Orange County School of the Arts

State of the Art: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25) and Quinn Conroy (MT, ‘27) created an organization called “Diabetes High” to promote awareness of Type 1 Diabetes among middle and high school students. They worked with numerous school districts to get posters in 127 school health offices. The posters point out early warning signs for Type 1 Diabetes and have the potential to reach hundreds of school nurses and over 135,000 students. Grant and Quinn also arranged for the posters to be translated into Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean and Portuguese to reach a broader audience in the diverse school system and the global audience of the organization BeyondType1. Through "Diabetes High," they started the OCSA Diabetes Awareness Club and have set up an online portal for students from around the country to start their own diabetes awareness clubs at their schools. The OCSA club participates in the Support Breakthrough T1D Walk and has raised over $9,000 for diabetes research and programs.

This week on the OCSA campus, introduced a new program designed specifically for students of all needs and abilities, including those who are neurodivergent or have physical disabilities. The program, established by Justin Freeman (PM, '25), provides experiences in music, dance and visual arts for these young artists with special needs. To learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/4ePrQcP

Summer Adventures: Merce Meynardie (CMD, ‘26) and Aaron Chang (CMD, ‘26) recently attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts' pre-professional intensive. They worked with notable choreographers such as Brandon Coleman, Sidra Bell, Brandon Cournay, Gavin Stewart, and were a part of a new original dance film curated by Ashley Lindsey and Grady Bowman.

State of the Art: Miley Jane Gavarrete (MT, ‘26) was cast as Midge Mahoney at the Yorba Linda Spotlight Theater Company’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The comedy-musical focuses on six adolescents navigating the pressures of both the titular competition and their teenage years.

State of the Art: Ella He (IM, ‘27), Emma He (IM, ‘25), Katelyn Hu (BCD, ‘24), Bryce Leng (CV, ‘24), and Angel Shen (CV, ‘25) performed together at the ninth annual Lantern Festival at the Segerstrom Concert Hall with over 2,000 people in attendance. Katelyn and Angel performed traditional cultural dance forms as part of the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California. Emma played the Dizi (Chinese Flute), Ella played the Guzheng (Chinese Harp), and Bryce played the Erhu (Chinese Violin) with the South Coast Chinese Orchestra. They have also volunteered their time by participating in various community festivals within the greater Orange County area in the past few years.

State of the Art: Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25) took second place in Pacific Symphony’s Opera Focus competition and was presented with a California Legislature Assembly Resolution in recognition of her hard work and success in vocal study/performance, academics, community service, and overall character.

State of the Art: Zabethah Bagnol (PD, ‘26) was awarded both academic and achievement scholarships from Savannah College of Art and Design. Zabethah was recognized for her work with the Eco Fashion Club, which promotes awareness of the violence fashion perpetuates against our environment and humanity, as well as for her recycled dictionary dress displayed at the Bowers Museum and original work DiscriminAsian, which advocates for education regarding the prevention of violence against Asians.

State of the Art: A***n Sharma (CW, ‘27) participated in the 69th Annual Orange County Science and Engineering Fair hosted at Chapman University. A***n took home first place in Category 1000 - Botany and was awarded the Dave Walkington Memorial Award for excellence in Botany, in addition to winning the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award for next-generation technology innovation. He was also nominated to represent Orange County in the International Science & Engineering Fair, for which he was a finalist. A***n spent five days networking and collaborating with other students who attended the event.

Summer Adventures: AJ Shields (CMD, '29) attended a summer intensive at Steps on Broadway in New York City! He also caught up with alumnus RJ Higton (MT, '18), who is a performer in the Tony Award-winning musical, "The Outsiders."

State of the Art: Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24) advanced to the rank of Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America Troop 1776. Eagle Scout is the highest rank in Boy Scouts and is awarded to those who exemplify leadership within their troop and unit. Sebastian currently serves as a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and is in the process of becoming an Assistant Scoutmaster.

Summer Adventures: The Little Steps Project, founded three years ago Emily Yi (VA, '26) within the Art in Hearts club, has inspire children through their artistic talents. Emily and her team recently launched a Summer Art Camp at the OC Rescue Mission where they hand-painted 64 pairs of shoes with children, creating unique designs. Emily said she's thankful to the Dragon Kim Foundation for helping this project expand its outreach.

State of the Art: Ballet Folklórico Dance Conservatory students took part in Boot Barn’s summer media campaign that included a film and photo shoot on location.

Summer Adventures: Merce Meynardie (CMD, '26) just finished a month at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp in Colorado where he participated in their Pre-Professional Intensive. Perry-Mansfield is the oldest continuously operating performing arts camp in the country.

State of the Art: Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘26) and Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24) placed second overall in the Rhythm Dance category at the 2024 United States National Amateur DanceSport Championships. Heather and Constantin were the only OCSA pair to compete in the competition and were the first in OCSA Ballroom’s history to win at the national level.

In just a few weeks, CSArts Academy will launch ArtSPARKS!, a camp established by Justin Freeman (PM, '25) that provides special needs children experiences in music, dance and visual arts. To learn more, please visit: https://bit.ly/4ePrQcP

State of the Art: Bea Main (MT, ‘29) was cast in South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol” as Tiny Tim Cratchit. Performances took place in December 2023.

State of the Art: Alyssa Kardos (ACT, ‘17) was awarded the Institute of International Education (IIE)’s Centennial Fellowship to address climate change and textile waste with sustainable fashion enterprise ReMade in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She is one of four fellows selected for the award. As an IIE Centennial Fellow, she will work with her team to establish an upcycling center in Phnom Penh that utilizes textile waste from the rivers, honors local weaving methods, and provides employment opportunities for former sweatshop workers. As part of the grant process, she has been interviewing upcycling project managers and designers across Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina to learn best practices to implement for her center. Alyssa returned to live in Phnom Penh in January to tackle textile waste and promote Cambodian design and art.

State of the Art: Katie Cruz (MT, ‘23) was offered her first professional contract from La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for their production of “The Little Mermaid.” Katie performed as Arista in the ensemble cast.

State of the Art: Orinoco Foxlin (PM, ‘29) earned multiple awards for technical theatre and vocals at the Musical Theatre Competitions of America (MTCA). She won First Place for Vocal Duet, Second Place for Middle School Costume Design, and Third Place for High School Set Design. The concept behind her set and costume designs was an alternate land of Oz where everything was made from candy – inspired in part by Hansel and Gretel.

Summer Adventures: Welcome back to California to our outgoing 8th grade students! They recently returned from a memorable and educational trip to Washington, D.C. with social science faculty and parents.

State of the Art: Stephen Amsler (Elective Taekwondo Teacher) traveled to the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea to test for his eighth degree black belt. The process took months and involved a rigorous protocol that included a written 7,000 word thesis, a Board review of his curriculum vitae, submitting a five-hour work-out session, participating in a physical test with three Grand Master Instructors from the Board, and a video submission review from the Kukkiwon Technical Committee. Mr. Amsler successfully completed all the eighth-degree black belt requirements and received Grand Master Instructor Status. There are only 305 eighth-degree black belts that reside in the United States – a one in a million percentile of the country’s population.

State of the Art: Allie Molin (IM, ‘25) was recognized as one of six young female musicians selected for the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo 2024. The ensemble traveled to Boston in January and participated in a series of activities and performances at Berklee College of Music. They will also be performing at the 67th Monterey Jazz Festival in September. Allie was also selected for the 2024 All-State ensembles for both Jazz and Symphony Orchestra, under the California Band Directors Association (CBDA).

Congratulations, Class of 2024! We are so proud of all of you and can't wait to see what the future has in store for each and every one of you! This year's 395 grads will head off to 21 states and three countries to pursue the next chapter of their lives.

OCSA grads and families, be sure to check out all of the photos from this year's graduation ceremony by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3RtTjXE

State of the Art: West Mulholland (ACT, ‘23) attended the 2024 Sundance Film Festival for his role in the upcoming movie “Presence.” He starred alongside actors Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, and more. The movie, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp, received a distribution contract from Neon in January.

“After four years in Commercial Dance, what I will miss about OCSA is the environment backstage at shows. The energy and community on a show day is unmatched.” - Colette K***z (CMD, ‘24)

Next year, Colette will be attending Casey Western Reserve University as a Baker-Nord Scholar on a full tuition scholarship to double major in dance and nutrition and minor in sports medicine on a pre-med track.

OCSA family: Are you doing something unique and artistic this summer? Send us photos of your summertime adventures, performances, projects, and showcases, along with a brief description, for a chance to be featured on OCSA's social media pages this summer! Email us at [email protected] or DM us your photos and descriptions!

Gamers ages 11-15 are encouraged to learn all about the art of video games in CSArts Academy's fun and enriching summer classes! To learn more about CSArts Academy course offerings, visit: https://bit.ly/3PXABqB

Lilliana Mindel (CV, '24) was recently chosen from hundreds of students across the nation to receive the first-place award at the Schmidt Vocal High School Nationals Competition Nationals. Prior to this, she won first place in the Schmidt Vocal Arts Regional Competition in addition to other accomplishments throughout this school year. Congratulations, Lilliana!

“I'll really cherish how much OCSA has helped me appreciate my peers and the arts. I would have classes with people and months later watch them in a concert or performance and really come to appreciate how talented the people around me are and the beauty of their art form. This environment has made me so grateful and more open minded when it comes to appreciating all the diverse people around me.” - Ivy Popejoy (VA, ‘24)

Next year, Ivy is undecided on which school she will attend but she plans to work in the equine and art industries in the future.