24 SEMI-FINALISTS HONORED

Two dozen Orange County high school and junior high students, chosen as semi-finalists for the new California State Summer School for the Arts, were awarded medallions for their achievements in the arts in a ceremony Friday at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana.

The 24 students are among 500 semi-finalists throughout the state vying for 400 places in a four-week, arts-only instructional program beginning July 6 at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.

Tuition is $750, which includes room and board for the students. The state also has given a $350,000 grant to support the school. Finalists, who will be selected through auditions and interviews, are expected to be announced May 25.

The medallion ceremony was sponsored by the Orange County Arts Alliance, which helped recruit artistically talented local students for the summer school. The semi-finalists from the county represent six artistic disciplines: dance, creative writing, instrumental music, vocal music, theater arts and visual arts.