STATE OF THE ART

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.

Emma Madison Lakes Kay (ACT, '23) was accepted to the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's 2020 Summer Songwriting Intensive.

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

Sophia Madrigal (ACT, '22) founded the Luke Madrigal Indigenous Storytelling Nonprofit in honor of her father, Luke Madrigal, who spent his life promoting works that revitalized Indigenous culture, brought youth together with adults, and involved sharing the arts together. In an article, Sophia, her sister, Isabella Madrigal (ACT, '20), and their mother, Renda, shared their journey of bringing awareness to the healing powers of traditional storytelling.

To read the article, please visit https://bit.ly/3vRBhBG

Alexander Perazzo (MT, '21) was selected as a delegate for the 2020 American Legion California Boys State.

The Musical Theatre Conservatory’s fall production of the musical Quilters was featured in a story by Dramatics magazine that covers the production and how it became one of the 11 shows to receive main stage recognition at the 2020 International Thespian Festival (ITF). The show, originally selected for main stage presentation at ITF in Indiana, was live streamed to registered participants of the virtual festival. To read the full article, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRrjeb

The following students and alumni were featured in the interview:

Juliette Boland (MT, '20)
Peyton Kirkner (MT, '23)
Grace Osier (MT, '22)
Makenna Olsen (MT, '22)
Charlee Rubino (MT, '21)
Zoe Seare (MT, '21)

With her passion for arts as activism and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Nena Oshita (ACT, '22) and her fellow OCSA students and alumni created a video titled "Enough is Enough."

To view the full video, please visit https://bit.ly/3fRkU2v

Acting Conservatory Instructor Lyndell Higgins directed a short film called Still Untitled. The film was written by and starred her 8th grade students from last year. The short film was also selected for the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival this year.

Stephanie Dorian, Assistant Director of the Acting Conservatory, has been named a 2020 Woman of Distinction by Senator Tom Umberg and the 34th California Senate District. This award honors outstanding women who exemplify ethical leadership and a commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

OCSA was among four charter schools selected statewide to be recognized as a Charter School of Excellence in Special Education by the El Dorado Charter Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).

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

Brandon Calderon (MT, '19) and other alumni started Olive Street Collective OC, a free higher education peer advising program for underrepresented high school students in Orange County.

For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/3vUhDVB

Zach Hoffman (ACT, '22) was cast in a supporting role in an upcoming Lifetime Television movie.

Matthew Garbacz (MT, '23) performed alongside actor Scott Adkins in the action/thriller film "Seized," directed by Isaac Florentine.

Summer Brennan (PM, '25) had an original song used in an online event for My New Red Shoes, an organization that works to improve the quality of life and well-being of children and youth by reducing the impact of economic inequality in local communities.

Leslie Diamant (IM, '23) received a perfect score of 5 on the AP Human Geography exam during her freshman year.

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.

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.