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Features May 2016
BAM ! Chris Dion Teacher Extraordinaire
Bridgette Blankenhorn Staff Writer
Chris Dion , king of bad puns , is nearing the end of his 12th year teaching at OCSA . In the past he ’ s taught 7th graders , but he ’ s currently one of the Gov / Econ teachers and Leadership advisors . Before teaching at OCSA he attended OCC and eventually moved on to Chapman to earn his BA in European History , credential , and Master ’ s in Leadership Development , but before all of that , he was in the Marines .
“ My time as a Marine really helped me focus myself after high school ,” he said .
Dion is immensely grateful for his time in the Marines , as it has constantly reminded him to focus on the important things in life such as being a good husband , father , and teacher .
Dion and his wife , Angela , have a son , Jack , who just turned eight .
In his free time , Dion can probably be found coaching Jack ’ s flag football team or going on crazy adventures with his family--stories we students get to hear about when we come back to school after the weekend .
One of the all-time best
Chris Dion Photo courtesy of Chris Dion
is Jack ’ s eighth birthday party . The Dions invited all the families from their street as well as many of Jack ’ s school friends . They set up a laser tag arena along two driveways and had enough food to feel every single attendee for three days .
Dion ’ s favorite part about teaching at OCSA is all of the wonderful students ( of course ). “ OCSA students make it very easy to get out of bed and go to work , even on days when things are not going well .”
We try , Dion . We try .
A Starvard Man : Chris Huntley
Mikayla Knight Co Editor-in-Chief
Do you like jazz , theatre , your Mickey Mouse watch , wearing a new pair of decorative socks every day , and have the tough decision between Harvard and Stanford ? Well then , you just might be Chris Huntley .
Senior Chris Huntley ( MT ), has been at OCSA since seventh grade , but his involvement in theatre spans back to his days singing Beach Boys on his fireplace . The self-proclaimed attention-hog started taking acting classes with South Coast Repertory ( SCR ) when he was in third grade and years later found his path at OCSA .
In addition to his years of live theatre experience , he has appeared in multiple commercials and various television shows including “ Modern Family .”
Outside of school , Huntley has gained health and clinical psychology experience interning
at Kaiser Permanente Department of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics , and other General Pediatrics job shadowing .
Huntley hopes to pursue both his love for the arts and for helping people in college next year . Huntley said , “ I ’ m currently deciding between Harvard and Stanford ( and student debt ) for theatre and psychology .”
Huntley is a member of National Honor Society , California State Federation , and has been recognized as a Top-10 AP United Sates History student for outstanding debate , discussion , and essay writing .
Last year he served as Junior Class Co-Representative and is currently the Student Body Co-President with Sophie Neely . As president , his responsibilities primarily include addressing students ’ concerns and being the bridge between the student body and administration .
After almost six years
Who is your favorite superhero ?
King Arthur ( sorry , this is the best you will get ) You ’ re stranded on an island . What three items do you bring ?
Food , water , & Big Country ’ s debut album “ The Crossing ” on vinyl . If you could live in any sitcom , which would it be ?
Cheers Who is your favorite student ?
Bridgette Blankenhorn , obviously . What is your biggest pet peeve ?
Asking me who my favorite student is . Which of Snow White ’ s seven dwarfs describes you the best ?
Grumpy , sadly , because I can be grumpy at times , not often though . If you were a pirate , what would your name be ?
I am not sure . I would rather be a Viking . My middle name is Bjorne after all .
at OCSA , Huntley has gained , “ An appreciation for knowledge , an eye for the arts in my daily life , and the confidence to go against the flow .” He also added his thanks to OCSA that he eats lunch earlier than the average person .
Huntley said , “ I ’ ve learned that I CAN constantly redefine myself to be who I want to be . Because of OCSA , I am never stuck .”
If you could only listen to one song on repeat for the rest of your life what would it be ?
“ Love On Top ” by Beyoncé is the greatest song ever created .
If you could take anyone you wanted to lunch who would they be and where would you take them ?
I ’ d love to take Freddie Mercury to lunch at a nice French restaurant . I ’ ve always been fascinated by the man ’ s abilities to entertain ... Such an artist , such an enigma .
What is your most recent Netflix binge ?
During first semester , I rewatched the entire “ Office ” series over and over . But now I ’ m currently chillin ’ to the new season of “ Bob ’ s Burgers .”
Describe your favorite pair of socks . My brothers , Mitchell and Blake , got me a pair of socks from the Smithsonian with a picture of the moon landing on them . They ’ re pretty cozy .
Chris Huntley Photo courtesy of Chris Huntley
What is the quirky special skill you keep on your resume ?
I used to write that I was learning how to unicycle . I never did .
Describe your first day at OCSA .
I missed it . I was at Disneyworld . Second day I came to school and got yelled at for being in the hallway at 7:45 trying to find Ms . Leimkuhler ’ s history class . Oops !
Q . If you could keep any obscure animal as a pet what would it be and what would you name it ?
I ’ d love to have a penguin named Cornelius . He ’ d wear a monocle and bowtie , too .
Q . If you could go back in time and give your 7th grade self OCSA survival advice , what would you tell small Chris Huntley ? I ’ d tell small Chris to stop passing up opportunities . I used to say “ No ” quite a bit , and now I realize how dangerous it is to limit myself . I ’ d also probably suggest studying harder for Chem Honors .