STATE OF THE ART

Aaron Wimbley (CV, '23) was invited to join the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society due to his academic achievements.

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.

Jessica Sequeira (ACT, '22) booked a voiceover role for the commercial titled “Mask Up OC,” which features all 30 city mayors from Orange County.

The following students were recognized at the 15th Annual National Youth Arts Awards:

Sophia Del Rey (ACT, '21) won two Best Supporting Performance in a Musical awards for her roles as the Witch in Into the Woods and Tobias’ voice in Sweeney Todd.

Sophia Ruiz (MT, '23) won the award for Lead Performance in the Junior Division for her portrayal of Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins at The Arts & Learning Conservatory.

Marcus Brooks (MT, '23) was nominated for Lead Performance in the Junior Division for his portrayal of Bert in Mary Poppins at The Arts & Learning Conservatory.

Maya Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, '21) performed with Riverdance as a featured guest for the Marie Keating Foundation’s televised Concert4Cancer event. In this virtual performance showcasing dancers from around the world, Maya represented both California and the United States.

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)

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

Sein Yun (IM, '22) wrote a grant to start an OCSA Peer Conflict Mediation program and was awarded $2,500 by the Kids Managing Conflict Education Foundation. Sein has created a peer-to-peer mediation app that will be part of the program. Sein has also been appointed co-facilitator of the Restorative Practices Task Force with OCSA Dean of Special Services Dr. Gregory Endelman as part of OCSA’s Antiracism and Inclusion Coalition.

Katelyn Chan (IM, '21) organized a virtual walk-a-thon fundraiser for the Orange County Food Bank and Community Action Partnership of Orange County. The fundraiser generated over $1,700 to help families devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Katelyn also created an ongoing donation page to raise awareness for Luv Michael, an organization dedicated to employing adults on the autism spectrum.

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

Ryan Reithmeier, Director of the Classical Voice Conservatory, received an Inland Theatre League Award for his work as Vocal Director of the 2019 production of The Music Man at Christian Arts Theater (CAT) Corona.

Orange County School of the Arts was named the #1 Best Charter High School in California by Niche for 2021. Congratulations to the entire OCSA team!

To view all of the school’s 2021 rankings, please visit https://bit.ly/2SUJ4jq

To commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20), her sister Sophia Madrigal (ACT, '22), and their mother, Renda, served as panelists to discuss modern Indigenous issues at a live streamed event hosted by OCSA's Leadership Class and the Building Bridges club. Isabella and Sophia are both members of the Cahuilla Band of Indians and are of Turtle Mountain Chippewa descent.

Hannah Cho (IM, '25) won first prize in the middle school wind division in the East Coast International Music Competition.

Sage Gonzales Lambert (BF, '21) competed in the Latin Mirage Ultimate Soloist Competition and received first place in both the Ballet Folklórico (Sinaloa) and International Samba categories, and second place in the Ballet Folklórico (Campeche) category. She also received a special award for producer's choice and choreography.

Ritika Asher (CCD, '23) was the co-host for the Orange County Justice Fund’s (OCJF) annual fundraiser. OCJF is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to generating support for effective legal representation for the immigrant community, some of the most vulnerable residents in the county.

Fairah Burruss (MT, ‘25) was cast as one of the kid judges on the new Nickelodeon series Unleashed.

Logan Langevin (ACT, '23) was cast in a national tribute commercial for Nike.

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)

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.

Maya Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, '21) received the Young Artists Scholarship from the Laguna Dance Festival. She was also selected to tour with Irish-American dancer, choreographer, and musician Michael Flatley on his upcoming Lord of the Dance tour in Taiwan.

Jacqueline Artinian (BR, '22) and Lucas McCollum-VanHoosear (BR, '22) received the Open Amateur Under 21 Scholarship in the American Smooth category at the Elite Dancesport Competition.

Jacob Ferguson (ACT, '22) was cast as a tap dancer in the short film Human Hearts. The short film was a finalist in the Cinema Touching Disabilities Festival produced by the Salvation Army and was screened at the Awareness Festival in Los Angeles. It was also selected to screen at the Women’s Indie Film Festival in Los Angeles. To view the short film, please click here.

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

Aryan Simhadri (ACT, '24) was cast in a lead role in the upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie Spin, about an Indian American teen who discovers her artistic side through the unique world of DJ culture.

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.

Sophia Madrigal (ACT, '22) wrote a play, titled Wildflower: Indigenous Spirit, that was filmed live and recorded via Zoom with the help of OCSA alumnus Max Rogoff (FTV, '20). Sophia was also selected to speak at the United Nations Girls Speak Out event about her Girl Scout Gold Award project, "Healing Through the Indigenous Art of Storytelling."

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

Christine Choi, Special Services Administrative Assistant and conservatory instructor, was featured in an article by the Orange County Department of Education Newsroom about her recent Arts in Special Education Award recognition at the 2021 Orange County Music and Arts Awards. The Arts in Special Education Award honors an educator who delivers exceptional arts instruction to students with disabilities and fosters inclusion in their school community.

Alex Padilla (PD, ‘18), Production & Design Conservatory Arts Assistant, received the 2021 Outstanding Student Scholarly and Creative Activities Award from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF). The award recognizes excellence in student participation in research or creative activities. Alex was the undergraduate recipient for the CSUF College of the Arts and was selected in light of his sound design for the school’s production of Mozart's Don Giovanni.

Science instructor Christine Karlberg wrote an article titled "Drawing to Learn to Draw Out Science Understanding," which is slated to be published in the July/August issue of the National Science Teaching Association’s Science Scope magazine.

Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D., Founder and Executive Director, and Teren Shaffer, Executive Vice President, were featured in an article by the Los Angeles Times Daily Pilot. The article highlights Dr. Opacic’s recently announced retirement from OCSA and dedication to arts education, in addition to Mr. Shaffer’s appointment to the role.

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.

Dante Basco (MT, ‘93) was featured in an article by San Francisco Chronicle Datebook about his upcoming film, The Fabulous Filipino Brothers.

To view the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3vNn6xK

Michael Repper (IM, ‘08) was one of 15 conductors recognized by The Solti Foundation U.S. and selected as a 2021 recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award.

To read the full press release, please visit https://conta.cc/2RdNJg0

Brielle Lieberman (CMD, ‘26) and Brooklyn Lieberman (CMD, ‘26) participated in the Moderna trial for the COVID-19 vaccine and were featured in an article from Healthline.

To view the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3pae1fG

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.

Caitlin Cheung (ACT, ‘21) was cast in a lead role in the short film Sorry for the Inconvenience, directed by Jane Chow. The film was nominated for the Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award and was selected to play at the Austin Asian American Film Festival and Girls in Film.

To watch the full short film, please visit https://bit.ly/2S0zfR7

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.

Truanne Chen (IM, ‘24) was selected to play violin for the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) 2021 High School Honor Orchestra. She also won fourth prize in the string category at the 2021 Music Scholarship Competition and received the Dozen Trust Fund Scholarship Award from the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Los Angeles County Branch.

Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) received first place for the State of California at the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) San Diego Branch VOCE Competition. She also received first place in both the Classical and Musical Theater categories for ages 17-18 at the Vocal Organization of California VO-CAL Competition 2021.

Saira Arora (IM, ‘22) was accepted into the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS), a highly competitive four-week STEM-based research program.

To read more about COSMOS, please visit https://bit.ly/3yWCutg

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

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

Violet Adams (VA, ‘24) was accepted to the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) for Visual Arts.

The following members of the OCSA Debate Team placed at the High School Public Debate Program Bi-Coastal Championships.

Team Awards:
4th Overall - Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21), Melanie Kallah (IA, ‘21), and Isabel Lyons (IA, ‘22)

Individual Speaker Awards:
1st Place - Melanie Kallah (IA, ‘21), Debate Team President
6th Place - Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21)
8th Place - Isabel Lyons (IA, ‘22)
12th Place - Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)

Best Overall School:
3rd Place - Orange County School of the Arts

Sidney Muntean (CW, ‘22) was accepted into the Summer Workshop for Young Writers at the Kelly Writers House through the University of Pennsylvania.

Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) was one of only 15 oboists chosen from an international applicant pool to participate in the 2021 Juilliard Summer Winds program.

Bridget Phillips (MT, ‘22) and Jacki Vellandi (ACT, ‘22), both members of OCSA Thespian Troupe 6826, were selected to receive the highest award for playwriting by the International Thespian Society for their respective plays, Oakland and Reverie. They will work virtually with an experienced director and professional playwright to workshop their plays, which will be presented as staged readings during the International Thespian Festival in June.

Ava Tello (ACT, ‘24) was accepted into the UCLA Camera Acting Summer Institute, a virtual two-week, UC credit-bearing, intensive program that encompasses voice, scene study, storytelling, and on-camera acting training classes.

Sisters Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23) and Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25) were awarded first place in the national RoundPier Student Playwriting Contest for their screenplay, titled Soft Landing.

Alyssa Abiera (ACT, ‘26) was cast as the voice of Young Li Na in the upcoming Sony Pictures Animation film "Wish Dragon", which will be released on Netflix.

Cat Bui (CW, ‘22) was accepted into the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio Summer High School Writing Program.

The following students, as a part of the Orange County-based and internationally renowned All-American Boys Chorus, were selected to compete in the upcoming season of America's Got Talent.

Zaid Salazar (CV, ‘26)
Colin Savage (CV, ‘27)
Reid Winners (CV, ‘26)
Garrett Wirth (CV, ‘25)
Paxton Wong (CV, ‘25)
William Yu (CV, ‘26)

The following students received Gold or Silver National Awards in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Gold National Awards:
Joyce Lee (VA, ‘21) - Drawing & Illustration, Nature's Unification
London San Luis (DM, ‘23) - Painting, Ocularity
Amy Wang (VA, ‘23) - Painting, Pajamas
Ally Wong (CW, ‘23) - Poetry, Springrolls

Silver National Awards:
Joyce Hong (VA, ‘22) - Drawing & Illustration, Recurrection
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22) - Painting, Complexities of Skin UnderTones (Sequel)
Ashley Thornton (CW, ‘23) - Poetry, Catallena
Suofei Wang (VA, ‘21) - Drawing & Illustration, Tea Set
Ally Wong (CW, ‘23) - Poetry, On Lunar New Year; Short Story, Gutted
Kevin Yang (VA, ‘24) - Drawing & Illustration, The Upside Down World

Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22), Catherine Johnston (CV, ‘21), and Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) performed in The Music Center’s 33rd Annual Spotlight Grand Finale, a virtual presentation featuring the 14 Spotlight Finalists and hosted by Josh Groban. Out of a pool of more than 1,500 applicants, Emmy advanced to become the Grand Prize Finalist in the Dance category, while Catherine and Ava advanced to become Grand Prize Finalists in the Classical Voice category.

To view the virtual performance, please visit https://bit.ly/3uFnRHM

Jim Kolb, who retired last year after serving as OCSA’s Commercial Dance Director for more than 30 years, received the 2020 Teacher of the Year Award from the Arts Schools Network. As director, Mr. Kolb reshaped the Commercial Dance Conservatory to include a well-rounded curriculum with instruction in all aspects of the industry, including tap, lyrical, hip hop, musical theatre, and other styles.

Matthew Morrison (MT, '97) was cast in an upcoming production of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical on NBC that will be performed and filmed at the Troubadour Theatre in London.

To read more about this production, please visit https://bit.ly/3hWGXGm

Maya Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, '21) received the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

Mia Soumbasakis (CW, '22) had an article published in the New Santa Ana, titled “Who is protecting the people in Santa Ana from toxins in our water and soil?”

To read her article, please visit https://bit.ly/3yDLBiJ