principal's message
LACHSA
April 14, 2017
2017-18 School Year Important Dates
* Aug 17, 2017  First Day of 2017-18
* Dec 21-Jan 5, 2018  Winter Break of 2017-18
* Mar 26-30, 2018  Spring Break of 2017-18
* Jun 7, 2018  Last Day of 2017-18
**See full calendar at lachsa.net
Springtime is the busiest time at LACHSA. With the 2016-2017 school year winding down, please make a commitment to attend a minimum of two LACHSA performances and events through the end of May.  
 
Have you strolled the Chung King Road Arts District  in Chinatown? On Saturday, April 8th, Assistant Principal Lisa Sherman-Colt and I had a fun time at the LACHSA Visual Arts Faculty Show at the MutMuz Gallery on Chung King Road. Through the generosity of LACHSA Visual Arts parent, Mark Mothersbaugh who owns MutMuz Gallery, you can see the creativity and be impressed with our LACHSA visual arts faculty -- Lynn Bathke, Lander Burton, Josh Callaghan, Brian Cooper, Michael Dopp, Alejandro Gehry, Nancy Kintisch, Diana Madriaga, Barry Markowitz, Yoriko Murakami, Atilio Pernisco, Marianne Sadowski, Bert Wood, and Liz Young. The LACHSA Faculty Show at the MutMuz Gallery can be viewed on Saturdays and Sundays through April 23rd from 12 noon to 6pm.   
 
After visiting the MutMuz Gallery make sure you visit the fifteen other Chung King Road galleries featuring many local, national and international artists. One of the galleries exhibited a 2003 ink drawing on paper by the great Muhammad Ali [pictured left] .   Shepard Fairley's piece can be seen at the Gregorio Escalante gallery in a show called "50 Artists Interpret 50 Years of the Black Panther Party." 
 
LACHSA Visual Arts Co-Chair Liz Young, who was a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, will have a solo exhibit at Post Gallery, 1206 Maple Avenue #515 in LA from April 22nd through May 20th. The opening reception will be on Saturday, April 22nd from 7-9pm.
 
Congratulations to senior Visual Arts student, Keiji Ishida [pictured right] who is a 2017 Scholastic Arts and Writing Gold Portfolio winner [see artwork below]. Only 16 young artists were selected out of 1,600 semi-finalists internationally to receive a Gold Medal. Keiji also won a Silver Medal for drawing & illustration . Other LACHSA 2017 Scholastic National Silver Awardees are Roxy Jamin (painting) , Lulu Ochoa (Comic),  and Lily Wilkins who received a Silver Medal with Distinction (Portfolio).
 
Another congratulations to the visual and cinematic arts students whose films, videos and animation projects were showcased at LACHSA's Dazzler event. 
 
Congratulations to theatre student Devon Kieran MacNerland who was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout this school year. Devon built a solar-powered water table for a hands-on-experiential preschool that will inspire young children's imaginations, teach creative problem-solving and encourage imaginative play. This table recirculates water over a waterfall and through a winding river that flows past islands with sunken pirate ships, castles, and mermaids. Way to go Devon!
 
The theatre department has been uber-busy these past four weeks. Our theatre students participated in the 23rd Annual Ohlone College High School Theatre Festival in Freemont, CA. The students won first place for the second year in a row when they performed a scene from their November production of Clybourne Park. The students also won third place for Best Humorous One Act.  Congratulations to theatre students Adina Aaron, Summer Ainsworth, Alejandro Ardila, Blake Brewer, Shirley Chen, Matteo Debole, Sebastian de Klerk, Shaila Essley, Danielle Fish, Lauren Forge, Elan Garfias, Julia Goldberg, Citlali Guevara-Hernandez, Eitan Gurvis, Brooks Harris, Chloe Harris, Eli Harris, Christopher Jensen, Trevor Keyfauver, Shahzad Khan, Lucy Krubiner, Sophia Macy, Arjang Mahdavi, Cheri McKenzie, Sophie Megaw, Miles Millikan, Amir Mitchell-Townes, Phoebe Nance, Miles Ogron, Samantha Ozeas, Mia Pollini, Moira Rogers, Sam Thomas, Kyle Tomlin and Isabella Urdiales Guzman. 
 
Last year was the first time our theatre students participated in the Ohlone Theatre Festival which is designed "to encourage young theatre artists in their craft, showcase their talents and introduce them to new and exciting plays through energetic competition, interaction with other students, observing their peers, and watching all events."  The 2017 Ohlone Theatre Festival had 900 students from 29 California high schools participate and perform one-act plays, musicals, contemporary and classical monologues and scenes, improvisation, dance, design, and Technical Olympics. 
 
Lois Hunter, Theatre Chair, and Nick Mizrahi, Theatre Instructor, were recognized by Ohlone College with a commendation letter that stated, "Our judges and festival staff were impressed by the commitment to discipline and creative enthusiasm show by Lois and Nick and their students. Your students....made a great impression at the festival this year and it was a pleasure to see their work."  
 
Congratulations to the 2nd year theatre students under the direction of theatre teachers Elizabeth Dennehy, Elisa Surmont, and Christopher Fairbanks. The students performed a delightful evening of Shakespearean scenes to a full house for two evenings. 2nd Year Shakespeare Project Lovers and Other Madmen featured scenes from Romeo and Juliet, King John, A Midsummer Night's Dream, As You Like It, Henry IV, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, Taming of the Shrew and Henry VI.
 
Congratulations to theatre senior Shaila Essley who won a $400 DTASC scholarship (Drama Teachers Association of Southern California).  
 
The annual legendary theatre department's bingo fundraiser was held at Hamburger Mary's in WeHo and brought laughter and prizes to all who attended.  The theatre department knows how to have fun while raising money to support its programs. 
 
I am thrilled to learn that Ana Guiterrez [pictured left], 2013 Theatre Alumni and 2013 Presidential Scholar, will be the graduation speaker at my alma mater, NYU Tisch School of the Arts.   
 
Congratulations to LACHSA dance students and staff for an outstanding Spring Dance Concert which featured the works by Jose Limon, Lestor Horton, and Jiri Kylian. A huge thank you to all of the dance parents who volunteered their time, talents and resources. 
 
On one of the evenings, dance parent and a 1980's Solid Gold Dancer Chelsea Field hosted a panel discussion with world-renown dancers Anthony Burrell (Broadway, Phildanco, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Choreographer for Beyonce's Formation video ), Marat Daukayev (Kirov and the founder of Marat Daukayev School of Ballet), Neisha Folkes (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Broadway and Radio City Hall performer), Jeri Gaile (Spotlight Program at the Music Center), Melora Hardin (Broadway, 2016 Emmy-nominated actress), Renae William Niles (Chief Operations Officer and Director of Advancement at the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance at USC), Vivian Nixon (Broadway, Television - Glee, Boardwalk Empire, Bolden), Fatima Robinson (the New York Times describes Fatima as "one of the most sought-after choreographers in the world"; Entertainment Weekly lists her as 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment. Fatima choreographs for film and television - Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and NBC's live production of The Wiz), Christopher Scott (Emmy nominee, Associate Choreographer for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, Microsoft and Virgin America Airlines, So You Think You Can Dance, Disney's Teen Beach movies), Tony Selznick (scion of the legendary Hollywood Selznick family) and Charm Ladonna (Class of 2006 LACHSA alumni, Academy and Grammy awards performer and featured with Meghan Trainor, Britney Spears, Fergie, Selena Gomez, and Pharrel Williams). 
 
The dance department's concert was featured on ABC news last month.
 
If you missed the original compositions of our students at their TECHWORKS performance last month, you must commit to attending the March 2018 event in our LOFT.   
 
Congratulations to Anna Mend and Sklyar Lee who were accepted into the N ational Youth Orchestra of the United States (NY02) at Carnegie Hall this summer.

The music department's production of Die Fledermaus was overwhelmingly received. The student performers and production crew were great.  We extend a virtual standing ovation to Stephanie Vlahos  LACHSA opera teacher and director of Die Fledermaus who will be departing LACHSA at the end of the school year after inspiring our students for twenty-years.  Thank you Stephanie.  
 
I attended the YOLA concert this month at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and I was very moved by the young elementary, middle, and high school students who are becoming accomplished musicians.  I especially loved seeing two LACHSA music students in the YOLA at LACHSA orchestra - 9th graders Nana Ampofo and Naima Sanders. Great job performing compositions by Bizet, Beethoven, Holst, Stravinsky, and Martin.
 
In the March Principal's Message I had not received these additional 2017 Spotlight semi-finalists winners. Congratulations to Austin Kim (jazz-instrumental), Jordan Reifkind (jazz instrumental), Ari Chais (jazz instrumental), Breanna Flores (classical voice), Aidan Moravec (classical voice), Brian Munoz (classical voice), Javier Morales (classical instrumental), Anilee List (non-classical voice), Shirley Chen (theatre), Laila Stewart (theatre), and Shaila Essley (voice). 
 
The Arts High Foundation's evening of LACHSA Laughs at the Largo at the Coronet last week was so much fun. Thank you Marla Garlin for organizing this event with the AHF staff and a huge thank you to Jeff Garlin who was the perfect "master of ceremonies" who kept the show moving and laughing. I especially loved his poking fun at me. The evening was a huge success and featured comedians Jane Lynch with Kate Flannery and the Tony Guerrero Quintet, Sarah Silverman, Tom Papa, and Tommy Chong. Another thank you to Felicity Huffman who donated $10,000 from a game she won on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.


Until Next time...

Lizarraga Signature



Mitzi Lizarraga
Principal
EventsUPCOMING AT LACHSA:
Events subject to change. Always refer to lachsa.net for up-to-date information.