In the few years since we started Varsity Arts, we’ve discovered that each high school has its own arts culture and structure. By profiling one school each week, we hope to learn what makes it unique, eventually building a database of what the arts look like at every high school in the county.
School: Buena Park High School, Buena Park
District: Fullerton Joint Union High School District
School established: 1956
Principal: Jim Coombs
Performing Arts Chairman: Joe Parrish
Visual Arts Chairwoman: Marjorie Brown
As of the 2015-16 school year, Buena Park High offers the arts through its Coyote Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. Classes include marching band, orchestra, choir, digital/media arts, dance, theater, drawing and painting, 2D and 3D design, and video production.
Students take sequential art classes that lead to honors and Advanced Placement classes in the various disciplines.
Boasts: Fifty-two percent of the students are active in the arts academy.
The school is working on expanding all its arts programs with new technology and more visual and performing arts classes; by updating facilities; and by creating partnerships with feeder schools, post-secondary institutions, professional organizations and the community.
In 2015, Buena Park High was designated a California Gold Ribbon School and one of 38 schools in the state chosen to receive the Exemplary Program Award in Arts Education for its visual and performing arts department.
Challenges: Students are involved in many activities, making it difficult for them to find time to participate in one of the arts programs during all four years.
THEATER
Teacher: Joe Parrish
Coach/assistant: David Tehero (stage craft)
Classes offered: Theater (two levels) and theater production
Facilities/resources: Plays and musicals are performed in the 250-seat theater in the performing arts center, which is also equipped with dressing rooms. Theater students also have the use of a drama classroom with risers, a scene shop, storage for scenery and stage lighting equipment.
How they showcase theater: The school produces plays and musicals during the school year.
Extracurricular clubs and activities: Drama Club
Notable theater alumni:
Harry Anderson – TV actor (“Night Court”), comedian and magician
Nathan Baesel – stage and TV actor and post-production coordinator for reality TV shows
Steven Segal – TV and movie actor (“Under Siege,” “Above the Law,” “True Justice”), producer, writer, director, martial artist and musician
DANCE
Teacher: Frannie Jaskowiak
Classes offered: Dance (two levels) and dance production
Facilities/resources: Dance concerts are performed in the theater in the performing arts center. Students rehearse in a dance studio with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, adjustable ballet barres and separate locker rooms for males and females.
How they showcase dance: The students perform in annual concerts, at pep rallies and assemblies, at football games and in city parades and carnivals.
Extracurricular clubs and activities: Dance Club
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Teacher: Robert Shetland
Ensembles offered: Marching band, jazz band, symphonic band, orchestra
Other classes offered: Instrument study and Advanced Placement music theory.Facilities/resources: The band performs concerts in the theater in the performing arts center. Students rehearse in a band classroom outfitted with risers and storage for instruments.
How they showcase instrumental music:The band plays at football games, basketball games, assemblies and concerts.
Extracurricular clubs and activities: The band travels off campus to perform in competitions, festivals and parades.
Recent notable achievements: The instrumental music program has grown from 30 to 120 students in the past three years.
Notable instrumental music alumni:
Dr. Stephen Rochford – director of instrumental music at Irvine Valley College
VOCAL MUSIC
Teacher: Ramon Cardenas
Coaches/assistants: Blake Krammes
Choirs: Concert choir, women’s ensemble and chamber choir.
Other classes offered: Music theory
Facilities/resources: Choir concerts are performed in the theater in the performing arts center. Students rehearse in a choir classroom.
How they showcase vocal music: The choir performs concerts in the theater and at pep rallies and assemblies.
Extracurricular clubs and activities: Barbershop quartet.
Recent notable achievements: The choir program has grown from 30 to 90 students over the past three years.
VISUAL ARTS
Teachers: Alicia Archunde, Marjorie Brown, Christian Nguyen, Melanie Schlager
Websites: mrsbrown.moonfruit.com (Brown’s class); archunde3.weebly.com (Archunde’s class)
Classes offered: Drawing and painting (two levels plus Advanced Placement drawing), 2D design (special studies and Advanced Placement 2D design); 3D design (two levels plus Advanced Placement 3D design), visual communications and multimedia graphic arts
Students that take AP classes at Buena Park have a pass rate that is higher than the national average. In 2015, 86 percent taking the AP tests scored high enough to earn college credit.
Facilities/resources: The school has three art classrooms/studios . The school has a new ceramics kiln. AP students have access to newer Mac computers to help them build online portfolios. They also have a photography studio.
How they showcase visual arts: Students display art at shows and in galleries, including the district’s art show, an open house gallery art show, the Buena Park City Hall art show, the Muckenthaler Cultural Center and Muzeo.
Extracurricular clubs and activities: Art Club, Fashion Club, Photography Club, Urban Street Art Club
Notable visual arts alumni:
Adriana Aguilar – recent graduate. Work from her Advanced Placement portfolio was selected from among 50,000 submitted portfolios to be displayed in the 2015-16 AP studio exhibit. Only 31 works in total were selected for this exhibit.
FILM
Teacher: Brian Bradley
Classes offered: Video production (two levels)
Facilities/resources: Students have access to a film classroom; a sound stage; a control room; and camera, lighting and editing equipment.
How they showcase film: Students are trained to create films that can compete in narrative film festivals. They also produce a bimonthly broadcast for the student body.
The schools is working on rebuilding the program to prepare students for today’s media environment and careers in the media.
CULINARY ARTS/FLORAL DESIGN
Teachers: John Newton (culinary art), Jackie Ioimo (floral design)
Classes offered: Culinary arts, art and history of floral design
Facilities/resources: Both culinary arts and floral design have classrooms dedicated to their studies.
