Barbara O’Connor was the principal when I was a student at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA). She began working and planning for about a year before the school’s Santa Ana debut for the 2000-2001 school year. Mrs. O’Connor remained principal for six years after that and held the roles of artistic director and consultant for the OCSA and CSArts-SGV campuses. Interestingly, my most vivid memory of her is from a Faculty Follies show where a group of faculty and staff performed their own original version of the “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago — it was both impressive and hilarious.
Mrs. O’Connor kindly met with me to talk about her OCSA story without any idea of what I’d be asking her. She brought with her a bubbly personality and a fun, spunky energy that made chatting with her very easy. “Okay, what questions do you have for me?” she said.
How did you first hear about OCSA?
Mrs. O’Connor worked at Los Alamitos High School, where OCSA was originally a state-funded, after-school program.“I would get tired of just sitting in my office doing stuff, so I would go out and watch the classes. Just because I loved it,” she said.
Over the years Mrs. O’Connor had become acquainted with Ralph Opacic, Ed.D., the school’s founder, so when he told her that his charter had been approved and he was going to open a school, it didn’t take any convincing for her to jump on board.
“We just had this handshake agreement in the parking lot. That’s how we started,” she said.
Mrs. O’Connor was hired to be the academic principal for OCSA, but later took on artistic director duties as well. Although she admitted it was a great deal of work, she cherishes every moment of her time at the school.
“It was the pinnacle of my career, this was it! We had a charter, we could create, and I had an incredible group of people with me,” she said.
What did you see in the concept of OCSA that made you join the effort?
“I had always wanted to work in a charter school, and this charter was different. It was based on the arts, not changing academics,” Mrs. O’Connor said. She understood the great value in the arts and supported the idea that students have further opportunites to study the arts more in-depth, in addition to their academic classwork. She also confidently admitted that she loves the challenge of starting new things and the excitement of creating a new culture.
Starting something new is never easy and I know there must have been many challenges at OCSA’s start, what kept you dedicated to this effort?
“That’s just my personality. You’re gonna make this work, I don’t know how but you’re gonna make it work. I love challenges. I’m not an artist, but I have a passion for the arts,” she said.
Remaining dedicated to the effort meant constantly tweaking and staying flexible. The only ideas that were set in stone were that faculty and staff needed to make students a priority, treat children with respect, and have a sense of humor.
Mrs. O’Connor was prepared for this role; She had 20 years of experience as a principal behind her and had opened several schools before coming to OCSA. Through her experience and wisdom, she understood the importance of parent involvement, teacher’s creativity, and students making their voices heard. Mrs. O’Connor gave autonomy to parents to create their own organization and encouraged teachers to try new things. She also always allowed students to present problems to her and provided assistance where she could.
What was it like to be OCSA’s principal?
“Wow, it’s very fast-paced,” she said. Being OCSA’s principal helped her to tune into her creative side more than she ever had before. She said she found her inspiration and was able to achieve more than she ever could have at any other school. Spending the time and effort to build a strong foundation for OCSA was a fulfilling and joyful experience for her.
Has OCSA lived up to your expectations from when you first began this journey?
“BEYOND! Way, way, way beyond. I could never work at another school again,” she said. “I couldn’t. Not after this, sorry. No, no it’s too amazing.”
Mrs. O’Connor said she is amazed by how much OCSA has grown since it first moved to Santa Ana. There has been a great deal of development since her time as principal and she expressed excitement for the school’s expansion, achievements, awards, and student successes.
“Can’t you be satisfied with one phenomenal school?” she joked as she acknowledged the addition of OCSA’s sister campus, California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley (CSArts-SGV). Mrs. O’Connor said she has enjoyed watching OCSA and CSArts-SGV’s growth and looks forward to celebrating their future successes.
What would you want current students to know about the school?
Mrs. O’Connor said she is immensely proud of OCSA’s Special Services. She feels that the hands-on and visual learning OCSA provides all students an opportunity to succeed and express themselves in their form of art. Mrs. O'Connor values the culture OCSA students and staff have built over the years. As principal, she often spoke with tearful parents about their children’s transformative experiences after starting their time at OCSA.
“I did not have in-fighting among the kids that I have seen at other schools. I did not have the cliques that were domineering, or the mean girls. And if you got made fun of, someone was going to get on the person who did that,” she said. She expressed that she was impressed with the acceptance, inclusivity and respect that many OCSA students had for one another, even 20 years ago.
Do you think OCSA has been a part of dreams coming true?
Mrs. O’Connor said she knows OCSA has made an impact on the lives of many students, faculty and staff. In her experience, parents and students have been extremely satisfied with the education they received from OCSA. She also said the instructors have been awed by the creativity their students bring to the classroom. “It’s like, when you say ‘I want you to do a book report’ and they end up doing an opera about the book for the report. It’s that kind of thing. This is so far beyond anything [teachers] could ever hope for,” she said.
As we closed the interview and I thanked Mrs. O’Connor for her time, she said she was interested to see what the flashback series would turn out to be. “A lot of people were privileged and grateful,” she said of those who have been able to attend or work for OCSA. “Yes,” I replied, “I am absolutely privileged and grateful.”