Sunburst Youth Academy in Los Alamitos premiered an inspirational short film on Tuesday night to celebrate the progress of its Class 36 cadets as they prepare to head home for the Thanksgiving weekend.
The 15-minute video — you can check it out above or watch it on YouTube — highlights the physical training, academic work and life skills that define the 22-week residential program.
It was filmed and edited by the academy’s Student Media Team, with support from Anne Wolff of OCDE’s Educational Technology Services team and Crystal Housman, an Air Force photojournalist and public affairs specialist who also serves as a recruiter in Sunburst’s Outreach, Admissions and Recruiting department.
Cadets watched the presentation together during their final evening on campus before the holiday break, reflecting on how far they’ve come since entering the program in July. An edited version will also be shown at Sunburst’s graduation ceremony next month.
Operated in partnership with the California National Guard’s Task Force Torch, Sunburst is part of OCDE’s Alternative Education program, or ACCESS. The voluntary, tuition-free academy offers a structured, military-style environment where students age 15½ to 18 can recover credits, build discipline and develop essential life skills.
Sunburst is led by Principal Dinah Ismail and U.S. Army Lt. Col. Sarah Rambo, who serves as director. As we reported back in September, the current class represents the largest in the program’s history and the first in nearly a decade with an equal number of male and female cadets.
In October, Sunburst was named one of 12 Orange County Impact Schools, a new recognition highlighting innovative practices at local campuses. Throughout the year, small cross-functional teams from OCDE will visit each site to learn from their work and share proven strategies across the county.
Graduation for Class 36 is set for Friday, Dec. 12.