Orange County School of the Arts Announces $20 Million Masterpiece in the Making Campus Expansion

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) announced at its 2014 Gala "One Night Only," held on March 22, the public launch of its Masterpiece in the Making capital campaign to raise funds for the completion of the school campus.

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 has been working to refine the strategic vision and raise funds for the new state-of-the-art expansion.

"I have been honored to be a part of the OCSA family for well over a decade. Making a difference in the lives of children is a personal mission, and developing the arts in Orange County is a legacy I've carried on from my parents, Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom," says Sandy Segerstrom Daniels. "OCSA combines both of these in an amazing educational environment, and provides one of the strongest academic programs in California. It is a remarkable community of students whose life paths are not ordinary, whose futures are not mainstream and whose dreams are not average. I am so excited about the growth of this incredible school and I hope you will join me in supporting our Masterpiece in the Making."

For the first time in the school's history, OCSA will build a new facility on the Santa Ana campus rather than using repurposed commercial buildings. This will give the school the opportunity to create an instructional center that truly meets all of its needs from the ground up.

As OCSA moves forward with the final stage of its campus master plan, the $20 million expansion will focus on:

• Constructing a 60,000-square-foot Instructional Center, including 7 state-of-the-art science labs, 14 dance studios, instrumental music and choir rehearsal facilities, 16 practice rooms, dressing rooms and storage
• 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

By expanding the school's facilities and further enriching the instructional programs, school administrators will enhance the world-class arts and academic education for OCSA's bright and talented student artists.

OCSA continues to experience a record number of student applications each year – receiving thousands of applications for just a few hundred openings. As OCSA continues to grow and thrive, the school's leadership team has developed a thoughtful, multi-year enrollment and curricular growth plan.

"Since 1987, with the support of the community, OCSA has continued to grow from a small after-school arts program into one of the premier arts schools in the nation," says OCSA founder and executive director Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D. "We have been working on a strategic campus master plan which expands the school's footprint and further enriches the school's instructional programs. Our students deserve an enhanced campus environment that matches the commitment and passion they bring to OCSA. I am thrilled to announce this Masterpiece in the Making campaign which will achieve these goals."  

OCSA has partnered with renowned architect John Sergio Fisher to create the vision for its Masterpiece in the Making campus expansion. John Sergio Fisher & Associates Inc. has more than forty years' experience designing arts facilities, including the Orpheum Theatre, the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles Music and Art School, and the new expansion of the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.

 "Our inspiration for the design was developed through a participatory process including school leadership, faculty, staff, and parents," says Martin Howard, CEO and president of Howard CDM, OCSA parent and school construction consultant. "We are excited that the new building will reflect the youthful, creative spirit of OCSA's students. One of the most exciting things about this building is that the main façade will continually change with photographs of dancers, performers or artwork printed on large scrims, featuring all the school colors. This makes the building truly dynamic and innovative. It is a piece of living art."

The campaign has currently raised $9.5 million toward the $20 million needed and construction of the project is scheduled to begin in summer 2014 with completion in summer 2015.

"When completed, OCSA will be an impressive urban campus featuring more than 300,000 square feet of instruction, performance and support facilities – high quality facilities that will match our high quality programming," says Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D. "I'd like to extend a gracious thank you to the lead supporters of the "Masterpiece in the Making" capital campaign and the entire Orange County community for their generosity. Together, we will be able to create a model center for arts and academic education that will make the community proud, and be unequaled in the state and nation."

Lead supporters of the campaign include:
Marybelle and S. Paul Musco
Hal & Jeanette Segerstrom Family
Martha and James Newkirk
Maureen and Mike Mekjian
Callero Family Foundation
Julie and Doug Garn
Cynthia and Martin Howard, Howard CDM
Kathy and Gary Conrad

"The Orange County School of the Arts represents a vital piece in the Orange County arts community, and is already among the finest arts high schools in the country. Now is the time to provide these students and generations of future artists and scholars with the outstanding programs and facilities they deserve," says Marybelle Musco.

"Together we can demonstrate our commitment to the arts and education through supporting these talented young artists. You can play a vital role in completing this Masterpiece in the Making and helping this innovative public charter school continue to grow and thrive. I invite you to join me and other community leaders in this important project," says S. Paul Musco.

OCSA's goal is to preserve the hallmarks of its exceptional educational programs – the finest faculty, low student/teacher ratios, a talented and diverse student body, a rigorous and innovative curriculum, high quality facilities, a nurturing and accepting school culture and the finest resources available to maintain its unparalleled level of excellence.

"If it weren't for the Orange County School of the Arts, I wouldn't be where I am today," says OCSA alumnus Matthew Morrison. "Not too long ago, I was a student dreaming of performing on Broadway and I remember how meaningful it was to have the opportunity to learn with other aspiring artists in a creative and challenging environment and to know someone believed in my potential. I believe arts education is important now more than ever, and I am proud to personally support this landmark project."

For additional information about the capital campaign, please visit www.ocsamasterpiece.net or contact Catherine Michaels, senior director 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 $7.5 million annually, to fund the five schools of study offered. For additional information, visit www.ocsarts.net.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Maria Newkirk Fong, J.D., Chair
Carolyn Breeden, Ph.D.
Bradley H. Ellis, J.D.
Gary Humphreys
Paul E. Satkin

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Michal L. Mekjian, Jr., Chairman
Ralph S. Opacic, Ed.D., President
Sally Andreatta, Secretary
Kevin M. Tiber, Treasurer

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Bradley H. Ellis, J.D.
Scott Emigh
Doug Garn
John Gates
Allan E. Lubitz
Jerry E. Mandel, Ph.D.
Kevin M. Tiber
Russell R. Stern
Scott R. Woolsey

MEMBERS
William E. Bloomfield
Andrew Blount
Deborah Bridges
Missy Pace Callero
Bruce E. Chapman
Matthew K. Conover
Gary B. Conrad
Robert J. Follman
Maria Newkirk Fong, J.D.
Kenneth B. Gerenraich, D.P.M.
Martin Howard
Tim Kashani
Frank Kavanaugh
Eoin L. Kreditor, J.D.
Scott Michaelis
Alfredo Molina
Sebastian Paul Musco
Karen Child Ogden, MA, MFT
Kevin Rosenberg
Harriet Sandhu
Kelly Smith
Stuart Wolfe, J.D.

ADVISORY BOARD, CHAIRMAN
Paul F. Folino

ADVISORY BOARD / COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Raj Bhathal
Patrick J. Dirk
Kris Elftmann
Robert J. Follman
Martin Hubbard
Jerry E. Mandel, Ph.D.
Sebastian Paul Musco
Rick J. Muth
Susan Samueli, Ph.D.
Ted Smith
Lewis Webb

ADVISORY BOARD / STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Dr. Joseph H. Arnold, Jr.
California State University, Fullerton

Robert Bassett
Chapman University

Dianne Cheney
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

Dean Corey
Philharmonic Society of Orange County

Robert A. Cutietta, D.Ed.
University of Southern California

Terrence W. Dwyer
Segerstrom Center for the Arts

David Emmes, Ph.D.
South Coast Repertory

Peter C. Keller, Ph.D.
Bowers Museum

Joseph S. Lewis, III
University of California, Irvine

Kelly Ruggirello
Long Beach Symphony Orchestra

Carl St.Clair
Pacific Symphony

Richard Stein
Arts Orange County

LEGACY FUND
Doug Garn, President
Jerry E. Mandel, Ph.D.
Scott Woolsey

OPUS FUND
Ray Sun, President
William A. Lee
Ron Radziminsky
Scott Richter
David Sidoni

Media Contacts:
Cambria Morgan, vice president of development & marketing
Orange County School of the Arts
Office: (714) 560-0900 Ext. 6292
Cell: 714-240-1098
[email protected]

Jeanette Hummel, marketing associate
Orange County School of the Arts
Office: (714) 560-0900 Ext. 6132
Cell: 714-269-3115
[email protected]

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SOURCE Orange County School Of The Arts