Oakland, CA–At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2014, the County of Alameda recognized thirty-five Alameda County high school students who have been selected as California Arts Scholars by the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) and the CSSSA Foundation.
Keith Carson, President of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, presented fifteen of the thirty-five California Arts Scholar from Alameda County District 5 with an award medallion emblazoned with the seal of the State of California and a commendation from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. District 5 includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Piedmont and is represented by Supervisor Carson.
“The California State Summer School for the Arts enhances the overall cultural community of California by engaging youth in creative studies that encourage critical thinking, collaborative problem solving, and leadership while also encouraging youth to pursue higher education opportunities and contribute to the arts field in California,” said Supervisor Carson.
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The students from District 5 include: Sara Cerami, Theatre (Berkeley); David Dinnie, Film/Video (Berkeley); Ruby Gizzi, Creative Writing (Oakland); Nina Gonzalez Silas, Dance (Oakland); Elliot Gordon, Theatre (Piedmont); Michael Kuroda, Visual Arts (Piedmont); Madeleine Leibovitch, Visual Arts (Oakland); Talya Levine, Theatre (Berkeley); Madison Lin, Film/Video (Oakland); Marie Marchant, Visual Arts (Piedmont); Victor McElhaney, Instrumental Music (Oakland); Emma Moriconi, Visual Arts (Berkeley); Ethan Salzman, Theatre (Albany); Julia Tucher, Theatre (Piedmont); Margot Witte, Visual Arts (Piedmont).
Statewide, there are 500 California Arts Scholars chosen from a pool of over 1500 applicants who are considered to be the most outstanding students in the arts. The young people hail from all 58 counties and have demonstrated outstanding artistic excellence in Animation, Creative Writing, Film, Dance, Music, Theatre and the Visual Arts. The 2014 Session of the California State Summer School for the Arts will be held July 12-August 8, 2014.
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CSSSA is a four-week, intensive pre-college program for talented and motivated high school students in the arts, held on the campus of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia. Now in its 28th year, CSSSA offers instruction in seven different artistic disciplines. Students are accepted into this program solely based on artistic potential, and scholarships are provided to all students who depend on the financial support to participate.
CSSSA offers a unique opportunity for Alameda County students to spend one month immersed in a creative laboratory experiencing the inspiring and rigorous daily life of a professional artist. As a bridge from high school to college, the program offers graduates three units of California State University course credit and names them “California Arts Scholars,” which distinguishes CSSSA graduates from their peers as they proceed to college and an arts career.
CSSSA's student body is representative of the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the state, and students are from all regions of California. CSSSA alumni include Hollywood celebrities Zac Efron and James Franco, Pixar animators Mark Walsh and Sanjay Patel, Broadway star Teal Wicks, television stars Katherine McPhee and Kirsten Vangsness, author Margaret Dilloway and many other successful artists and creative leaders.
For the second year of a re-launched partnership, CSSSA has established the CSSSA Arts Scholars Network. The CSSSA Arts Scholars Network is a statewide network of local arts agencies at the county level whose members help CSSSA promote this program opportunity and help to recognize the talented students from their regions. The Alameda County Arts Commission is one of the thirteen CSSSA Arts Scholars Network members.
