STATE OF THE ART

The following students were recognized as 2022 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. All YoungArts award winners at all levels receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000. All YoungArts Finalists were also invited to participate in National YoungArts Week+, which features virtual classes and performances, workshops, mentorship opportunities, and an exhibition for the public.

Finalists:
Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) – Dance (Modern/Contemporary)
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – Film
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22) – Film
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23) – Design Arts
Lauren Mei (ACT, ‘23) – Theater
Kailyn Yi (CMD, ‘22) – Dance (Modern/Contemporary)

Honorable Mentions:
Andy Choi (CW, ‘22) – Writing (Play or Script)
Johann Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – Film
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Violoncello)
Wyatt Layton (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Creative Nonfiction)

Merit:
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Flute)
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) – Voice (Classical)
Mia Lopez (BF, ‘23) – Dance (World Dance Forms: Mexican Folkloric)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23) – Visual Arts
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Creative Nonfiction)
Aidan Meixner (MT, ‘22) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Popular: Pop)
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22) – Classical Music (Violin)
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Piano)

In addition, Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) and Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22) attended National YoungArts Week+ as 2022 YoungArts Winners and were nominated to be named 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts in Dance (Modern/Contemporary) and Film respectively. 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.

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)

Isaac Sohn (IM, ‘25) received first place at the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music.

Sophia Madrigal (ACT, ‘22) was honored with an inaugural Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) Gold Award Scholarship. Sophia was selected for demonstrating extraordinary leadership while driving lasting change in her community and beyond through her nonprofit organization, Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling, which focuses on the healing art of Indigenous storytelling. Through her project, Sophia led workshops and also wrote, directed, and performed in the play "Wildflower: Indigenous Spirit." To read more about Sophia’s project, please visit: https://bit.ly/3IA2Aqk

Lana Sawalha, an OCSA history teacher, was offered the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes Fellowship in Scott, KS. The fellowship is awarded annually to educators who have distinguished themselves in teaching understanding and respect through project-based learning.

J.J. Barton (PM, ‘26) was cast in a production of the musical "Love Actually Live" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts as a member of the ensemble and understudy for the role of Sam.

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

Sophia Vernon (MT, ‘26) was cast in Phantom Projects Theatre Group's production of "Teens on Tour: The Center of the Universe" at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Gavin Lacanlale (IM, ‘23) appeared on Spectrum News for a performance of Pamana Kultura, a show in celebration of Filipino American History Month. He played kulintang, indigenous music of the southern Philippines, for the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble. To view the full episode, please visit: https://bit.ly/348aF6F

Pedro Fregoso (IM, ‘27) was invited to perform at the state capitol for the State of California’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Matthew Garbacz’s (MT, ‘23) band, The Kings of Queen Tribute, booked a week-long tour in Nashville.

The following FTV alumni received awards at this year’s All American High School Film Festival in New York City in October:

WINNERS
Best Drama:
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) - "Pho"

Best Cinematography:
Antone Axten (MT, ‘21) - "Pho"

Female Rising Star Award:
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20)

Best Music Video:
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21) - "Run Away"

NOMINEES
Best Overall:
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) - "Pho"
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) - "Tess & Dodi"
Nolan Trifunovic (FTV, ‘21) - "The Other"

Best Directing:
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) - "Pho"
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) - "Tess & Dodi"
Ellie Weber (FTV, ‘21) - "The Omega"

Best Drama:
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) - "Dreams of Ambivalence"
Ellie Weber (FTV, ‘21) - "The Omega"

Best Cinematography:
Antone Axten (FTV, ‘21) - "By Your Side"
Nolan Trifunovic (FTV, ‘21) - "The Other"

Best Screenplay:
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) - "Tess & Dodi"
Ellie Weber (FTV, ‘21) - "The Omega"

Female Rising Star Award:
Ellie Weber (FTV, ‘21)

Best Score:
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) - "Dreams of Ambivalence"
Ellie Weber (FTV, ‘21) - "The Omega"

Best Comedy:
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) - "Tess & Dodi"

Best Music Video:
Nolan Trifunovic (FTV, ‘21) - "Know Better"

Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) received first place in the Solo Voice category in the Mount Saint Mary's University Music Competition. Viveka also won first place in the SoCalPhil Young Artists competition in the Artist Voice category.

UNDECIDED FUTURE was featured in an article by Orange Coast Magazine. Band members include: Cole Fredrick (IM, ‘16) on guitar, Matt Jarnagin (FTV, ‘15) on lead vocals, Hayden Lyskoski (IM, ‘16) on bass, Matisse Pasillas (FTV, ‘15) on drums, and Nick Stone (IM, ‘15) on keys.

Orange County School of the Arts was featured in an article by KTLA about our recent Niche ranking 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. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Iy3N1k

Mordecai Mehau (IA, ‘26) was selected to appear on "Real World Homecoming Los Angeles," now available on Paramount+.

Kotone Matsuzaki (BCD, ‘26) won third place in the Junior Classical Dance category at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) San Diego regional competition.

Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Samuel Parigela (IM, ‘25) performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a part of an international concerto competition winners' recital. Sarah performed "Scherzo Tarantella" by Henryk Wieniawski, with Samuel accompanying her on piano.

Cole Schulein (CAH, ‘25) cooked a full meal for 35 women at WISEPlace, a domestic violence shelter, for his Mitzvah project.

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."

Roman Xavier Elson (MT, ‘26) was featured in a YouTube video by entrepreneur and filmmaker Dhar Mann, entitled "Big Brother Hates His Little Bro."

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) was featured in an article by the Orange County Register naming Orange County’s 125 top influencers for 2021. She was recognized for her impact in the community in regards to public health education. As a part of her Dragon Kim Foundation project, Melody conducted multiple workshops to teach public health using a book she wrote and published. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Atyn9g

Mya Gonzales (ACT, ‘23) was cast alongside award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix in the film "C’mon, C’mon" from A24.

Jacki Vellandi (ACT, ‘22) co-produced and released ten of her original songs, which feature piano, guitar, and ukulele, under the name JackiLove.

Elective and Conservatory Instructor Cameron Shim received his Level 1 Teaching Certification for Aerial Silks from Aerial Physique.

The following students were accepted into the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) All-State Band for 2021:

Sejin Byun (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) - Oboe
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25) - Viola
Irene Choung (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27) - Tenor Saxophone
Auvin Hajian (IM, ‘22) - Trombone
Kylie Heidal (IM, ‘23) - Bass Trombone
Miri Izenberg (IM, ‘26) - Trumpet
Chelsea Jiang (IM, ‘27) - Piccolo
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) - Cello
David Jou (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘25) - Bassoon
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Heejae Kim (IM, ‘27) - Violin I
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) - Violin I
Lauren Kim (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Ryan Klotz (IM, ‘22) - Tuba
Amy Lee (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Jaynie Lee (IM, ‘27) - Violin II
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25) - Trumpet
Darren Qiu (IM, ‘24) - Alto & Soprano Sax
Owen Ramos (IM, ‘27) - Trombone
Elliot Shiwota (IM, ‘22) - Percussion
Kenny Song (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23) - Trombone
Audrey Yoon (IM, ‘26) - Violin I
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24) - Cello

The OCSA Science Olympiad High School Team (Division C) competed in the BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad competition and placed 8th out of 160 teams. They also competed in the National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite competition where they placed 21st out of 236 teams. The students received the following awards:


BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad Competition:

5th place:
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

8th place:
Write it CAD it: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Fermi Questions: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

9th place:
Detector Building: Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24), Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22), Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23), Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Grant Li (CW, ‘23), Amy Lee (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24), Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23), Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24), and Audrey Zhang (IM,‘24)

National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite Competition:

3rd place:
Write it CAD It: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)

4th place:
Cybersecurity: Grant Li (CW, ‘23) and Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)

6th place:
Botany: Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

8th place:
It’s About Time: Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

11th place:
Ornithology: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)

12th place:
Bioinformatics: Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

13th place:
Digital Structures: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24)
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

18th place:
Anatomy and Physiology: Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24)
Astronomy: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25) and Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24)
Disease Detectives: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

21st place:
Green Generation: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IMP, ‘23), and Amy Lee (IM, ‘23)

Members of the band Youthanize, Cash Lane (PM, ‘25), Maverick Lane (PM, ‘27), and Max Rossini (PM, ‘25), performed live at OCSA's All-Alumni Holiday Reunion. For more information about the band, please visit: https://bit.ly/3GZ5pAR