STATE OF THE ART

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) has been ranked by Niche as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the fourth year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America! Please visit https://bit.ly/3D8R02u to view all the 2023 rankings for OCSA. We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make OCSA exceptional.

Angela Delgado (PD, ‘22) was featured in an article as one of VoyageLA Magazine’s Rising Stars. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3B9lzXh

Lauren Chudner (VA, ‘23) and Faith Hochgesang (IA, ‘23) both earned perfect scores on the 2022 AP Research exam. Of the roughly 29,000 students who took the exam only 306 earned every point available on their paper, presentation, and oral defense. These students are officially in the highest scoring 1% of researchers.

The following students were named semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected more than 16,000 semifinalists who are competing nationally for nearly $28 million in scholarships, which will be awarded next spring.

Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Yoojung (Sally) Jang (CW, ‘23)
Yoojin Jo (IM, ‘23)
Amber Khauv (CW, ‘23)
Grant Li (CW, ‘23)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Joshua Qin (BD, ‘23)
Clara Son (CW, ‘23)
Allison Wong (CW, ‘23)
Evan Wu (IM, ‘23)

Delaney Laughlin (ACT, ‘25) was selected to walk in the Edwing D’Angelo show in New York Fashion Week.

William Okajima (CMD, ‘20) was featured in a recent Apple commercial promoting the iPhone 14.

Yoojung (Sally) Jang (CW, ‘23) was awarded the $2,000 Outstanding High School Project Award in the national Lowell Milken Center (LMC) Discovery Awards for her project, titled “A Voice in the Dark: Kim Hak-Sun’s Breakthrough Comfort Women Testimony.”

The following students received the National Recognition Program Award from two of the four College Board recognition programs that award academic honors to underrepresented students.This award recognizes their academic achievements and outstanding performances on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams.

National African American Recognition Award
Kayalani Degrave (MT, ‘23)
Ayanna Dowell (CMD, ‘23)
Aurelia Philmore (BD, ‘24)

National Hispanic Recognition Award
Sabrina Aguilar (DM, ‘23)
Maya Bleszinski (MT, ‘23)
Analise Delp (CW, ‘24)
Maya Ferchaw (ACT, ‘24)
Abril Garcia (CW, ‘23)
Mia Guillen (IA, ‘23)
David Llenderrozos (CW, ‘23)
Alexa Nunez Magana (MT, ‘23)
Ava Tello (ACT, ‘24)
Arianna Torres (CW, ‘23)
Candace Ramirez (VA, ‘23)
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

Clare Murphy (IA, ‘23) had her writing featured on Kelly Corrigan’s podcast, “Kelly Corrigan Wonders.”

Delaney Laughlin (ACT, ‘25) was featured on a KTLA Morning News segment with Melissa Chataigne on back-to-school fashion. To watch the segment, please visit: https://bit.ly/3ulugtR

Isabella Betancourt (MT, ‘25) performed the lead role of Princess Fiona in the McCoy Rigby Arts production of “Shrek The Musical” in Yorba Linda.

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, was featured in Stu News Newport for her participation in an art installation project in collaboration with the City of Hope and South Coast Plaza. To read more about the project, please visit: https://bit.ly/3B4tTrg

Cynthia Huang (CW, ‘24) earned the $7,500 Grand Prize for the We the Students Scholarship Essay Contest, out of 4,000 entries nationally. Cynthia was also featured in an article in the Irvine Standard. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3gPhyR6

Tennessee Freese (IM, ‘27), Cash Lane (IM, ‘25), Maverick Lane (PM, ‘27), Max Rossini (PM, ‘25), and their band, Youthanize, were chosen to play on the main stage at the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show.

Jonah Clem (MT, ‘26) received a Red Ribbon at the Orange County Fair for his digital art submission in the Fine Arts Competition.

Remy Hall (IA, ‘22) was featured in the Orange County Register for painting a mural on a set of handball courts at Eader Elementary School in Huntington Beach.

Nathaniel Sprague (IM, ‘26) placed second in piano at the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) Concerto Competition, held at Chapman University.

Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24) was selected as the winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition for California's 48th Congressional District. Kei’s winning artwork, titled “Lucky Orange,” was selected to be displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. for one year. Kei also received round-trip airfare to attend the awards ceremony.

Doyeon (Jennifer) Kim (VA, ‘25) was named the winner of the 2022 CA-39 Congressional Art Competition. Her winning artwork, titled “A Soulful Night Market,” was selected to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC for one year.

Hannah MacDonald (CAH, ‘18) was selected to work as a project coordinator for Jacobs Doland Beer, the largest food service design firm in the United States.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24), Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26), Zoe Sharek (IA, ‘22), Devin Vo (IA, ‘26), and Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25), as members of the hip-hop competition team Gravy Babies, won first place in the junior division of the 2022 Show Out Dance Competition in El Cajon, CA and received the highest scores among all competing teams in both adult and junior divisions.

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, has been selected to receive the 2022 Arts Schools Network (ASN) Teacher of the Year Award. Additionally, Dante Basco (MT, ‘93) received the 2022 ASN Outstanding Arts School Alumni Achievement Award, which honors an individual whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated through outstanding accomplishments in the areas of citizenship, arts, and academics.

Ysabel Wilhoit (CV, ‘23) won the Director’s Award from the Southern California Children’s Chorus.

The following OCSA students, as a part of Empowering Arts (eA), a nonprofit founded by Hannah Cho (IM ‘25), were awarded the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award. The students were recognized for their musical concerts at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the Blind Children’s Learning Center.

Dylan Chia (IM, ‘26)
Brent Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25)
Isabella Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
Emma Chuang (VA, ‘25)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Andrew Fung (IM, ‘24)
Arim (Ariana) Kim (IM, ‘25)
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25)
Calene Lee (CW, ‘25)
Sunny Lee (IM, ‘24)
Danny O'Grady (IM, ‘24)
Jae Eun (April) Park (IM, ‘25)
Emy Pardo (MT, ‘24)
Lucy Woo (IM, ‘25)
River Zylstra (ACT, ‘27)

Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) was selected to perform in The Pacific Club’s Emerging Artist Performance Series.

Ashli St. Armant (MT, ‘03) produced her debut theatrical production, titled “NORTH.”

Jadon Han (CW, ‘25) competed and earned third place at the Western United States Pipe Band Association Scottish Festival. He competed in the Grade 4 Piper (ages 17 and under) and was awarded third place in the 2/4 March category of the solo competition, playing "King George V's Army.”

Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) was accepted to Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute Young Artists Piano Program.

Stephen Goeres-Hill (CV, ‘23) was cast to play the lead role of Ned Schneebly in the Conservatory of Performing Arts upcoming production of "School of Rock" at the Camino Real Playhouse.

Michael Repper (IM, ‘08) recorded an album with New York Youth Symphony which hit #1 on the Billboard Chart.

Lauren Kimball (VA, ‘24) and Vivika Saravanan (CV, ‘24) were named semifinalists in Classical Voice at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS)’s National Student Auditions and were selected to compete at the NATS National Conference in Chicago.

Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) represented OCSA at the Chemistry Olympiad Exam and placed sixth out of all Orange County high schools. The team was honored at the American Chemical Society Awards Banquet with a plaque and Nathan Tatsuta earned the top score from OCSA.

Additionally, Joseph Ho (IM, ‘24), Elise Park (FTV, ‘24), Sohun Shin (VA, ‘24), Melody Wu (VA, ‘24), and Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24), OCSA’s first-year Chemistry Olympiad team, received second place out of all Orange County high schools’ first-year teams. This team was also honored at the American Chemical Society Awards Banquet with a plaque and Helaine Zhao earned the top score from OCSA.

Chemistry Instructor Heather Jonson was the recipient of the 2022 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Educator of Distinction Award.

Katie Derr (CAH, ‘16) was recognized as one of University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ (UNLV) outstanding graduates and competed on UNLV’s Solar Decathlon team where she was able to work on projects that educate people about sustainable sourcing and food waste. She also opened Rebel Grounds, an environmentally friendly coffee shop at UNLV. Katie was honored with Sigma Kappa Sorority’s 35 Under 35 Award, which recognizes 35 women under the age of 35 who are making a difference.

Analiese Bancroft (PM, ‘21) co-authored a paper published by the Institute of Physics Science Journal on nanotechnology, titled "Pristine carbon nanotubes are efficient absorbers at radio frequencies." Additionally, she had the opportunity to meet with Bill Nye and Nobel Prize winner Frances Arnold.

The following students were involved in the creation of an original film, titled "Pho," which was shown at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in France.

Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – Writer/Director/Editor
Aaron Orullian, Director of Film & Television – Executive Producer
Antone Axten (MT) – Cinematographer/Colorist
Darren Camaya (FTV, ‘21) – Production Assistant
Ella Beatriz Catacutan (CMD, ‘21) – Extras
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – Gaffer/Sound Mixer
David Du (FTV, ‘21) – Production Assistant
Ava Encinas (FTV, ‘21) – Producer
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21) – Still Photographer
Cooper Hardwick (FTV, ‘21) – Still Photographer
Lilah Horton (CMD, ‘21) – Extras
Paris Phillips (FTV, ‘21) – Makeup Artist

Raven Alanes (CMD, ‘23) worked on the Symphonies for Schools: Music & Deafness program for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Geena Meyhoefer (CAH, ‘17) was hired as the meetings & events manager at The Colonnade Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.

Nathaniel Bowman Sindt (BCD, ‘22) earned the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 90 of the Boy Scouts of America. He is the 250th Eagle Scout in the Orange County Council.

The following students participated in the National ProStart Invitational in Washington, D.C., competed against the top 40 management teams from all over the nation, and received ninth place.

Chef Paola Costa, Coach
Evelyn Wu (CAH, ‘23), Captain
Lanna Gale (CAH, ‘23)
Sam Laven (CAH, ‘23)
Willie Yao (CAH, ‘24)

Christopher Cung (IM, ‘22) won the 2021 Chamber Music Competition at Mount St. Mary’s University and was awarded a $700 cash prize.

Zach Hoffman (ACT, ‘22) and Sadie Braverman (ACT, ‘23) performed as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett respectively in Braver Players Theater Company’s production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Alyssa Abiera (ACT, ‘26) was cast in the television series “Roar,” now available on Apple TV.

Gabriella Saraivah (IA, ‘23) was cast in the lead role of Carol in “Tudo Igual... SQN,” coming soon to Disney+ Brasil.

Aryan Simhadri (ACT) was cast in the lead role of Grover in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians,” coming soon to Disney+.

The OCSA Ambassador Jazz Orchestra, led by Music Director and Conductor, John Reynolds, was honored as the third place band out of 15 finalist bands and several hundred applicant ensembles at the highly prestigious 2022 Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in New York City, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Additionally, the band shared the stage with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Many members of the band were also selected to win individual and section awards. To view their performance, please visit: https://bit.ly/3mCAKkk

Aydan Bevacqua (IM, ‘23)
Samuel Chung (IM, ‘25)
Mateo Cruz (IM, ‘24)
James Dechary (IM, ‘24)
Megan Etzel (IM, ‘23)
Auvin Hajian (IM, ‘23)
Trent Horio (IM, ‘22)
Miri Izenberg (IM, ‘26)
Kiana Kaminski (IM, ‘22)
Nhan-Tuan Luu (IM, ‘23)
Ryder Mendelson (IM, ‘23)
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25)
Ryan Nicolov (IM, ‘22)
Ian Shin (IM, ‘24)
Christian St. Marseille (IM, ‘22)
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23)
Connor Taing (IM, ‘23)
Luke Toner (IM, ‘24)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Lauren Mei (ACT, ‘23) was named a Grand Prize Finalist in The Music Center’s 34th 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. She was selected among only 14 Grand Prize Finalists who will perform in a virtual grand finale event and receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Yunah Chun (IM, ‘25) received first prize at the 2022 Pelican International Music Competition, competing on solo piano in the Open category.

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Semifinalists:
Handcrafted Visual Arts:

Hand Drawing and Painting
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Xiaowei (Sophia) Wang (VA, ‘22)

Instrumental Music:

Piano and Strings
Xingyao Li (IM, ‘22)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22)

Vocal Music:

Classical Voice
Mia Paris Baron (CV, ‘23)

Commercial Voice
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Semifinalists:
Dance:

Commercial Dance
Reagan Vallejo (IA, ‘22)

Concert Dance
Emmy Cheung (CMD, ‘22)
Alisa Nguyen (BCD, ‘23)

World/Cultural Dance
Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)
Hana Uehara (BR, ‘23)

Film and Animation:

Cinematography
Justin Shin (FTV, ‘22)

Directing and Editing
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22)
Alexis Ai Macdonald (FTV, ‘22)
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Finalists:
Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:
Computer Drawing and Painting
Juliana Jarvis (DM, ‘22)

Handcrafted Visual Arts:
Hand Drawing and Painting
Grace Jo (VA, ‘22)

Mixed Media
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22)

Dance:
World/Cultural Dance
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)

Theater:
Acting
Sophia Madrigal (ACT, ‘22)

Musical Theater Performance
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘22)

Vocal Music:
Classical Voice
Evan Richards (CV, ‘22)

Semifinalists:
Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:

Computer Drawing and Painting
Elise Maniquis-Dormitorio (DM, ‘22)
Hannah Miller (DM, ‘22)

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

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

Director of The El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory John Walcutt and Visual Arts Instructor Kathleen Fochtman-Gambs were nominated for the Orange County Music and Arts Administrators (OCMAA) Awards in recognition of their dedication to quality, equity, and access to arts programs for all students.

Aashna Rana (CV, ‘23) was elected to be the Junior State of America Governor for the Southern California Region for a yearlong term.

Adin Boyer (CV, ‘18) released a debut single, titled “Predicament.” To listen to the single and to learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/3scvc31

Emily Barth (CW, ‘15) was featured in a ShoutOutLA article regarding her candle company, Scents by Scorpio. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3kHueHW

Alyssa Kim (MT, ‘26) was cast in one of the lead roles of the short film “To The Lights” directed by Emily Kim.

The following students participated in the California State Thespian Festival and received the following awards:

Gai Jones Senior Honor Thespian Scholarship:
Ethan Gray (ACT, ‘22)

Thespy Award Winners:

Solo Musical
First place: Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘22)

Duet Musical
First place: Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23) and Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Solo Monologue
Second place: Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Top Scoring (Thespy Superior):

Solo Musical
Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23)
Samantha Divis (MT, ‘25)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)
Daniel Grossgold (IA, ‘24)
Chloe Ness (MT, ‘24)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘24)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)

Duet Musical
Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘24)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)

Solo Monologue
Isabella Lloyd (IA, ‘25)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) won second place in the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair and was featured on Orange County Vector Control’s social media platforms for his work with Laura Kruger, the District's Board Certified Entomologist in analyzing the data collected as part of their West Nile virus surveillance program.

The following students participated in the Pacific Symphony’s 2022 Opera Focus High School Vocal Competition and received the following awards:

First place: Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Second place: Lauren Kimball (VA, ‘24) and Estella Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Third place: Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)
Special Merit: Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)
Honorable Mention: Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25), Mona George (CV, ‘25), and Aashna Rana (CV, ‘23)

Jacqueline Vellandi (ACT, ‘22) won the California Young Playwrights contest for her play “Reverie,” which was selected to be featured in the Young Writers Festival in May. To read more about her work, please visit: https://bit.ly/3OXUHPu