Features
PAGE 4
October 2015
Student of the Month: Kiana Mariano
Photo courtsey of:
Kiana Mariano
Sarah Harrod
Staff Writer
Performing for New
York Couture Fashion
Week (NYCFW), recieving Dancer of the Year
multiple times, and
starring in a My Little
Pony commercial are
just some of the accomplishments senior
Kiana Mariano (CMD)
has achieved.
Mariano was first
pushed into a dance
class by her mother at
the age of two. Ever
since then, dance has
become a second
home for her as she has
continued to dance for
14 years. She attends
the Orange County
Pacific Arts Academy
(OCPAA) and is part
of the senior section of
her studio. The variety
of her classes mainly
consists of contemporary, ballet, jazz, and
hip hop.
On top of this, here
at OCSA she does tap,
lyrical, and musical theatre. On an average
day Mariano dances
seven hours.
“I don’t have any
other hobbies because
dance takes up so
much time. It’s my life,”
Mariano said.
Outside of the studio,
Mariano has developed followers through
social media from her
dance videos and pictures. Mainly younger
members of the dance
community use her as
a role model. The aspiring dancers will mes-
Say Goodbye to
the Tech Guy
Kayla Gonzales
Staff Writer
Wednesday Sept. 30
was the tragic last day
for OCSA IT consultant
William Van Kirk.
For the past three
years, Van Kirk worked
here through the contact company, Oncall
It.
Van Kirk was one of
OCSA’s many unsung
heroes, working with
technology such as
computer monitors,
servers, and projectors.
He started working for
small computer-based
companies including
tax firms and personal
start-ups around the
age of 18, despite his
parents’ unease about
his computer fascination.
After attending Apple
Valley High School, Van
Kirk went to UC Irvine
and graduated with a
degree in Physics; all
the while, he continued
William Van Kirk
Photo by: Kayla Gonzales
sage her for advice on
stretches or any other
tips to help them succeed in dance.
Due to her growing
fan base, managers from the NYCFW
reached out to her and
freshman Melia Mariano (CMD), her sister,
to persuade them into
performing for the
show. “This experience
was a once in a life
time opportunity that I
will never forget!” Melia
said.
Their numbers were
in the Waldorf Historia
section of the show
and are now visible
online. This success
has brought other job
opportunities to such
as starring in a My
Little Pony commercial
which featured her
dancing.
Despite all this sucess,
Mariano does not wish
to major in dance. She
wants to study physical
therapy in college. Her
intereset in this came
from the many injuries
she sustained through
dancing.
We hope Mariano
has a great last year at
OCSA and wish her all
the best!
PAGE 5
Features
Teacher of the Month: Shelley Stanphill
Bridette Blankenhorn
Staff Writer
Q-What music do you like listening to?
Just about anything, but most of the time
Broadway.
Mrs. Shelley Stanphill, AP Psychology
and Physics instructor and part-time goddess, has been teaching at OCSA for six
years now, and has loved every second
of it.
Stanphill attended Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, where she majored
in Physics. In prior years, Stanphill taught
OCSA’s Physics classes, but due to a high
rate of students who wanted to take AP
Psychology, she now teaches five blocks
of 7