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Graduate Recognition:Thalia ReyesSASO Announces 2024 Grant RecipientsTSubmitted By Jada Hallmarkhe San Antonio Boys Chapter for Scholars and Athletes Serving Others (SASO) is excited toannounce the recipients of this year’s grant. SASO aligns itself with local charities and non-profit organizations who need volunteers to assist with their events and programming. Organizations that SASO partnered with during the last year were invited to apply for the grants.SASO grant committee members Jacob Hernandez, Trystan White, and Joseph Ferdin reviewed over twenty applications and identified four organizations to receive the award. Congratulations to Kinetic Kids, Texas Ramp Project, HIS Bridgebuilders, and Boysville for being selected as this year’s grant recipients! Grant checks in the amount of $1,000 were presented to each of the outstanding organizations on April 28, 2024 during the kickoff meeting for the 2024-2025 school year.ST halia Reyes is graduating from O’Connor High School in June 2024! Her accomplishments while she attended OC included National Honor Society, Panther Pals and a 3-year member of the OC Varsity Softball team. As a member of the softball team, Thalia’s role was a pitcher only. In the off season, she provided pitching lessons to young girls that were interested in pitching. She was a member of the 2022 UIL State Champion Softball Team and was recognized as a NISD All Academic First Team (2022, 2023 and 2024), THSCA Academic All-Star 2nd team in 2024.Her junior year, the Varsity Softball Team won the 2023 Regional Quarter Finals. The 2024 Varsity Softball Team made another runattheStatePlayoffs. Thaliawillcontinue her academic and softball career attending McMurry University in Abilene, TX, where she earned a Presidential Scholarship. Her plans are to pursue a Nursing major.ubmitted By MissyBy Sally KalosO’ Connor Theatre Makes It To State CompetitionSASO is an inclusive mother-and-son community service organization for boys who live in the Clark, O’Connor, Brandeis, and Harlan High School attendance zones (public, private, or homeschooled). SASO is in its 9th year and over 1,500 mothers and their sons have participated in countless hours of service activities.Michael John Arellano, the Head Theatre Director at O’Connor High School, reflects on his journey with a group of seniors who have grown exceptionally under his guidance. First meeting them as freshmen via Zoom due to pandemic restrictions, Arellano didn’t have the chance to introduce them to traditional theatre experiences initially. Instead, they creatively adapted to the circumstances. “As freshmen, this group had no idea what theatre at O’Connor High School was supposed to be like, so we got to make up our own rules,” Arellano recalls. This flexibility turned his Theatre I class into a personal favorite as it provided an escape from the harsh reality of potentially never meeting these students in person.Despite the rocky start with cancellations and virtual interactions, these students progressed remarkably. By the end of their freshman year, they managed to participate in a one-act play in person—Arellano chose to revisit ‘Medea’, a play that had been cut short the previous year. Unbeknownst to him at the time, this freshman cast would continue to follow him up to their senior year, eventually competing in the UIL One Act Play State Championships.Throughout the year, the theatre group performed a variety of plays including ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’, ‘Haunted House’, ‘25th Anniversary Showcase’, ‘Dance Spring Show’, ‘The Addams Family’, and ‘Amadeus’. The selection of ‘Amadeus’ for the state competition was strategic, influenced by Arellano’s inspiration from Madonna’s VMA performance of ‘Vogue’ and queer ballroom culture, which was reflected in the style of acting and use of props like fans in the play.Names of students and who is in the photo left to right Back row: Michael Arellano, William Myers, James Watson, Dalton Lopez, Vitka Dietz, Nikolaus Villarreal, Julianna Acosta, Mark McKinney Middle row: Shannon Tennant, Illiana Lopez, Ava Braddam, Benjamin Cottrill, Liam Meister,Fletcher Fenn, Daniel Rodriguez, Roman Alonso, Isabella Wade, Graysen Spears, Guillermo De LeonIn Texas, high schools compete by preparing a 40-minute one-act play that adheres to community standards and specific guidelines outlined in a handbook. The performance is evaluated by judges using a rubric that considers 60% acting and 40% directing and stage mechanics. These plays are ranked, and the results are processed through a computer program to determine advancement.Advancing through multiple levels— Zone, District, Bi-District, Area, and Region—O’Connor High School has made it to the State competition for the first time. This year, the 6A UIL One Act Play Contest is hosted at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center, marking a significant milestone for both the school and directors, Arellano and Guillermo De Leon.Several seniors from the group have earned scholarships to pursue arts careers: - Liam Meister at the University of Michigan for BFA Acting- Vitka Dietz at UT for BA Acting- Shannon Tennant and Persephone Amato at DePaul University for BFA in Film and Theatre, respectively- Nikolaus Villarreal at UTSA for Film and Multimedia- Daniel Rodriguez at Northwest Vista for TheatreArellano praises the consistent excellence of the acting throughout the year, highlighting the actors’ resilience and adaptability in facing the rigorous demands of one-act play productions. The process, which began in late January and continued through May, involved sustainedeffort without succumbing to boredom or staleness, a testament to the dedication and passion of the students.In closing, Arellano expresses a deep affection for this group of seniors, noting their significant achievements and the indelible mark they have left on his heart. They have made history by winning first place at the Fame Awards, bringing a mainstage play to the Texas Thespian Festival, reaching the finals in the UIL Theatrical Design Contest for costuming, and achieving finalist status at the Joci Awards. Their journey from virtual freshmen year classes to state-level competitors encapsulates a profound narrative of growth, resilience, and lasting impact.10www.heloteshighlights.comJune 2024