Weekly roundup: OC Artists of the Year named, OCDE students win agricultural awards, and more

2023 Orange County Artists of the Year
(Courtesy of Orange County Register)

From a pool of 721 nominees, seven talented students were selected as this year’s Orange County Artists of the Year.

From film to fine arts, artists from seven different disciplines are nominated annually by their teachers, according to the Orange County Register. The high school students then compete through numerous rounds of judging, submitting performance videos, art portfolios and film samples and taking part in in-person interviews.

The program run by the Orange County Register launched in 2014 to recognize high school students for their hard work and contributions made to their communities through the arts.

“By shining a light on the talent and artistry of our top students every year, we are not only celebrating them and giving them the push to continue their artistic pursuits,” program producer Heide Janssen told the Register, “but we are also, hopefully, highlighting the quality of the work being taught in the arts programs throughout the county.”

The program finalists will have the opportunity to showcase their skills at an awards ceremony at Chapman University at 5:30 p.m. on May 10. The public is invited to attend.

The 2023 Artist of the Year winners are:

Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:

OCDE Special Schools student Stacy with 4H club chicken Goldie
  • OCDE students in the Adult Transition Program at Golden West College recently took home awards — with the help of three chickens — at the OC Fair’s Imaginology.
  • After months of designing, Laguna Beach High School art students created a pop-up floral mural and photo opportunity that will be on display to the public through May 6. 
  • Fourth-graders at Iva Meairs Elementary School will learn to hit and catch a baseball over the next seven weeks with the help of Los Angeles Angels RBI League President Dave Smith as part of the team’s RBI League on the Go program.
GGUSD Showcase of Bands event 2022
(Courtesy of the Garden Grove Unified School District)

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