Westminster High School named state winner in STEM competition

A Westminster High School team was selected as the state winner for California in the 14th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition. Each state winner gets a package of $12,000 in technology for their school.

State winners were selected from among 300 state finalist public middle and high schools that submitted detailed lesson plans outlining how their students propose using STEM to address an important community issue.

Sustainability, public health and accessibility featured prominently in the solutions outlined by the state winners, as were projects that had cultural significance, such as those dedicated to preserving endangered crops of cultural importance to communities and safeguarding endangered indigenous languages.

Westminster High School students are developing a wearable wrist device that can display braille characters from written detected words to help the visually impaired conveniently read any words/characters into braille in an ergonomic way to provide more accessibility, independence and safety.

As state winners, the students will receive a Samsung video production kit to document their project and create a three-minute video showcasing their STEM solution. If they become one of the national finalists, they will receive a $50,000 prize package. They will then compete for the national winner title, which comes with $100,000 in prize packages consisting of Samsung tech and classroom supplies.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow launched in 2010 as a way to boost interest, proficiency and diversity in STEM. To date, Solve for Tomorrow has awarded $27 million in Samsung technology and classroom supplies to 3,500-plus public schools across the United States.

Orange High School Marine Corps JROTC cadets do their part for the community

Students in the Orange High School Marine Corps JROTC unit have been busy over the past few months.

The cadets are involved in a broad spectrum of community events and activities as a part of the program curriculum intended to further both the academic and practical lessons they’re taught. The ultimate aim of JROTC is to help develop these teenagers into self-assured, disciplined leaders with a strong sense of camaraderie and connection to their community.

The program has 178 cadets enrolled, making it one of the largest in the Western United States. All of them engage in service projects on behalf of civic, veteran and community organizations.

The program has been sustaining a high operational tempo over the past several months. Events have included:

*The Camp Pendleton Mud Run, where cadets from the Orange High School JROTC took second, third and fourth place.

*The Boot Camp Challenge at Camp Pendleton (a 3-mile obstacle course), where the Orange HS Marine Corps JROTC male team took first place out of 36 teams competing. Orange High cadet Alex Gonzalez took second place out of 386 individual runners in the 14‐ to 17-year-old category and sixth place out of 1,402 overall.

*Almost 100 of the cadets assisted with the cleanup of the Santiago Canyon Creek riparian area (spearheaded by the Orange Rotary Club and Orange Mayor Dan Slater).

*The cadets presented the colors at the Anaheim Ducks game for Military Appreciation Night and then stayed to watch the Ducks play.

*A contingent of 20 cadets in dress blues led the Veterans Day ceremonies for the Orange County Vietnam Veterans Association.

*The cadets participated in the City of Orange “Fields of Valor” program, presenting the colors and putting up/taking down over 2,500 flags in memory of the nation’s veterans.

*At the Cadet Raider Competition that took place at the Cal State Fullerton military expo, the Orange HS Marine Corps JROTC team took first place and was rewarded with a ride on an Army National Guard helicopter.

*Recently, the cadets held a blood drive on behalf of the American Red Cross; the cadets and their Marine instructors led the way with donations that resulted in nearly 40 pints of blood being collected.

OC Theatre Guild unveils list of nominees for theater awards

OC Theatre Guild has announced the nominees for the third annual OCTG Theatre Awards, and Anaheim’s Chance Theatre has garnered the most recognitions.

Chance Theater has 32 nominations for its productions, including “Ride the Cyclone” (15), “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (9), “Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess” (6), “Colonialism is Terrible, But Pho is Delicious” (1) and “The Secret Garden, The Musical” (1).

Hot on the heels is The Wayward Artist in Santa Ana, earning 24 nominations for its productions of “Yellow Face” (10), “Avenue Q” (7), “In the Green” (4), “Pirates vs. Leprechauns” (2) and “Rotterdam” (1).

Curtis Theatre  in Brea garnered 16 nominations for its productions of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” (13) and its co-production with Begins and Ends with ‘A’ Productions of “The Revolutionists” (3). Not far behind is Costa Mesa Playhouse, boasting 14 nominations for its productions of “Clybourne Park” (12), “Sense and Sensibility” (1) and “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (1).

American Coast Theater Company in Costa Mesa is celebrating nine nominations for its productions of “Forever Plaid” (7) and “Around the World in 80 Days” (2). Maverick Theater proudly received six nominations for its productions of “Misery” (3) and “The Rocky Horror Show” (3).

Meanwhile, Ophelia’s Jump Productions makes a splash with six nominations for its OCTG Awards debut production of “Nevermore” (6). No Square Theater celebrates five nominations for its productions of “The Shape of Things” (4) and “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” (1).

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Phantom Projects Theatre Group, which performs at the La Habra Depot, is honored with three nominations for its production of “Little Shop of Horrors” (3), while Cabrillo Playhouse secures its first-ever OCTG Awards nomination for “The Pirates of Penzance” (1).

The awards ceremony, in which the winners will be revealed, has been scheduled for May 13 at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. The evening is an opportunity to celebrate all the work of the past year by the diverse and vibrant theater community. Tickets will be available at octheatreguild.org/octg-awards.

A complete list of nominees can be found on the guild’s official website at octheatreguild.org.

OC Theatre Guild was founded in 2015 and officially organized in 2019 as a not-for-profit 501(c)3 to serve Orange County’s vital artistic community with a mission to nurture, support and promote live theater in greater Orange County. The guild launched its awards program in 2020 to celebrate excellence for productions in Orange County theater.

The Bravo! section highlights achievements of our residents and groups. Send news of achievements for consideration to [email protected].