."

Aaron Padilla (IM, '21) recently released his EP titled "Stargazing."

McKayla Frances Mercado (BF, '22) was promoted to company dancer with LA’s premier folk ballet company Grandeza Mexicana Folk Ballet Company. McKayla was also selected to be part of the Dia de Muertos: Al Chile Tour with Grammy Award winner Lila Downs.

Emma Madison Lakes Kay (ACT, '23) was accepted to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's 2020 Summer Songwriting Intensive.

Ashlye Gambill (MT, '23) was cast in the Walt Disney Pictures film "Artemis Fowl," directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Sophia Madrigal (ACT, '22) founded the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit in honor of her father, Luke Madrigal, who spent his life promoting works that revitalized Indigenous culture, brought youth together with adults, and involved sharing the arts together. In an article, Sophia, her sister, Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20), and their mother, Renda, shared their journey of bringing awareness to the healing powers of traditional storytelling.

To read the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3vRBhBG

Alexander Perazzo (MT, '21) was selected as a delegate for the 2020 American Legion California Boys State.

The Musical Theatre Conservatory’s fall production of the musical Quilters was featured in a story by Dramatics magazine that covers the production and how it became one of the 11 shows to receive main stage recognition at the 2020 International Thespian Festival (ITF). The show, originally selected for main stage presentation at ITF in Indiana, was live streamed to registered participants of the virtual festival. To read the full article, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRrjeb

The following students and alumni were featured in the interview:

Juliette Boland (MT, '20)
Peyton Kirkner (MT, '23)
Grace Osier (MT, '22)
Makenna Olsen (MT, '22)
Charlee Rubino (MT, '21)
Zoe Seare (MT, '21)

With her passion for arts as activism and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Nena Oshita (ACT, '22) and her fellow OCSA students and alumni created a video titled "Enough is Enough."

To view the full video, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRkU2v

Acting Conservatory Instructor Lyndell Higgins directed a short film called Still Untitled. The film was written by and starred her 8th grade students from last year. The short film was also selected for the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival this year.

Stephanie Dorian, Assistant Director of the Acting Conservatory, has been named a 2020 Woman of Distinction by Senator Tom Umberg and the 34th California Senate District. This award honors outstanding women who exemplify ethical leadership and a commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

OCSA was among four charter schools selected statewide to be recognized as a Charter School of Excellence in Special Education by the El Dorado Charter Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).