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Although only a few entries for Santa Susana High School’s upcoming art

festival have come in thus far, it’s still early, said seniors Olivia Andazola

and Samantha Stelter.

“To be honest, we got three so far,” Olivia said.

“At the last minute we’ll probably get swamped with entries,” Samantha

said. “You know artists: (They’re) procrastinators.”

Olivia said they’re hoping submissions pick up now that colorful flyers

have been printed announcing their Feb. 22 event.

Last week, the two 17-yearolds started handing out flyers to their 1,100

or so fellow students at the high school. And they took to social media to

spread the word.

Designed to showcase art created by students at the magnet high school,

the festival will feature drawings, paintings, graphic illustrations,

sculptures, mixed media, photography and poetry.

For Olivia and Samantha, much is riding on the festival, which is a

capstone project that will cap off their high school careers and emphasize

their academic majors.

“It’s supposed to show what we’ve learned over the past four years,” Olivia

said.

Last year’s student art festival, which Olivia and Samantha helped organize as juniors, drew about 100 people from the community in addition to students.

They’re aiming for a bigger show this year, the two said.

“We’ve added new activities and we’ve expanded our range,” Samantha said. “Before, it was just in the library, but we’ve expanded it to two more classrooms plus the student gallery that we have on campus.”

Not every student at Santa Su is required to do a capstone project, but those working toward a certificate in one of seven state Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways offered at the campus and students majoring in one of several areas of study must complete a capstone project by the end of their senior year, Principal Jerry Block said.

Simi Valley Unified School District’s two other high schools, Royal and Simi Valley, also offer career pathways, which include a set of classes that can lead to a CTE certificate, college credits or a job after high school.

But unlike the two other campuses, Santa Susana has “three schools within a school,” Block said: the School of Digital Arts and Technology, the School of Letters and Sciences and the School of Visual and Performing Arts. Within each school are academies that offer a number of career pathways students can major in.

For example, the School of Visual and Performing Arts includes an academy of performing arts, which offers career pathways in dance, instrumental music and musical theater.

As art majors, Olivia and Samantha decided to organize and curate an art show for their capstone projects.

“Students organize the event and then ultimately they’ll write it up and document it,” Block said.

“Then later on, during the year, they’ll have a chance to present their work to a panel of community members, showing what they learned from the whole process, they’re growth through all of it.”

The senior projects are part of his school’s emphasis on hands-on learning, Block said.

“I personally believe the most important learning extends beyond the classroom. When students can apply what they learned in the real world, it really becomes meaningful for them. Our senior projects allow students to do that,” he said.

Santa Susana also differs from SVUSD’s other high schools in that it offers no organized team sports.

Because Santa Su is a magnet school, most students are there by choice, Block said.

“Most of the students who come here already have an idea of what they want to study. But even if they don’t, we have such a wide variety of options for them. They can explore all these amazing areas, which will help steer them to where they want to go, whether that’s a job after high school or college.”

The school’s art-focused coursework along with its strong results academically make Santa Su attractive to kids and parents, the principal said.

Last year, students scored 82 percent in English and 45 percent in math in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. By comparison, about 50 percent of students statewide met or exceeded the standard in English, and 38 percent met or exceeded the math benchmark.

Among the 97 percent of Santa Su students who graduate on time, according to state Department of Education data, 5 percent are accepted into Ivy League schools, the principal said.

As a result, there’s an annual lottery for admission to the school and a waiting list that’s usually full, Block said

Samantha, who wants to be a character artist, said she was drawn to Santa Su for its strong arts program.

A product of a “really tiny private Catholic school” in the San Fernando Valley, Olivia had never heard of Santa Susana High until her older sister attended, she said.

“I’ve always been interested in art,” said the aspiring art therapist. “I think I’ve taken an art class every single year I’ve been in school. So after my sister came here, it seemed like the obvious choice.”

Olivia and Samantha’s Santa Susana High School Art Festival is from 6 to 9 p.m. Fri., Feb. 22 at the school, 3570 Cochran St. Admission is free.