Julie & Doug Garn Donate $500,000 to Support Orange County School of the Arts Masterpiece In The Making Campus Completion Campaign

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 11, 2105 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), a nationally recognized arts school that provides bright and talented students with a creative and challenging educational environment, is pleased to announce a $500,000 gift from Julie and Doug Garn to support the completion of the school campus in midtown Santa Ana.

The Masterpiece in the Making Campaign is designed to enhance and expand facilities, as well as further enrich the instructional programs to provide more students with a world-class arts and academic education. The centerpiece of the campaign is the construction of the school's new 60,000-square-foot Dance, Music and Science Centers.

For the first time in its history, OCSA is building a new facility instead of adapting existing commercial and historic buildings. OCSA began construction on the state-of-the-art Instructional Center in summer 2014, and the facility will open in August 2015. The campus completion project will further establish OCSA as one of the premier arts schools in the nation.

In honor of Doug and Julie's generous gift to the campaign, the school is proud to announce that OCSA's Jazz Studies Program will henceforth be known as The Garn Family Jazz Studies Program.

Under the direction of jazz artist Dan St. Marseille, the award-winning Garn Family Jazz Studies Program enables young musicians to further their studies in the art of jazz. The curriculum is modeled after a university-level jazz conservatory, which includes instruction in big band, small group, theory, composition, arranging, improvisation, master classes, and jazz history. Jazz students have the unique chance to work with guest artists and master clinicians who are at the top of their field. The program is open to middle and high school students.

The Garns are active members of the OCSA community. Both Julie and Doug are Co-Chairs of "Next Stop – London" Gala 2015, OCSA's largest, most prestigious black-tie fundraiser of the year. Doug also serves on the OCSA Foundation Board of Directors and as Co-Chair on the OCSA Capital Campaign Cabinet. In addition, the Garns are OCSA alumni parents. The philanthropic couple recognizes the impact OCSA can make in a young artist's life, as their son, Skyler, graduated from OCSA's Instrumental Music Conservatory in 2012 and is currently continuing his music studies through the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.

"We are very excited to have the unique opportunity to give back to the school that gave our son so much," says Doug Garn, on behalf of the Garn family. "We have experienced firsthand the impact OCSA can have on a student's future, and now we have the opportunity to contribute in a way that will positively influence the future of thousands of students for generations to come. We believe in this school, and we believe in the aspirations of its bright and talented student artists. OCSA is a place where dreams come alive, and we feel honored to be a part of that process and this community."

The Garn gift is part of a $16.2 million campus completion campaign, of which the school has raised nearly $12 million to date. The campaign focuses on:

• Constructing a 60,000-square-foot Instructional Center, including 8 state-of-the-art science labs, 14 dance studios, instrumental music and choir rehearsal facilities, 16 practice rooms, dressing rooms and storage areas
• Creating a central quad and outdoor stage with landscaped and hardscaped areas, where students can create, study, collaborate and showcase their talent
• Building a new double-lane student pick-up/drop-off area to improve access to all campus destinations
• Continuing capital equipment acquisition and technology improvements for all programs, including the Film & Television and Digital Media conservatories
• Completing the campus integration plan by unifying and beautifying all the exterior facility elements to create a secure and attractive urban campus
• Expanding the Program Excellence Fund to attract and retain the best arts and academic faculty; increase professional development; expand the guest artists/ master teachers program; and invest in enhanced technology and instructional resources

Other lead supporters of the campaign include:
Marybelle and S. Paul Musco
Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family
Martha and James Newkirk
Maureen and Mike Mekjian
Callero Family Foundation
Cynthia and Martin Howard, Howard CDM
Deborah and Larry Bridges
Kathy and Gary Conrad

Under the dynamic leadership of Campaign Co-Chairs Marybelle and S. Paul Musco, Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, and OCSA alumnus Matthew Morrison, as well as Campaign Cabinet Co-Chairs Doug Garn, and Jerry Mandel, Ph.D., OCSA's leadership team is continuing to raise funds for the school's new state-of-the-art expansion.

For additional information about the capital campaign, please visit www.ocsamasterpiece.net or contact Catherine Michaels, vice president of development, at 714-560-0900, ext. 5532 or [email protected].

About Orange County School of the Arts:
The nationally recognized Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) provides a creative, challenging and nurturing environment that offers bright and talented students unparalleled preparation for higher education and a profession in the arts. Established in 1987, the school currently serves nearly 2,000 students in grades 7-12. OCSA offers students the opportunity to focus on one of five schools of study, School of Applied Arts, School of Fine & Media Arts, School of Dance, School of Music, and School of Theatre. 

OCSA offers one of the top four high school academic programs in Orange County and is ranked in the top three percent of all high schools in the State of California based on an Academic Performance Index score of 914. It is the only specialized arts program of its kind in the region to offer tuition-free academic and arts instruction to students from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The non-profit school relies solely on private and corporate donations, totaling $8 million annually, to fund the five schools of study offered. For additional information, visit www.ocsarts.net.

Media Contacts:
Cambria Cline, Vice President of Marketing
Orange County School of the Arts
Office: (714) 560-0900 Ext. 6292
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150211/174993

SOURCE Orange County School of the Arts

Related Links

http://www.ocsarts.net