SUBMITTED —
Two Coarsegold students were among those honored at the California
Summer School for the Arts Reception held Thursday [May20] in Madera.
Jaycee Martin from Rivergold School won in the dance category and
Karen Urrutia from Yosemite High School won in the area of theater.
The California State Summer School for the Arts was created as a
public private partnership by the state legislature and signed into
law in 1985. Since that time, more than 7,500 students have attended
the summer schoool program to study with professional artists and
network for the future.
There were four winners in all from Madera County. They were selected
from more than 1,200 other students throughout California to attend
the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia from July 10 through
August 7. To be considered, they submitted a formal application,
two letters of recommendation from teachers, along with audition
tapes, portfolios of their work, and writing samples.
Only 520 students were chosen for the summer school program statewide,
so winning was quite an accomplishment.
Awards were handed out at a dinner held at the Vineyard Restaurant
in Madera. Several local government officials were present, including
Ronn Dominici, chairman of the Madera County board of supervisors,
and Madera mayor John Wells.
The program, which is in its 18th year, is sponsored on a rotational
basis by various banks throughout California. This year’s sponsor
was the Union Bank of California.