STATE OF THE ART

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

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

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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

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.

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

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).

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)

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)

Artwork by Joyce Lee (VA, ‘21) and Ciel Mitrovich (VA, ‘24) was featured in an article by the Orange County Register, which focuses on how students have expressed themselves artistically during the pandemic.

To view the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3wPAtO0

Mia Willardson's (CW, ‘24) original poem, “Evenings With Yours Truly," was accepted for publication in the online magazine Words and Whispers.

Lisa Ordonez (IA, ‘23) was accepted to participate in the Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry course through the Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes program.

Mia Soumbasakis (CW, ‘22) was awarded the Lion’s Heart Think of Others Before Yourself (TOBY) Award in honor of a variety of projects, including teaching creative writing to young students, making jewelry for foster children, and helping with food and clothing drives. The TOBY Award is a community service award given to an outstanding Lion’s Heart volunteer who has gone above and beyond in their community.

Cassandra Hasio (CW, ‘17) and Soorim Lee (FTV, ‘17) created and launched a limited six-episode radio dramedy series podcast, titled Slam!, about a high school poetry team inspired by their time at OCSA. Please click here to listen.

Annika Petras (IA, '25) was selected to serve as a Kid Reporter for Scholastic Kids Press. Annika is one of 45 student journalists representing 21 U.S. states and more than 10 countries around the world. In her fourth year reporting for Scholastic Kids Press, she has covered the election, the pandemic, earthquakes, and the entertainment industry.

To read more about her story, please visit https://prn.to/3wWL6i1

Avery Mizrahi (IA, '24) was accepted into the SoCal Youth Neuroscience Association (SCYNA) through UC Irvine's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. SCYNA allows students to connect with experts in the field through events, competitions, and discussions. Avery was also selected to share her passion for neuroscience with SCYNA's elementary school outreach program.

Dana Worrell (IA, '21) booked a role as a dancer in Jadah Marie's latest music video, titled "Staycation."

Sona Kamaraj (VA, '24) received a high merit award in the Celebrating Art contest for her art submission, titled “Last Fall.” Her artwork was in the top 10% of entries received from across the nation.

OCSA's Science Olympiad High School Team earned 19th place overall out of 203 teams at the virtual BEARSO Invitational. Twelve team members earned medals in 10 of the 23 events. Joshua Qin (BR, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24) both earned medals in all of their events. The following students competed and received awards for their projects:

2nd place:
Codebusters: Lauren Chudner (VA, '23), Anjal Jain (CV, '22), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)

7th place:
Gravity Vehicle Design: Joshua Qin (BR, '23) and Alexandra Valainis (VA, '21)

8th place:
Ornithology: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, '22) and Caleb Empig (IM, '23)

11th place:
Experimental Design: Joshua Qin (BR, '23), Samantha Su (VA, '21), and Alexandra Valainis (VA, '21)

13th place:
Helicopter: Vivian Chen (IM, '23) and Isabelle Tran (VA, '22)

14th place:
Digital Structures: Lauren Chudner (VA, '23) and Anjal Jain (CV, '22)

15th place:
Sounds of Music: Vivian Chen (IM, '23) and Erica Yang (IA, '21)

16th place:
Circuit Lab: Joshua Qin (BR, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)
Water Quality: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, '22) and Sara Shimabukuro (IM, '21)

17th place:
Machines: Joshua Qin (BR, '23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, '24)

Other competitors: Aleks Cornforth (CMD, '21) and Allison Wong (CW, '23)

Visual Arts Conservatory Instructor Brooke Hunter was included in Southwest Art Magazine's 21 Under 31: Young Artists to Watch in 2020.

To view the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3uLlJOs

Catalina Marin (IA, '21) and Eileen Shank (IA, '21) founded the Unidos Together Cultural Exchange Program to connect kids in Orange County with kids in Mexico through art, language, and technology. They led bilingual writing activities via Skype with the San Juan Capistrano and Rosarito Beach Boys & Girls Clubs. They also visited Rosarito, Mexico to connect in person and fundraised on their website to help bring electricity to the Rosarito Beach Boys & Girls Club.

To learn more about the program, please visit https://bit.ly/3uK5NMG

The following students participated as mentors in Musical Theater Matters, a community program with Segerstrom Center for the Arts that engages and supports children with special needs through musical theater.

Nikka Coetzee (IA, '23)
Sophia Gaba (MT, '23)
Ana Sofia Gomez Garza (MT, '25)
Mia Guillen (IA, '23)
Jonah Lee (MT, '23)
Phe McCullough (MT, '24)
Lauren Mei (ACT, '23)
Lisa Ordonez (IA, '23)
Hannah Osier (IA, '24)

Rachel Presby (IA, '22) earned the National American Miss California Jr. Teen title after being evaluated for her volunteer work, performance in interviews, poise, and overall presentation. She was invited to represent California at the National Pageant later this year.

Michael Relth (VA, '04) wrote a children’s book titled Picture Book by a Dog, which tells the story of a dog’s journey to find his forever family.

For more information about the book, please visit https://bit.ly/3cfeOXl

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

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.

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.

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.

James Yi (CW, ‘24) was offered a Scholastic Awards Summer (SAS) Scholarship to attend Writopia Lab’s Full-Day Camp.

The following students were awarded overall superior ratings in the 2021 State and International Thespian Festivals.

International Competition:
Acting Monologue
Jacki Vellandi (ACT, ‘22)

Playwriting
Bridget Phillips (MT, ‘22)

Solo Musical
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)

State Competition:
Acting Duet
Hope Lee (ACT, ‘26) and Alexandra Sprague (ACT, ‘26)

Group Musical
Ana Sofia Gomez Garza (MT, ‘25)
Shayla Knihtila (ACT, ‘26)
Lana Lee (IA, ‘26)
Hope Lee (ACT, ‘26)
Hailey Perng (ACT, ‘26)
Alexandra Sprague (ACT, ‘26)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)

Monologue
Bridget Phillips (MT, ‘22)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)
Jacki Vellandi (ACT, ‘22)

Musical Solo
Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Shayla Knihtila (ACT, ‘26)
Jacki Vellandi (ACT, ‘22)

Zoe Hebbard (IA, ‘21) performed the lead role of Eva in South Coast Repertory's production of the play "Snow Angel."

Elsa Chang (VA, ‘06) participated in a Comic-Con@Home panel for her work on “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” and the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. To view the full panel, please visit: https://bit.ly/3gwDwVB

Zoe McCuen (DM, ‘19) illustrated the book Kid and the Magic Orb, which is now available on Amazon. Zoe was also featured in an article on the CalArts blog. To read the article, visit: https://bit.ly/3jfnYag

Caitlyn Mason's (CW, ‘23) original play, Fluent Love, placed in the top eight entries in the Kennedy Center's Annual VSA Playwright Discovery Award Competition. The awards highlight the experiences of students with disabilities.

Andy Choi's (CW, ‘22) debut novel, "Slow Hot," has been published by Schism Press. Set in a near-distant, near-dystopian world where everyone has alphanumeric names and chip implants are commonplace, "Slow Hot" explores the main character’s journey through an over-commercialized world and their longing to connect with a Korea of the past.

The following Film & Television Conservatory students and alumni were selected to screen their films at this year’s All-American High School Film Festival in New York City.

Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – “By Your Side”, “Pho”
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – “Dreams of Ambivalence”
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22) – “Magdalena”
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21) – “Run Away”
Ava Gaskins (FTV, ‘22) – “Ours to Yours”, “The Corpse in the Mirror”
Kenneth Ha (FTV, ‘25) – “A Quiet Game”
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22) – “Dobu”
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) – “Tess and Dodi”
Nolan Hieu Trifunovic (FTV, ‘21) – “The Other”, “Know Better”
Elinor Weber (FTV, ‘21) – “The Omega”

Joy Baik’s (VA, ‘19) illustration work was published in the book "In All of Your Days Have You Seen the Ways an Animal Plays an Instrument?" by Lisa Baker.

The following students participated in the short film “Musical Theater Camp 3” produced by Braver Players Musical Theater Foundation.


Sadie Braverman (ACT, ‘23)
Colin Daniels (ACT, ‘22)
Mya Gonzales (ACT, ‘23)
Zach Hoffman (ACT, ‘22)
Jack Ireland (ACT, ‘25)
Chase Johnson (ACT, ‘26)
Caleb Malis (IA, ‘23)
Madeline Rosenberg (ACT, ‘26)
Leilani Steiner (ACT, ‘25)

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) has been ranked by Niche as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the third year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America for 2022! We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make OCSA an exceptional institution. To view all rankings for OCSA, please visit: https://bit.ly/3D8R02u

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, has been named the 2021 Woman of the Year by Congressman Lou Correa and the 46th California Congressional District. This award honors outstanding women who exemplify ethical leadership and a commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

Josh Wood, Director of the Creative Writing Conservatory, had his flash science fiction story, "Space & Aces," published in the online magazine 365 Tomorrows.

Sonali Dhanidina (IA, ‘25) was chosen to perform her spoken word piece “Silent Colors” at Breaking Bias, the annual spotlight event for NewGround, which empowers Jewish and Muslim change-makers with the skills, resources, and relationships needed to improve Muslim-Jewish relations and strengthen cooperation on issues of shared concern.

Creative Writing Instructor Tira Palmquist's newest play, "King Margaret," had an online reading with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Dahlia Sarmiento (CW, ‘24) was unanimously appointed to the City of Santa Ana Youth Commission by the Santa Ana City Council.

Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24) received the Judge’s Distinction Award in Category III (ages 13-15) of the Satori Strings Grand Prize Contest.

Ava Gwendolyn Richards (CW, ‘25) published a book, titled "Training Wheels," now available on Amazon.

The following students received the top score of 5 on their Advanced Placement (AP) exams. They were also among an elite group of students in the world to earn a perfect score on an AP exam.

Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21) - English Literature & Composition, United States Government & Politics
Hadley Miller (MT, ‘22) - Research
Yaira Spitzer-Tilchin (MT, ‘22) - Research
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) - Chinese Language and Culture

Elinor (Ellie) Weber (FTV, ‘21) and her short film, "The Omega," were nominated for five awards at the 2021 All American High School Film Festival in New York. The film was nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Drama, and Best Direction. Ellie was nominated for Female Rising Star.

The OCSA VEX Robotics Team competed in their first-ever tournament at the VEX OC Robo Bonanza, hosted by Beckman High School, and received the Judge’s Award. The following students participated in the tournament:

Sumin Cho (IM, ‘24)
Vivienne Ho (IA, ‘22)
Justin Hong (IM, ‘24)
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘23)
Kara Syn (IM, ‘23)
Jeffrey Tadeo (IA, ‘21)
Ryan Yoo (CAH, ‘24)

Emma Grier (IA, ‘22) received a perfect score of 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition exam.

Teren Shaffer, President and CEO of Orange County School of the Arts, was voted to serve as 1st Vice President of Arts School Network (ASN) for a two-year term. As the 1st Vice President, he will support the annual conference and assist in the program management of various ASN objectives.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2021 national rankings for Best Elementary and Middle Schools, and Orange County School of the Arts was named the No. 3 Best Charter Middle School in the State of California. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3rnvyEv

The following students were selected as regional semi-finalists in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program in recognition of their leadership, service, and academics, as well as their efforts to positively affect others in their community. 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.

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22)
Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, ‘22)
Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22)
Hannah Zhao (IM, ‘22)
Eric Zhu (FTV, ‘22)

Ryan Jachetta (FTV, ‘19) released his first album, titled "meudon drive," under the name 2 The Sun.

Dylan Panetta (IA, ‘25) and Ava Grace Recana (MT, ‘26) were cast in and performed the main roles of Miss Honey and Matilda respectively in Arts & Learning Conservatory’s production of "Matilda the Musical."