STATE OF THE ART

Tawnie “Kiyoné" Shorter (MT, '21) wrote and recorded her first single, “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.” Her song was featured on an EP by SAVIYN, titled Voyage.01, that was produced by multi-platinum producer Jae Chong. The EP can be found on all music platforms worldwide. Tawnie was also selected to write demo songs for an up-and-coming artist in Asia and to record music for national fitness videos.

Tawnie “Kiyoné'' Shorter (MT, '21) was selected to be the singing voice of “Sarah” in the newly released video game Nightbird Society, by Epizodic Entertainment, which is about unsung heroes overcoming their fears and bringing magic back into the world through music. Tawnie wrote and recorded all of her character's featured songs.

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

The following students participated in the newly commissioned show from composer and librettist Carla Lucero, “The Three Women of Jerusalem (Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén),” with the Los Angeles Opera.

Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24), Youth Principal
Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24), Community Ensemble
Evan Richards (CV, ‘22), Youth Principal

Congratulations to the members of OCSA’s Mock Trial Team, who competed this year against more than 35 teams from across Orange County, advancing to the semifinals. The primary competition team was victorious against JSerra, Brea Olinda, Foothill, Santa Ana, Beckman, and Yorba Linda, while the secondary competition team defeated Portola and Mater Dei.

Primary Team:
Sophia Abiera (ACT, ‘24)
Sruthi Alle (CV, ‘21)
Catherine Boland (IA, ‘24)
Charlotte Brandman (MT, ‘23)
Riley Bryant (FTV, ‘21)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Gabriel Chen (PM, ‘22)
Ethan Gray (ACT, ‘22)
Sasha Herthel (ACT, ‘23)
Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21)
Toby Izenberg (CW, ‘23)
Milo Karnes (IA, ‘24)
Emma Kay (ACT, ‘23)
Regan Mading (IA, ‘23)
Mehra Marzbani (ACT, ‘23)
Morgan Milam (IM, ‘24)
Gaby Mikhail (CW, ‘21)
Daisy Noh (IA, ‘22)
Jess Perez (ACT, ‘21)
Paris Lases-Perez (ACT, ‘21)
Colin Root (ACT, ‘22)
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23)

Secondary Team:
Ally Artavia-High (CW, ‘24)
Zabby Bagnol (PD, ‘24)
Daniel Grossgold (IA, ‘24)
McKenna Guldner (IA, ‘24)
Courtney Hines (CW, ‘24)
Darian Hojreh (CAH, ‘22)
Claire Karr (VA, ‘23)
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘23)
Emily Kim (CW, ‘24)
Nathaniel Kim (DM, ‘22)
Sky Lu (IA, ‘23)
Kendall Phanco (VA, ‘23)
Mia Rinaldi (PM, ‘23)
Aryan Simhadri (ACT, ‘24)
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)
Luke Stark (IA, ‘24)

The Orange County Register announced the semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:
Computer Drawing and Painting
Eden Haymond (DM, ‘21)
Ashley Yang (VA, ‘22)

Dance:
Commercial Dance
Danielle Silver (CMD, ‘22)
Dawson Charles Walker (CMD, ‘21)
Concert Dance
Corah Abbott (CCD, ‘21)
World and Cultural Dance
Maya Elizabeth Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, ‘21)
Rodrigo Blanco (BF, ‘21)
Lucas McCollum-VanHoosear (BR, ‘22)

Film and Animation:
Directing and Editing
Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21)
Johann Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21)
Nolan Frech (FTV, ‘21)

Handcrafted Visual Arts:
Hand Drawing and Painting
Joyce Lee (VA, ‘21)
Mixed Media
Junzhu Zhang (VA, ‘21)
Sculpting and Metalwork
Juhyun Park (VA, ‘21)

Instrumental Music:
Jazz
Gianna Pedregon (IM, ‘21) - Violin
Piano and Strings
Hannah Noh (IM, ‘21) - Piano

Theater:
Acting
Mia Kaplan (MT, ‘21)
Musical Theater Performance
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21)
Madison E. Osment (MT, ‘21)
Charlee Rubino (MT, ‘21)

Vocal Music:
Classical Voice
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21)
Commercial Voice
Michele Lu (PM, ‘21)

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

The Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 9th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. This program highlights talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts. Each of these students has proven their abilities in their areas of expertise.

Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:

Computer Drawing and Painting
Sofia De Luna (DM, ‘22)
Juliana Jarvis (DM, ‘22)
Elise Maniquis-Dormitorio (DM, ‘22)
Hannah Miller (DM, ‘22)
Megan Mo (DM, ‘22)

Graphic Design and Digital Illustration
Josh Nguyen (FTV, ‘22)

Photography (Film and Digital)
Soren Almeida (FTV, ‘22)

Dance:

Commercial Dance
Danielle Silver (CMD, ‘22)
Reagan Vallejo (IA, ‘22)

Concert Dance
Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22)
Nicole Frias Lugo (BCD, ‘22)
Alisa Nguyen (BCD, ‘23)
Amelie Jolie Vidrio (BCD, ‘22)

World/Cultural Dance
Hannah Ayala (BR, ‘23)
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)
Joshua Qin (BD, ‘23)
Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23)

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

The following students advanced as finalists in receiving prestigious 2021 Dragon Kim Fellowships from the Dragon Kim Foundation. If selected for the fellowship, teams will be awarded up to $5,000 to implement a community service project as a part of a seven-month, hands-on leadership training and mentorship program. OCSA’s finalists are listed below by team.

Art Unlimited: Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, ‘22)
Eye Matter: Cece Fanelli (PD, ‘22) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Intertwined: Adin Choun (IM, ‘22) and Katelyn Jo (IM, ‘22)
Let’s Learn about Public Health!: Melody Chang (IM, ‘22)
Pacific Bridge: Iris Wang (IM, ‘22) and Eric Zhu (FTV, ‘22)
Sembrando Dahlias: Bianca Lozano (BF, ‘21) and Samantha Perez (BF, ‘21)
Time Travel With Music: Leo Sui (IM, ‘23)
Uncovering Strengths: Saira Arora (IM, ‘22) and Emma McCanne (IM, ‘22)
We are Dancing Women: Grace Kim (BR, ‘22) and Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23)

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 Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Award. This program highlights talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts. 750 students representing 78 Orange County high schools were nominated, and 50 of them are from OCSA! Each of these students have proven their abilities in their areas of expertise. Here are the nominations for Dance:

Commercial Dance:
Danielle Silver (CMD, ‘22)
Dawson Charles Walker (CMD, ‘21)

Concert Dance:
Corah Abbott (CCD, ‘21)
Ian Francisco Roman (CCD, ‘22)

World/Cultural Dance:
Maya Elizabeth Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, ‘21)
Rodrigo Blanco (BF, ‘21)
Lucas McCollum-VanHoosear (BR, ‘22)
Rodrigo Francisco Rea (BF, ‘21)

Amandine Kataoka (PM, '23) was one of only 50 high school students across the country to attend a three-day session with the Anti-Defamation League through their first Edward Brodsky Student Fellowship. Amandine participated in the summit on anti-Semitism and hate.

The OCSA Science Olympiad High School Team (Division C) competed in the Orange County Regional competition and placed in 14 of the 29 events. The team earned 6th place out of almost 40 schools and will advance to the Southern California State Science Olympiad competition. Team member Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) placed in all of his events.

1st Place
Codebusters: Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23), and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

2nd Place
Digital Structures: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Amazing Mechatronics: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) and Isabelle Tran (VA, ‘22)

3rd Place
Chiropterology: Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23) and Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23)
Circuit Lab: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)
Experimental and Data Analysis: Katherine Given (ACT ‘24), Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23), and Samantha Su (VA, ‘21),
Fermi Questions: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Haley Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24)
Helicopters: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)
Game On: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23)
Geologic Mapping: Aleks Cornforth (CMD, ‘21) and Erica Yang (IA, ‘21)

4th Place
Algorithms and Heuristics: Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) and Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23)
Dynamic Planet: Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)
Gravity Vehicle: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)
Ornithology: Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23) and Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23)

Other Competitors
Amy Lee (IM, ‘23), Grant Li (CW, ‘23), Sara Shimabukuro (IM, ‘21), and Allison Wong (CW, ‘23)

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Regional-at-Large awards.

Honorable Mention:
Anika Biswas (CW, ‘23): Short Story, Boa Constrictor
Lena Brem (CW, ‘23): Short Story, The Ticking Stops
Cat Bui (CW, ‘22): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Libellulidae
Melody Chang (IM, ‘22): Poetry, Ode to an Eraser, Reflections: from a Woman in STEM
Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, Flight
Andy Choi (CW, ‘22): Short Story, 38th Parallel
Erin Choi (VA, ‘22): Painting, Warmth, A Slipped Disc
Adin Choung (IM, ‘22): Short Story, China Dolls
Ethan Chu (VA, ‘21): Film & Animation, Life at a Japanese High School
Nora De Vente (VA, ‘22): Ceramics & Glass, Ignited
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22): Film & Animation, VOICE
Emilia Djordjevic (CW, ‘23): Short Story, Blood On My Hands
Joyce Hong (VA, ‘22): Comic Art, Night Illusion at Osaka; Drawing & Illustration, Rotten
Sally Jang (CW, ‘23): Flash Fiction, Keep the Distance, If I Was Back: A Vignette
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22): Painting, Portrait of Dad
Aaliyah Joo (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, America, Land of the Free?; Painting, Dreams of Fish
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22): Painting, Complexities of Skin Color
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘24): Short Story, A Thread Between Us, Simplicity of Life
Annette Kim (VA, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, Human; Sculpture, Leisure
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25): Fashion, Asymmetry
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23): Digital Art, Continuos
Katie Kim (CW, ‘23): Short Story, Domesticated
Emily Kim (CW, ‘24): Poetry, picture this...
Grace Kim (BR, ‘22): Personal Essay & Memoir, Imo's House; Science Fiction & Fantasy, Mayu
Olivia Knox (PM, ‘23): Painting, Koi Fish closet
Carrie Kuo (VA, ‘22): Painting, Human, Spring Beginnings; Mixed Media, Scary Carrie
Dawon Lee (PD, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, Hand Elements
Joyce Lee (VA, ‘21): Painting, Archive; Mixed Media, Crisis, Imitation
Kristie Lee (VA, ‘22): Digital Art, In My Own Little World, Mixed Media, Contend
Samantha Losey (VA, ‘25): Painting, Aries
Evan Yu-Wei Lu (VA, ‘23): Painting, Peppers, Cancer
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Journalism, Figure Skaters' Eating Habits Leave Them on Thin Ice
Sidney Muntean (CW, ‘22): Flash Fiction, The Event Horizon
Lisa Ordonez (IA, ‘23): Science Fiction & Fantasy, A Reverie of an Icy Prince; Painting, The Storyteller
Juhyun Park (VA, ‘21): Art Portfolio, The Progression of 2020; Digital Art, Babel City
Junwoo Park (VA, ‘21): Mixed Media, Janus, The Two Faces of a Pandemic; Art Portfolio, Beauty Under Destruction
Tobi-Hope Jieun Park (CW, ‘21): Poetry, the mythos speaks of women; Writing Portfolio, Meraki and Other Dances
Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, ‘22): Poetry, Skeleton House
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Digital Art, INDELIBLE, INVERSION
Keila Sato (CW, ‘21): Novel Writing, The Fire in His Blood
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Poetry, Cordae Lupa; Short Story, Animotophobia— fragens, nefasta, et timida
Sohun Shin (VA, ‘24): Painting, Closest, Most Precious; Drawing & Illustration, Home Stays
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23): Humor, In Opposition of Ice Breaker Games
Ashley Thornton (CW, ‘23): Poetry, The Unicorn, The Universal Collapse, Paradise Parasite, Premonitio[n], God is a Butterfly, Starlight
Trenyce Tong (VA, ‘21): Mixed Media, The Bifurcation of Life, Violation; Film & Animation, Weather’s Changing
Jonathan Truong (CW, ‘21): Short Story, Newspaper Planes
Huilun Wang (VA, ‘23): Painting, Light, Leafs
Suofei Wang (VA, ‘21): Painting, Night Market
Xiaowei Wang (VA, '22): Drawing & Illustration, The Composer of Decomposition
Ally Wong (CW, ‘23): Poetry, maintenance inside her heart chamber, Courtesy of the Coyotes, We were left behind to survive, behind grandpa's feet
Katherine Wong (CW, ‘21): Poetry, waning&waxing down capital cul-de-sacs
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24): Flash Fiction, late mis-; Poetry, inner prayer, two eyes
Rachel Yoo (VA, ‘23): Photography, Hands of Stereotypes
Cindy Zhang (VA, ‘24): Painting, Hush
Junzhu Zhang (VA, ‘21): Sculpture, Thin Man; Drawing & Illustration, Red Door, Red Shoes; Painting, Spring 2020; Art Portfolio, The world I live in -2
Carina Zheng (VA, ‘24): Design, Tenki No Ko

The following students were selected as 2021 Dragon Kim Fellows and earned $5,000 community service grants from the Dragon Kim Foundation. These students were chosen from over 240 applicants across California and Nevada and went through a rigorous interview process to earn the fellowships.

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22)
Adin Choung (IM, ‘22)
Abril Rodriguez Diaz (CW, ‘22)
Katelyn Jo (IM, ‘22)
Samantha Perez (BF, ‘22)
Iris Wang (IM, ‘22)
Eric Zhu (FTV, ‘22)

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

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

The Orange County Register announced the finalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Vocal Music - Commercial Voice
Ye Ji Kim (PM ‘21)

Vocal Music - Classical Voice
Catherine Johnston (CV ‘21)

Dance - Concert Dance
Corah Abbott (CCD, ‘21)

Dance - World/Cultural Dance
Maya Elizabeth Alvarez-Coyne (CMD, ‘21)

Handcrafted Visual Arts - Mixed Media
Junzhu Zhang (VA, ‘21)

Handcrafted Visual Arts - Sculpting and metalwork
Juhyun Park (VA, ‘21)

Film and Animation - Directing and Editing
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21)

Instrumental Music - Winds and Percussion
Brian Lin (alto sax) (IM, ‘21)

Theatre - Acting
Ariyah Brown (ACT, ‘22)

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"

The following students were recognized as semifinalists in The Music Center’s 33rd Annual Spotlight Program. Spotlight is a nationally acclaimed arts training and scholarship program for teens that awards more than $100,000 in cash scholarships annually. Semifinalists have the opportunity to attend a special master class in their discipline with highly regarded artists who share their expertise on performance technique, training, and professional life. Each semifinalist will virtually audition once more, and the top two finalist performers in each category will be selected for a total of 14 Grand Prize Finalists.

Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) - Dance
Catherine Johnston (CV, ‘21) - Classical Voice
Kangsan Kim (CV, ‘22) - Classical Voice
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) - Classical Voice
David Lee (IM, ‘21) - Jazz Instrumental
Mallory McKenna (CMD, ‘23) - Dance
Gianna Pedregon (IM, ‘21) - Jazz Instrumental
Bridget Phillips (MT, ‘22) - Acting
Sydney Thomas (CMD, ‘22) - Dance
Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23) - Dance
Kailyn Yi (CMD, ‘22) - Dance

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Regional-at-Large awards. Gold Key recipients will now be judged at the national level.

Gold Key Award
Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22): Painting, The King; Digital Art, Dreamer
Nora De Vente (VA, ‘22): Printmaking, Mother of Anthropocene
Joyce Hong (VA, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, Recurrection
Mia Hsu (VA, ‘23): Painting, My Asian Woman
Grace Jo (VA, ‘22): Painting, Help for Hope
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22): Painting, Complexities of Skin UnderTones (Sequel)
Alison Lee (VA, ‘23): Mixed Media, Buried in America; Painting, Refraction
Amanda Lee (IM, ‘23): Science Fiction & Fantasy, The Girl Who Brought Back Life
Kristie Lee (VA, ‘22): Sculpture, Communion, Into the Void
Joyce Lee (VA, '21): Art Portfolio, 2020 Frenzy; Drawing & Illustration, Colorism, Nature's Unification, Reminisce
Grant Li (CW, ‘23): Humor, An Update from Heaven - Yeah, We Don't Know Either
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Dramatic Script, two types of goodbye
Juhyun Park (VA, ‘21): Film & Animation, Pandemic; Expanded Projects, Homes - Social Distancing; Drawing & Illustration, Time in Quarantine
Junwoo Park (VA, ‘21): Drawing & Illustration, New Generation Appears, Violence has no Boundaries
Bridget Phillips (MT, ‘22): Poetry, Be Pretty— No, Be Clever
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, Ocularity
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Poetry, Monsters Amid War
Clara Son (CW, ‘23): Poetry, The Maiden In My Dreams
Ashley Thornton (CW, ‘23): Critical Essay, The Dead Part of a Star; Poetry, Catallena
Trenyce Tong (VA, ‘21): Sculpture, WorldWide; Drawing & Illustration, 13 Mementos on My Desk; Art Portfolio, Connective Screens
Amy Wang (VA, ‘23): Painting, Pajamas
Suofei Wang (VA, ‘21): Architecture & Industrial Design, Woven Garden, Concert Hall; Drawing & Illustration, Tea Set
Ally Wong (CW, ‘23): Poetry, Springrolls, On Lunar New Year; Short Story, Gutted
Kevin Yang (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, The Upside Down World
Cindy Zhang (VA, ‘24): Digital Art, Assumptions

The OCSA Eye Matter Club, founded by Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), was covered in an article by Voice of OC. The Eye Matter Club helps individuals with eye impairment to connect with each other through the arts. Eye Matter recently hosted online international art classes in nine different artistic disciplines for individuals with visual impairments. These art classes were taught completely by OCSA students and the visually impaired students' artistic performances were displayed during an international showcase. The following students are also members of the club.

Ritika Asher (CCD, ‘22)
Cece Fanelli (PD, ‘22)
Ava Gaskins (FTV, ‘22)
Stella Goodman (CV, ‘23)
Joyce Lee (CV, ‘22)
Delaney Manna (PD, ‘23)
Sarah Park (CV, ‘23)
Finley Sasena (CCD, ‘23)
Hailey Somphone (CV, ‘22)
Larkin Ten Elshof (CV, ‘22)
Grace Wilcox (ACT, ‘22)

Please view the article here: https://bit.ly/3dgeRDd

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

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

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.

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.

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)

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Regional-at-Large awards.

Silver Key Award:
Lena Brem (CW, ‘23): Short Story, The Cul-de-sac
Laura Anne Chen (CW, ‘21): Flash Fiction, Windowpane Glass; Novel Writing, Jewel-Steeped Hibiscus
Andy Choi (CW, ‘22): Poetry, Cyborg Asian Americana
Adin Choung (IM, ‘22): Flash Fiction, Yellow to White; Personal Essay & Memoir, My Poor Green Frog Mother
Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, Escape, Wonder
David Du (FTV, ‘24): Film & Animation, Incent City
Isabel Hahn (CW, ‘22): Short Story, Sonder
Faith Hochgesang (IA, ‘23): Poetry, Quaran-Sonnet
Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, The Raging Inferno
Joyce Hong (VA, ‘22): Painting, War of Worship
Melanie Huq (CW, ‘21): Short Story, Isolatoes, The Sapphire Key
Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, My Name; Short Story, The Voice
Tara Kalle (CW, ‘23): Flash Fiction, Baby Luke My 'Demon' Brother
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22): Painting, Prerogative of the Activists
Annette Kim (VA, ‘22): Painting, Incompetent
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23): Comic Art, My Quarantine
Donggyu Kim (VA, ‘24): Ceramics & Glass, The Amalgamate
Lauren Kim (VA, ‘22): Sculpture, Life Organs; Expanded Projects, The Pixel World
Ava Li (VA, ‘22): Painting, mystery forest
Leo Lai (CW, ‘24): Short Story, Peter the Pencil and Ed the Eraser
Joyce Lee (VA, ‘21): Painting, Burning
Evan Yu-Wei Lu (VA, ‘23): Mixed Media, Time
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Dramatic Script, life in the sky; Short Story, the family on the bathroom wall
Sidney Muntean (CW, ‘22): Flash Fiction, MUSINGS OF A MODERN-DAY GHOST; Personal Essay & Memoir, Desperado
Ashley Oh (DM, ‘24): Sculpture, Ethereal
Lisa Ordonez (IA, ‘23): Poetry, Nothing Lasts; Short Story, Where the Stars and Fires Played the Same Song
Kaitlyn Pak (VA, ‘22): Painting, Submerged
Juhyun Park (VA, ‘21): Painting, Split Realities of Quarantine; Drawing & Illustration, New Normal
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Digital Art, Spring in America, 2020
Keila Sato (CW, ‘21): Science Fiction & Fantasy, Helios, The Last Ama; Secrets in the Sands; Writing Portfolio, Distant Worlds
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Short Story, Sanguine
Sohun Shin (VA, ‘24): Mixed Media, Natural Beauty
Clara Son (CW, ‘23): Poetry, Greek Tragedies, Ablaze
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23): Humor, My Name is COVID-19
Trenyce Tong (VA, ‘21): Digital Art, Pixelated View
Huilun Wang (VA, ‘23): Painting, Fallen
Vivienne Williams (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, Construction of One’s Self
Ally Wong (CW, '23): Poetry, Eczema, Assimilation, Calligraphy Lesson
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24): Flash Fiction, the orphan's memoir; Poetry, gone forever, dear ai
Kevin Yang (VA, ‘24): Painting, Blinded
James Yi (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, First Human
Junzhu Zhang (VA, ‘21): Mixed Media, Tongue; Painting, Storage Room, Lady with Earrings

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Gold Key Regional-at-Large awards. Gold Key recipients will now be judged at the national level.

Jaeung Cha (VA, ‘25): Photography, “Matured Innocence”
Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22): Mixed Media, “Knit”; Painting, “Blossom”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Humor, "Lamentations"
Jennifer Choi (VA, ‘26): Mixed Media, “Capitalism”
Grace Chung (CW, ‘23): Science Fiction & Fantasy, "The Margean Codes"; Short Story, "An Essay on My Opinion of Showering"
Justine Droullard (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, "Flowers in the Sink"
Ashley Hong (CW, ‘24): Flash Fiction, "God's Gift to Us Witches"
Cynthia Huang (CW, ‘24): Poetry, "Homemade"
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22): Design, “Squid Game: Temptation or Death”; Drawing & Illustration, “Voices of Objects”, “Ceramics & Glass”, “Plastic Addiction”
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘24): Dramatic Script, "A Letter to You"; Poetry, "Working towards the next step"
Annette Kim (VA, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, “Self-portrait”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Architecture & Industrial Design, “Mugression”, “Blewn collection”
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “Pressure”; Painting, “Toy Box”
Kate Kim (CW, ‘25): Short Story, "Grocery Store"
Kristie Lee (VA, ‘22): Design, “Yearbook Cover Design”; Mixed Media, “The Road Ahead”;
Sculpture, “Cowfee or Tea”, “Futile”
Lauren Kim (VA, ‘22): Film & Animation, "Overwhelming"; Mixed Media, “Pressure”; Sculpture, “Insecure”
Grant Li (CW, ‘23): Poetry, "Earth's Skin"
Julie Lim (IA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “Red Sea”
Georgia Mansey (IA, ‘22): Sculpture, “Honey”
Caitlyn Mason (CW, ‘23): Poetry, "Search Engine Prayer"
Estelle Morris (VA, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “Reminiscence”
Sidney Muntean (CW, ‘22): Writing Portfolio, "Amalgamated Moments"
Eunice Oh (VA, ‘24): Comic Art, “Lunch”
Kaitlyn Pak (VA, ‘22): Painting, “Alien”
London San Luis (DM, ‘23): Painting, “Cogitate at Night in the Bathroom 20 Yards Away From Her Bedroom Door”, “A Late Night”
Camilla Shen (CW, ‘23): Poetry, "Flux.Flow"
Amy Shi (CW, ‘24): Poetry, "Hereafters of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake"
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23): Dramatic Script, "Party Pooper"; Humor, "Phototoxic"
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24): Poetry, "mommy"
Lacole Yang (CW, ‘24): Poetry, "Reminiscence from the Lake, 2020"
Ruth Zhang (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Our Sweet Ride”

The OCSA National History Day Club, founded by Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), competed in the National History Day Orange County Competition. The students created historically accurate projects relating to the 2021 theme of “Communication: The Key to Understanding.” The following students became Orange County Champions and progressed to the State level.

Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Sally Jang (CW, ‘23)
Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24)
Katie Kim (CW, ‘23)
Arianna Ramirez (BF, ‘26)
Annabel Reiher (CW, ‘23)
Selah Sanchez (CW, ‘23)
Emma Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23)

Other Club Participants
Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Anna Huang (CW, ‘24)
Lauren Kim (CW, ‘24)
Luke Stark (IA, ‘24)

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)

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.

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

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.

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

Corah Abbott (CCD, '21), Analiese Bancroft (CCD, '21), and Rachel Ta (CCD, '21) were featured in a Blue Door Magazine photo that creatively brought dance and architecture together. To read the full article, please visit https://bit.ly/3bXqQoA

The following students were recognized as Grand Prize Finalists in The Music Center’s 33rd Annual Spotlight Program out of more than 1,500 applicants. Spotlight is a nationally acclaimed arts training and scholarship program for teens that awards more than $100,000 in cash scholarships annually. The students were selected among only 14 Grand Prize Finalists who will perform in a virtual grand finale event and receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22) - Dance
Catherine Johnston (CV, ‘21) - Classical Voice
Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) - Classical Voice

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.

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

Adrienne Amanda Morrow (MT, ‘25) was cast in the role of Freddy and as the understudy for the role of Katie in "School of Rock: The Musical" at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in St. George, Utah. The show features the first-ever kids rock band playing their instruments live on-stage.

Priscilla Delgado (ACT, ‘20) was cast in the role of Esti González in the Amazon Prime Video series “A League of Their Own.”

The following students from OCSA's Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) chapter ran a successful debate event, which featured guest speaker former California Congressman Harley Rouda. More than 50 students from JSA chapters across Southern California attended and participated. Jennifer Woo (IA, '21) was also voted "Best Speaker'' for her debate.

Maya Coyne (CMD, ‘21)
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24)
Sophia Kimmel (CV, ‘22)
Max Mikkelsen (IA, ‘22)
Aashna Rana (CV, ‘23)
Rajsi Rana (CW, ‘22)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Isabella Szabo (CV, ‘21)
Jennifer Woo (IA, ‘21)

Landyn Slominski (BF, '26) competed in the Latin Mirage Ultimate Soloist Competition and placed second for her choreography from the state of Hidalgo in the Folklórico Dance category.

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.

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

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.

Lauren Lim Jackson (CMD, ‘03), Interim Director of the Musical Theatre Conservatory, was featured in an article by Orange Coast Magazine that highlights her wellness classes at the Argyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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

Kyle Rumble (CV, ‘22) performed a brief recital, composed of arias, songs, and a selection from South Pacific, for the Philharmonic Society Committee.

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

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."

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)

Mikayla Fleming (CCD, ‘24) was accepted to three summer intensives: Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Intensive, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) Contemporary Program with a special invitation to the Professional Program, and Boston Ballet Summer Intensive.

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

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.

Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23) was accepted into Harvard University's Summer Pre-College Program.

Zoe Harrison (PD, ‘25) received two instruments from Yamaha and upcycled them into art projects. Her violin piece was selected to be displayed at Able Arts Work Gallery in Long Beach and her guitar piece was selected to be displayed at the Anaheim Muzeo.

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

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.

Lilah D. Horton (CMD, ‘21) was selected as last year's Dance Artist of the Year by the Orange County Register as part of a competition that included 100 nominated dance artists from all over Orange County’s public, private, and charter high school community. She was the first-ever Artist of the Year from OCSA's Commercial Dance Conservatory in the 30-year tenure of former Director Jim Kolb.