Features
PAGE 5
Spring 2016
Conservatory Teacher of the Month: Riley Wilson
Sarah Harrod
Features Edititor
Entering his second year on OCSA’s Creative Team as one of the vocal directors in MONTAGE!, Riley Wilson now begins
his journey as a conservatory voice teacher in Integrated Arts. Wilson, who double majored in Jazz Studies and Music
Education at CSULB, is one of the behind-the-scene faces that helps create the magic you see on stage. For Gala and
MONTAGE! he writes half the vocal arangements and rehearses students for performances.
Q- When did you decide you wanted to
teach voice?
A- I think it wasn’t until about halfway
through college that I learned to appreciate teaching. The relationships and
friendships that you get to develop with
students and the growth that you get to
see in them is really rewarding.
press. It allowed for the mass production and exchange of ideas across the
world and was the first means to make
written music available to the general
population.
Q- What is the last vacation you took?
A- The last vacation I took was this last
summer during the 4th of July to Pittsburg, PA. I went with my barbershop
chorus to the International Barbershop
Harmony Society’s Chorus Competition
where we took 1st place in the world.
Q- If you weren’t teaching what would
you be doing?
A- If I had not gone into music in college, I was planning on being a math
major and then studying the field of theoretical physics. The unanswered questions of the the cosmos, black holes,
and the origin of the universe have
always fascinated me.
Q- What did you think of Star Wars: The
Force Awakens?
A- I thought the new Star Wars was the
best installment yet. The script, character development, and acting style of
the original trilogy combined with the
special effects and cinematography of
the reboot trilogy produced a spectacular movie.
Q- What do you do in your free time?
A- I love to sing, swim, surf, cook, attend
concerts, play water polo, play volleyball, and practice yoga.
Q- What is the most played song on
your phone?
A- Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul
Simon
Q- What would you say is the most important invention in human history?
A- I’m going to go with the printing
Photo courtesy of Riley Wilson
Q- Are you on the dark side or the light
side? Why?
A- I would say that I’m a mix of both
dark and light. I’m all for peace and
freedom across the galaxy, but I also
believe that one, at times, needs to tap
into their emotions to unleash their full
potential.
What’s HAPPenin with Ms. Happ?
Justine Bautista
Staff Writer
Beloved by students
and other teachers alike,
Ms. Colleen Happ teaches Mythology/Science
Fiction and just joined
the Culinary Arts and
Hospitality conservatory,
teaching a Food History
course. She has been at
OCSA for 15 years and
has provided students
with a role model and
friend for that entire time.
“Regardless of the conservatory and whether
or not they’re interested
in my class, they want to
be here at OCSA,” said
Happ. They have that
motivation to do well
even if it’s not something
they particularly enjoy.”
Her classroom is decorated with various imaginitive aspects including
cats as mythological
figures, figurines from
“Where the Wild Things
Are,” a “Star Wars” movie poster, and other
creative projects by her
students. They display
elements involving Mythology/Science Fiction,
along with her inventive
personality.
Happ was raised locally, graduating from Mater
Dei High School, in Santa
Ana, and then UC Irvine.
Her local involvement extends to the Frida Cinema right down the street
from OCSA on 4th Street.
The Frida is a community-based theater that
showcases independent
films. Happ volunteers in
multiple aspects of the
theater’s overall functions
from working the concession stands to running the
box office.
Senior Jake Ryan (FTV)
also works alongside Ms.
Happ at the Frida Cinema. “It’s great working
with her,” he said. “Ms.
Happ was actually the
first person I ever met
when I started volunteering at the theater. She
was very welcoming and
friendly.”
Ryan said, “I think Ms.
Happ is very much a
teacher at heart. She has
told me that she isn’t very
much of a movie person,
but she loves to contribute to what the theater
does, which I think is
really cool. She still likes
to contribute to certain
things that are important
to others.”
As a teacher, Happ’s
love for her craft is evident when her students
speak about her.
Senior Matthew Ortiz
(VA) admires her for her
candidness and genuine
personality. “She likes to
say what she thinks and
I find that really interesting,” he said.
“She treats us like adults
rather than little kids,”
said senior Brienna Crane
(CAH).
When asked about the
best advice Ms. Happ has
given her, senior Tori Menninger (CM) said “Travel
the world because you’re
young and you gotta do
it.”
Along with teaching at
OCSA, Ms. Happ has an
intense love for her cats.
When asked about this,
Ryan explained, “I know
Ms. Happ is a crazy cat
person, but she’s never
told me anything about
her cats. I’ve asked her a
little bit about them but
she seems to be very mysterious about it. I don’t
know what’s going on
there.