A couple weeks ago we told you about a pair of University High students who advanced to the semifinal round of the Vans Custom Culture art contest by designing their own custom Vans shoes.

Well, we just learned that Uni junior Aki Barbar and senior Katherine Wang have won their regional showdown, and that means they’ll be traveling to New York along with four other finalist teams for a big grand prize announcement.

How big? The winning team will earn $50,000 for its school’s art program, while the four runners-up will each be awarded $4,000 for their programs.

“We are so proud of the girls for creating such incredible pieces for the contest,” Uni Principal John Pehrson said this week. “We are also so thankful for all the fans that voted, both within the UHS community and across the county.”

Beginning in February, teams from 1,500 public and private high schools from throughout the U.S. had an opportunity to design up to four pairs of blank shoes to represent the themes of action sports, music, art or local flavor. The contest was billed as a way to promote creativity while drawing attention to the importance of art in schools.

Aki and Katherine went for it, and you can click on the image above to more closely inspect their custom kicks.

That entry placed them among 50 national semifinalists, and an online vote narrowed the field to five. The grand prize winner and runners-up are now set to be announced in N.Y.C. on June 11. Meanwhile, the Journeys apparel company also plans to issue a separate award of $10,000 for the school that produced the best “Local Flavor”-themed shoe.

Way to go, Aki and Katherine. We hope to have more good news to report next month.

It’s Friday, May 10, the last day of Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’ve got a yarn to spin.

A few days ago, some Eastshore Elementary School sixth-graders decided to show their gratitude toward teacher Patricia Goheen in a pretty colorful way — by “yarn bombing” the railing outside her classroom.

For those of you who haven’t heard of it, yarn bombing is a relatively new type of street art in which public structures are wrapped in knitted or crocheted displays. Not only are they pleasant to look at, but they’re also easily removable.

We’re told that Goheen, a sixth-grade APAAS teacher, likes to knit in her spare time, and this year she taught her class how to knit during lunchtime. That gave student Morgan Kopecky the idea, which they carried out on Monday. (Click on either of the photos to enlarge them.)

“With the help of three other girls, they got busy knitting and made an amazing memory for their teacher,” said Scott Kopecky, who is Morgan’s father and Eastshore’s PTA president.

And what was Goheen’s reaction?

“I am utterly delighted, I have to tell you,” she said. “I love it.”

It’s been a banner spring for the students and staff at Northwood High School.

In March, Northwood learned it was one of only 10 schools in the nation to be selected as a Grammy Signature School for 2013, and the following month it was announced as a California Distinguished School for the third time. A few days later, Disneyland Resort representatives surprised a Northwood senior with a $7,500 scholarship.

On Friday, school officials were notified of yet another major accolade, with Northwood named among 13 recipients of the state’s new Exemplary Arts Program Award.

“This is a great honor,” Principal Leslie Roach said.  ”Our talented teachers exhibit a creative spirit and passion that makes our visual and performing arts program a standout.”

“The staff here is committed to finding a place for each and every student and providing them the best possible experience,” she said, “and our students are challenged artistically at whatever level they come in with.”

Tied to the recognition for California Distinguished Schools, the Exemplary Arts Program Award was established this year to spotlight campuses that have put time and resources toward valuable arts education opportunities that promote creativity and encourage students’ personal interests.

“If we want our students to succeed inside and outside the classroom, they need an education that takes the ‘whole child’ into account,” said Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction.

Meanwhile, the state also announced the four winners of its new Physical Activity and Nutrition Exemplary Program Awards on Friday, though there were none from Orange County. Both awards programs are said to reflect Torlakson’s vision for education in California, outlined in his Blueprint for Great Schools report.

Woodbridge High School’s drama department is inviting families with young children to attend “The Trials of Robin Hood” on May 9 and May 10, and there may even be an opportunity for some little ones to take the stage.

Both shows will start at 6:30 p.m., but they’ll be preceded by a special Renaissance Fair for kids, featuring games, a costume parade and food trucks, according to Woodbridge theater teacher Cassandra Gaona. The fair starts at 5 p.m.

Gaona says she’s hoping many of the district’s elementary students will be able to catch a performance, and she says some children may even get a chance to sit on stage with the actors as they perform during the show.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students with ASB cards and $6 for children under six. For more information, visit the Woodbridge High website. To purchase tickets, click here.

Two University High School students recently turned popular footwear into pieces of art for the Vans Custom Culture art contest, and we’ve just learned that their collective entry has placed them among 50 national semifinalists.

Now it’s up to you, the public, to decide who makes it to the next round by voting here.

Uni junior Aki Barbar and senior Katherine Wang – they’re pictured from left to right – customized four pairs of shoes for the fourth annual contest, which is billed as a way to promote creativity while drawing attention to the importance of art in schools. In all, teams from 1,500 public and private high schools from throughout the U.S. had a chance to redesign their own Vans kicks, which, per contest rules, had to represent one of four themes: action sports, music, art or local flavor.

Participants uploaded photos of their projects from Feb. 25 through April 5, and Vans staff narrowed the field down to 50 semifinalists, or 10 from each geographic region. Uni was the only Orange County school to make it into California’s top 10.

“It wasn’t until a week or two before the deadline that Aki and I really came together and became serious about this,” Katherine told us via email. “Our ideas flowed extremely well together and our four pairs of shoes ended up having an Oriental theme. We also made sure to incorporate a variety of styles in our shoes: the ‘music shoes’ are classical, the ‘art shoes’ are elegant, the ‘local flavor shoes’  are graphic and the ‘action sports shoes’  take on a mix of traditional art with a modern twist.”

“The support we have been receiving has been awesome,” she added, “especially from (art teacher) Ms. Kramer, our friends, and the UHS community.”

Online voting for the next round started this week, with one vote allowed per IP address, and May 13 is the deadline to choose your favorite. Five finalists will be selected the following day, and each will get a travel budget to fly to New York, where celebrity guests are expected to announce a grand prize winner.

That team will earn $50,000 for its school’s art program, while the four runners-up will be awarded $4,000 each for their programs. The Journeys shoe and apparel company also plans to present a separate award of $10,000 to the school with the team that produces the best “Local Flavor”-themed shoe.

To learn more about the contest, or to cast your vote, click here.

A half-dozen IUSD educators will be recognized at next month’s Orange County Music and Arts Education Awards program.

Patricia Goheen, a sixth-grade teacher at Eastshore Elementary School, will be honored as the top educator for Elementary Visual Arts during a special ceremony on May 6, while Henry J. Miller, the instrumental music teacher at Sierra Vista Middle School, will be presented with the Irene Schoepfle Award.

Goheen and Miller are also set to be recognized as Outstanding Art Educators for 2013, along 35 others including Rancho San Joaquin Middle School art teacher Sue Anello, Sierra Vista art teacher Colleen Cosgrove, Northwood High TV and video production teacher Tina M. Murphy and district music teacher Hee Jeong Przytulski.

Presented by Orange County Music and Arts Administrators, the Orange County Music and Arts Educator Awards annually spotlight exemplary teachers and administrators who oversee instrumental, vocal, theater, dance and visual arts programs at schools throughout the county. This year’s ceremony will be held in the Samueli Theater, located at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

We just learned that a limited number of tickets are still available for the 31st annual Donald Bren Honors Concert, which will be held at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

Considered a signature event for the Irvine Unified School District, the showcase is once again being presented by the Irvine Public Schools Foundation, and it will feature nearly 700 of Irvine’s finest young musicians in grades three through 12.

Over the years, more than 18,000 IUSD students have participated in the concert, which generates funds to support music education in Irvine. Performers are selected based on their ability and level of dedication.

Those who still hope to catch this year’s show better not wait too much longer to book their seats as organizers are anticipating a sold-out performance.

To purchase tickets, contact the Segerstrom Center for the Arts by phone at 714-556-2787 or online at www.scfta.org.

Each year around this time, Stonegate Elementary School spotlights a different part of the world for a two-week cultural lesson and celebration. This year, the focus is on Latin America.

We dropped by the campus on Friday and discovered that students, parents and staff had transformed the media center into a virtual museum packed with art, crafts, historical texts and food. Meanwhile, the school also staged a pair of morning assemblies featuring music and dancing.

We talked to Principal Stan Machesky and others about the event and captured some of the festivities in this brief video.

And the Grammy goes to … IUSD’s Northwood High School.

Earning one of the most highly prized accolades for music education, Northwood High learned Thursday that it was one of only 10 schools nationwide to be selected as a Grammy Signature School for 2013, courtesy of the Grammy Foundation.

For those of you scoring at home, Northwood has now taken the honor a total of four times since opening in 1999. In addition to the special designation and a custom award, the school’s music program will receive $2,000.

“This recognition is a tribute to our truly talented students and staff,” Principal Leslie Roach said. “Our music directors are talented and inspiring educators whose passion for music and the students they teach is contagious, and the students are incredible musicians who continue to work hard to create amazing music.”

Established in 1989, the Grammy Foundation promotes the impact of recorded music on American culture and recognizes schools that provide exceptional music opportunities for students. Each year, more than 20,000 public high schools have an opportunity to apply to become Grammy Signature Schools, but only a handful earn the honor. IUSD’s four comprehensive high schools have been awarded a total of nine times.

“For the past 15 years, our Grammy Signature Schools program has been providing much-needed financial resources and recognizing excellence in schools across the U.S. whose music programs have a positive impact on the lives of their students,” said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation, in a news release.

Applications for the honor were submitted online in the fall, and finalists were later asked to submit additional documentation, including concert recordings. Those materials were then reviewed by an independent committee of top music educators and professionals, who decided which schools merited the prestigious designation.

Count Northwood among that group, and not for the first time.

The Irvine Unified School District has once again been named one of the nation’s Best Communities for Music Education by the prestigious NAMM Foundation.

The national recognition program, now in its 14th year, spotlights school districts that have demonstrated “exceptional efforts toward maintaining music education as part of the schools’ core curriculum.” IUSD last earned the honor in 2010, and the district is one of 307 to receive the designation this year.

“This incredible accolade is a testament to this district’s commitment to the arts and its ability to work together to keep music in our classrooms despite budget cuts at the state level,” said Brad Van Patten, IUSD’s coordinator of visual and performing arts.

“Our Board of Education, our staff and our families have been steadfast in their support for music education, and we are tremendously grateful for the additional resources provided by the Irvine Company and the Irvine Public Schools Foundation,” Van Patten said. “As a result of this collaboration, thousands of students head to school each day toting their instruments of choice, and that sight should be a great source of pride for this entire community.”

Nearly 2,000 schools and school districts participated in the most recent NAMM Foundation survey, which served as the basis for the Best Communities awards. Educational organizations were asked specifically about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and opportunities to make music in the community.

Responses were later verified with school officials and reviewed by The Institute for Educational Research and Public Service, an affiliate of the University of Kansas.

The Best Communities program is considered an extension of the NAMM Foundation’s advocacy efforts for school-based music education, and the foundation is quick to cite studies that link music education with higher student achievement.

“This designation recognizes communities for their commitment to music education and strengthens support for these programs,” said Mary Luehrsen, the NAMM Foundation’s executive director. “Having widely embraced the evidence indicating that music education yields great things in schools and communities, people are increasingly … advocating for school music curricula and championing programs like Best Communities that recognize this commitment to music education.”