On Friday, Feb. 19, the Orange County Register announced the names of the students who were nominated for their third annual Varsity Arts Artist of the Year awards. These 391 teacher-nominated youths in the fields of theater, dance, vocal music, instrumental music, visual arts and film represent the top arts students from 74 Orange County high schools.
Several students from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District were chosen, including:
Dance:
- Celeste Calabrisi, Esperanza High School
- Haley Thompson, Esperanza High School
- Lindsay Prescott, Parkview School
- Mya Kough, Yorba Linda High School
Film:
- Caleb Garrett, El Dorado High School
- Katie Ann O’Keefe, El Dorado High School
Instrumental music:
- Dorian Apitz, Esperanza High School
- Travis Hunter, Esperanza High School
- Alexander Flavell, Valencia High School
- Catherine Han, Yorba Linda High School
Theater:
- Elise Anderson, El Dorado High School
- Hunter Nelson, El Dorado High School
- Alexander Pietenpol, El Dorado High School
Visual arts:
- Yagoda Jedrzejczak, Esperanza High School
- Risa Kuper, Esperanza High School
- Suhhyung Lee, Valencia High School
- Catherine Baugh, Yorba Linda High School
- Jennifer Jacobson, Yorba Linda High School
Vocal music:
- Matthew Guttilla, El Dorado High School
- Devyn Kontur, El Dorado High School
- Amy Leonard, El Dorado High School
- Kyle Gabriel, Valencia High School
Next, a panel of arts educators will choose a top 10 from each discipline. Those results will be announced in April. The Artist of the Year from each discipline will be announced May 1. For more information, click here.
Stay tuned!

Mya Kough, 17, foreground, of Yorba Linda High School choreographed a performance piece that won top honors at Canadian Get To Know Contest.
© ANA VENEGAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Amanda Mrozek, 17, left, an editor, and Katie Ann O’Keefe, 17, a cinema photographer, with in the Digital Arts Academy at El Dorado High School watch a television broadcast of “Hawk Talk.”
© LEONARD ORTIZ, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Elise Anderson performs in “Freckleface Strawberry” at El Dorado High School.
© DREW A. KELLEY, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Esperanza High School Jazz Band members Travis Hunter, left, and Cameron Newton perform during a concert at the Steamers Jazz Club in Fullerton.
© VICTOR M. POSADAS, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Catherine Han, 16, is a student at Yorba Linda High School. Her talent is violin and her sponsor is Syoung Kim Beck of Top Learning Center.
© ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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