Evolution
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We Change With You
Issue 4
Santa Ana, California
Spring, 2016
An OMAzing Gala 2016!
a realistic, challenging
way.” Passing Anatomy
for both semesters is a
prerequisite for the class,
and it is available only to
seniors.
The Art of Mathematics will be a math-based
elective for upperclassmen, focusing on realistic and artistic facets of
the field. Hansuvadha
sees the class as “a college-style independent
study” in which students
get to choose their area
of interest.
“If a student likes the artistic side of tessellations,
I will challenge them to
create more advanced
forms of tessellations.
Mikayla Knight
Co-Editor-in-Chief
A giant wall of fish towered over the crowd as
more than 1,000 students
danced and jumped to
the pulsing energy of the
deafening music on Feb.
6, at the Aquarium of the
Pacific for OCSA’s Winter
Formal.
The venue had a lot to
offer attendees, but the
highlight was arguably
the opportunities to touch
an array of sea creatures
including jellyfish, sharks,
and stingrays.
“Being the enthusiastic marine animal lover
that I am, I was absolutely thrilled when I saw
opportunities to touch
the jellyfish and sharks. I
felt like Ariel becoming
part of their world it was
amazing,” senior Ronald Kinloch (MT) said. “It
really added a layer of
interactivity to the event
that I hadn’t seen at past
dances.”
The event was the
largest dance in OCSA
history, with a grand total
of 1,005 students in attendance. According to
coordinator Chris Dion,
the biggest concern was
getting students quickly
checked in, but thanks
to the higher number of
chaperones, everything
went “swimmingly.”
Senior Claire Somers
(P&D), a member of the
team who planned the
event, said, “There were
so many people there
that the aquarium had to
open up all of the outside
areas and touch pools for
the whole night because
otherwise we would’ve
become a fire hazard.”
The aquarium closed its
exhibits at nine, but that
didn’t stop the formal
festivities. Shortly after,
Undecided Future came
to the stage, playing a
mixture of upbeat covers
and originals. Undecided
Future is a local reggae/
pop/funk band composed of OCSA alumni
and students.
Dion said, “Having
Undecided Future play
live was tremendous, but
overall [the highlight] was
witnessing 1000+ OCSA
students & guests having
a great time.”
The aquarium as a venue has been a fan
Cont’d on pg. 2
Cont’d on pg. 2
Singers performing at Gala. Photo courtesy of senior Victoria Vasta (IM)
Jack Murphy
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Nikki Rosenbloom
Staff Writer
Guests were given
the red carpet treatment, student paparazzi
snapped pictures, and
fans screamed upon their
arrival. Student hosts interviewed guests on-camera and the clips were
live fed into the auction
tent.
On March 12, Hotel Irvine was transformed into
the OCSA Music Awards
(OMAs), the OCSA Foundation’s annual Gala
fundraiser.
More than 200 students
were involved in various
roles such as those who
performed in show-stopping numbers like “Don’t
Stop Til You Get Enough”
by Michael Jackson,
an uplifting rendition of
“Pride” by U2, and an upbeat Chicago and Earth,
Wind & Fire medley, paying tribute to artists who
have shaped the music
industry.
Besides the performance, huge highlights
of the night included the
big ticket auction items
like an Adele VIP Concert
Experience, which sold
for $17,000, an exclusive
table and presidential
suite for Gala 2017, which
auctioned at $50,000;
and and a private plane
ride to the Napa wine
country, which went for
$17,000.
Staying true to the
theme, the OMAs, featured live camera operators, live musical numbers, awards presenters,
and even a host: Senior
Hayden Allcorn (IA). The
background of the stage
included a live band and
gold glimmering backdrop.
Senior Nicole Morris
(MT) was lead vocalist in
Chicago’s “Saturday in
the Park.” Singing it was
nostalgic “because my
parents used to play the
music when I was little,”
she said.
The most touching
moment of the night was
a video promoting the
annual “Fund a Dream”
campaign with senior
Lorenzo Rangel-Santos
(MT) revealing his personal struggles while at the
same time accomplishing
his dreams at OCSA.
Morris and sophomore
Joey Sable(MT) experienced Gala for the first
time. “It’s definitely different from a Musical Theatre show. It requires a lot
of different strengths of
people to bring it together,” said Sable.
As a performer, Gala is
different from any other
show because you are
not playing a character.
According to Sable, “it
feels more real because
you don’t have to be
somebody else. You can
be you.”
Sophomore Justin Lin
(CM) was the drummer of
the show. His favorite part
was the finale - “Don’t
Stop Til You Get Enough”
and “Shake Your Body,”
- because “it includes
everyone in the show and
has the most challenging
groove to play.”
The night ended with
guests cheering as performers gave it their all in
the finale. Next Gala is expected to be monumental as OCSA celebrates its
30th anniversary.
OCS A ’ s Get t in g C lassy
Lily Williams
Managing Editor
As OCSA students began signing up for new
classes in the beginning
of February, they were
greeted with five new
choices for the 2016-2017
school year: The Art of
Mathematics, International Affairs/Comparative Government, Intro
to Computer Science,
Mandarin II, and Medical
Applications of Anatomy. All of these courses
are considered electives
except for Mandarin II,
which is a continuation
of the Mandarin program
that began this year.
School Counselor Mindy
Shiroma stated current
teachers Jeremy Hansuvadha and Christopher
Weitzel will be teaching
The Art of Mathematics
and Medical Applications
of Anatomy, respectively.
The Computer Science
and International