Orange County School of the Arts Breaks Ground on $20 Million Instructional Center

SANTA ANA, Calif., June 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), a nationally recognized arts school that provides bright and talented students with a creative, challenging and nurturing educational environment, today broke ground on a $20 million, 60,000-square-foot Instructional Center. This project will include a dance center, music center and science center, and is expected to be completed in summer 2015.

OCSA also announced it has received a $4 million gift from Orange County philanthropists Marybelle and S. Paul Musco to build the new dance facility featuring 14 state-of-the-art dance studios.

The new dance facility will be named the Marybelle Musco Dance Center in honor of longtime OCSA supporter and dance patron Marybelle Musco.

This is the first leadership naming opportunity of the school's Masterpiece in the Making campus completion campaign, with additional opportunities to be announced in the coming year.

"I am incredibly proud to name this exceptional new dance facility in honor of my wife, Marybelle Musco, who has been a longtime supporter of dance," says S. Paul Musco, local philanthropist and campaign co-chair. "We are excited to be part of this important campaign. Together, we can demonstrate our commitment to the arts and education through supporting these deserving young artists."

The $20 million Masterpiece in the Making campus completion campaign will include:

• 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

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 expansion.

OCSA has raised $10 million toward the campaign to date from lead supporters, including:

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.

"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.

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. We are excited to begin construction on this model center for arts education that will make the community proud, and be unequaled in the state and nation."

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 cathy.michaels@ocsarts.net.

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.

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
cambria.morgan@ocsarts.net

Jeanette Hummel, marketing associate
Orange County School of the Arts
Office: (714) 560-0900 Ext. 6132
Cell: 714-269-3115
jeanette.hummel@ocsarts.net

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SOURCE Orange County School Of The Arts